Verbum Vitae 21 (2012), UPBRINGING IN THE BOOK OF DANIEL – THE IDEAL OF A YOUNG JEWISH MAN ACCORDING TO DANIEL 1:3-7 Ks. Marek Parchem The process of upbringing is a very complex phenom- ena having a multidimensional character. In the wider context of the word it means the whole of the influence targeting the comprehensive formation of a young man in his physical, intellectual, moral and religious development. There is no doubt that in such a comprehensive education- al process a crucial role is played by the ideals and pat- terns of behaviour which are shown as worthy influences to be imitated in character and personality formation. The biblical tradition is a rich source of models given as worthy figures to be imitated. One of them is Daniel – the main hero of the book that bears his name. The stories in the first chapter of the Book of Daniel depict him as one of a group of Jewish youths carried off as captives to Bab- ylon by Nebuchadnezzar. After being placed in a special three-year training program together with his comrades, Daniel became a servant and royal advisor. Living at court with first the Babylonian and then the Persian kings, he obtained high rank and honours, which helped him attain a prominent position in public administration. In spite of his considerable influence at the pagan courts, Daniel re- mained faithful to God, who bestowed on him wisdom and numerous gifts making him superior to all the pagan 65 astrologers. Daniel is shown as the ideal of a young Jew, not only in religious categories but also socio-political, because he became a model of the preservation of religious and national identity while living in a pagan environment far away from the motherland. 1. THE FIGURE OF DANIEL IN THE CONTEXT OF THE ENTIRE BOOK OF DANIEL AND THE FIRST CHAPTER NARRATION (DAN 1) A closer look at the circumstances from which Dan 1 arose, its role in the Book of Daniel, and the place in which it was written, permits the settling of certain impor- tant questions. Seen first of all is the cultural environment, whose views represent the Daniel figure created in this book, as to who is the author (or authors) of the stories of chapters one to six, as well as for whom he is supposed to be a model of behaviour. The Book of Daniel in the currently existing form is the result of a very long and complex process of compil- ing different source materials; the final redaction of the work took place in the 60’s of the second century before Christ. Generally, the entire book may be divided into two main sections: part one – the stories found in chapters 1-6; part two – apocalyptic visions (chapters 7-12), written for different purposes and in different circumstances. The stories of chapters 1-6 of the present version of the Book of Daniel introduce the Daniel figure of the vision from chapters 7-12 with whom the author/s identifies, because he portrays Daniel as a visionary, the one who not only receives the divine revelation in the form of a vision, but also interprets it1. The choice of the Daniel figure as an 1 See more J.J. coLLins, Daniel. A Commentary on the Book of Daniel (Hermeneia; Minneapolis 1993) 24-38; M. Parchem, Księga Daniela. Wstęp, przekład z oryginału, komentarz (NKB.ST 26; Częstochowa 2008) 48-54; see also J.E. GoLDinGay, Daniel (WBC 30; Dallas 1989) 326-328; G.W.E. nickeLsburG, Jewish Literature between the Bible and the Mishnah (Minneapolis 2005) 83. 66 expression of pseudepigrapha enables the recognition of the real author of the apocalyptic visions and the final editor of the entire book. Since the author of the vision (the editor) identifies himself with the Daniel figure of the book’s stories, it seems a justifiable statement that he accepts characteristics represented by Daniel as well as acknowledging his conduct. The final editor of the entire book in the Maccabean era, in joining the stories about Daniel to the apocalyptic visions, presents to his readers the main hero of the stories (Daniel 1-6) as an example and model of conduct, and consequently expresses the ac- tuality that for him also, he is a model of the ideal Jