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Daniel Dragonslayer – Bel and the Dragon, Verses 23−27 (OG/Th)

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Daniel Dragonslayer – Bel and the Dragon, Verses 23−27 (OG/Th) Page 1 of 8 Original Research Daniel Dragonslayer – Bel and the dragon, Verses 23−27 (OG/Th) Author: In this article, aspects of narrative critique, genre, editorial critique, the body and space are 1 Joseph J. de Bruyn uniquely combined into a body-space framework. This spatial framework is used to examine Affiliation: the second episode of ‘Bel and the Dragon’, called ‘Daniel Dragonslayer’. It is postulated that 1Faculty of Theology, the second episode of ‘Bel and the Dragon’ should be read in a reciprocal relationship with not North-West University, only ‘Bel and the Dragon’, but also the larger Book of Daniel. Firstly, such an analysis indicates Potchefstroom Campus, that the smaller episode is part of a larger clash of deities. Secondly, it shows that the editor / South Africa author utilises the episode to create a new cosmology. In this new cosmology, the Jewish deity Correspondence to: is an almighty one, whilst other deities are seen as false and not real living gods. In his own Joseph de Bruyn way, the editor or author contributes to the way in which Jews regarded their God within the reality of the diaspora. Email: [email protected] Postal address: Daniel Dragonslayer − Bel en die draak, Verse 23−27 (VAN/Die). In hierdie artikel word Private Bag X1288, aspekte van narratiewe-kritiek, genre, redaksie-kritiek, die liggaam en ruimte op ’n unieke Potchefstroom 2520, South Africa wyse gekombineer om ’n beliggaamde ruimteraamwerk te vorm. Hierdie beliggaamde ruimteraamwerk word gebruik om die tweede episode van ‘Bel en die Draak’, naamlik Dates: ‘Daniël, die Draakjagter’, te analiseer. Die artikel stel voor dat hierdie tweede episode van ‘Bel Received: 16 June 2014 en die Draak’ in ’n resiproke verhouding met ‘Bel en die Draak’, sowel as met die boek Daniël Accepted: 24 Oct. 2014 Published: 28 Apr. 2015 gelees moet word. Indien die teks op hierdie voorgestelde wyse ontleed word, kom verskeie punte na vore. Eerstens word aangedui dat die kleiner episode deel van ’n groter gode-oorlog How to cite this article: vorm. Tweedens, die skrywer/redakteur gebruik die kleiner episode as deel van ’n proses om De Bruyn, J.J., 2015, ‘Daniel ’n nuwe kosmologie te skep. Volgens hierdie nuwe kosmologie is die Joodse God ’n almagtige Dragonslayer – Bel And The Dragon, Verses 23−27 (OG/ God, terwyl ander gode vals en nie ware lewende gode is nie. Op sy eie manier lewer die Th)’, In die Skriflig 49(1), skrywer/redakteur ’n bydrae tot die ontwikkeling van die Jode se godsbeskouing tydens die Art. #1848, 8 pages. http:// diaspora. dx.doi.org/10.4102/ids. v49i1.1848 Copyright: © 2015. The Authors. Introduction Licensee: AOSIS OpenJournals. This work is However, the roots to the dragon-slaying motif in both the New Testament and early Christian licensed under the Creative tradition can be traced back even further to the apocryphal story of Daniel Dragonslayer. Commons Attribution License. Daniel dragonslayer: An overview Daniel Dragonslayer1 is a story about the character Daniel2 who slays a sacred δράκων [dragon or serpent] worshiped by the Babylonians. In itself, this short story actually forms part of the narrative known as Bel and the Dragon.3 In its Greek form, Bel and the Dragon dates back to 100 BCE. Its Hebrew vorlage may even be older (Charles 2004:655). The narrative is included in the Septuagint (LXX) as the 14th chapter of the Greek Daniel.4 Altogether, Bel and the Dragon consists of three episodes or short stories interwoven into a single narrative. In this single narrative called Bel and the Dragon, Daniel Dragonslayer forms the second episode. It is this second episode that is being investigated in this article. The first episode can be described as The disempowerment of Bel. In the third episode the story of Daniel in the lion’s den is recounted. Two Greek versions of Bel and the Dragon exist. The same is thus true with regard to the episode this article refers to as Daniel Dragonslayer (v. 23–27). The oldest version of the narrative is that of the LXX and is often called the Old Greek (OG) version. The later version is that of Read online: Scan this QR 1.Daniel Dragonslayer is used as a description of verses 23–27 of the narrative Bel and the Dragon. Daniel Book of Daniel code with your 2.For a better distinction, in italics is used to indicate the . ‘Daniel’ in normal script is used in reference to the character Daniel. smart phone or 3.Bel and the Dragon in italics refers to a narrative. ‘Bel’ and ‘dragon’ in normal script indicates a specific deity or a sacred animal mobile device respectively. to read online. 4.Greek Daniel in italics refers to the LXX and Theodotion versions ofDaniel . Hebrew Daniel is used in reference to the Book of Daniel as it is found in the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament or T’n’ch). Bel and the Dragon can also be referred to as ‘chapter 14’ of the Book of Daniel. http://www.indieskriflig.org.za doi:10.4102/ids.v49i1.1848 Page 2 of 8 Original Research Theodotion (Th), dating from the 2nd century (Nickelsburg • The theme of food in the sense of ‘eating’ and ‘not eating’ 2005:24–26; Charles 2004:656). Th is also considered to be the as a motif in the narrative (Bergmann 2004). Again, the more elaborate of the two versions. Therefore, this article study of space and the creative properties of language, mostly uses Th, but references to OG will be made where make it possible to read the use of food as a spatial marker necessary. whereby different god-spaces can be identified. • Much research has been done on the place and date of In both OG and Th, Bel and the Dragon consists of 42 verses. origin of Bel and the Dragon and its different text versions Each of its smaller episodes is made up of corresponding (Nickelsburg 2005:24–26; Charles 2004:656; DeSilva verses in both OG and Th. Thus, in both OG and Th, Daniel 2002:240; Greun 1998:168–170). For the episode Daniel Dragonslayer is narrated in verses 23 to 27. Likewise, episode Dragonslayer, an Egyptian origin was considered in the 1 is told in verses 1 to 22 and episode 3 in verses 28 to 42 in past (Charles 2004:653–656), but a Babylonian origin both Greek versions. cannot be ruled out. Scholars tried to connect the worshipping of the δράκων in the story to the worship of The research in this article is part of a larger investigation different snake-like deities in the Ancient Near East. into the utilisation of body, space, narrative and genre by the Collins (1993:414–415) is correct in his view that, Greek editor or author5 of Bel and the Dragon. Two articles connecting the episode to a specific deity or place of have already been written on the subject.6 The first article (De origin, does not change the message of the story as a Bruyn & Jordaan 2014) was designed to identify lacunae in polemic against foreign religious practices. Accordingly, previous research on Bel and the Dragon, whilst the second this article focuses on the episode as part of the larger article7 focused on episode 1. narrative of the Greek Daniel. • The similarities and dissimilarities between OG and Th Past research, new insights as well as Hebrew Daniel and its Greek versions (Jones 2003:139–140). Although this research has brought insight In previous research done on Daniel Dragonslayer, into the origins of the story, scholars tend to lose track of commentaries tend to echo each other in following the the narrative as a whole and its function. well-travelled road. Few scholars, if any, try to incorporate • The original language of Bel and the Dragon (Charles insights from new developments in language and text 2004:655). studies. Usually scholars focus on Bel and the Dragon as a • The tolerance of the king towards Daniel and his God complete, but freestanding narrative. Almost no attention is (Collins 1993:335–345). given to the individual episodes of Bel and the Dragon. The • The character of Daniel as a weapon of attack and defence editorial function of Bel and the Dragon as Daniel 14 in the through the ages (Jordaan 2008). If this theme is combined Greek Daniel is also not considered. with a spatial framework, it is possible to indicate that the editor or author utilises Daniel not only as a weapon, but A brief summary of past research follows: also as a vessel of the God of Israel. • The narrative’s polemic use against idolatry (Jones 2003:24–26; DeSilva 2002:239) with the theme: ‘Who is the Due to the works of cognitive linguists such as Evens, living God?’ (Nickelsburg 2005:24–26). New insights into Bergen, Zinken, Lakoff, Croft and Cruse as well as Foucault’s8 how authors’ use of space in narratives, make it possible work on narratives, new themes such as body, space and to examine this theme more thoroughly and elaborately narrative structures have emerged in language studies. The than before. scholars who did research on space and body in Daniel are • The investigation of the intertextual relationship between few. Nel (2014) and Venter (2006; 2004) wrote on space in Bel and the Dragon and Isaiah 44–46 and Jeremiah 51 Daniel 1 and 9, but not on space in Bel and the Dragon. Van (Nickelsburg 2005:24–26; DeSilva 2002:240). der Bergh (2009), on the other hand, regarded the differences • Comparison of differences in the narrative between the in location in the story of Bel and the Dragon.
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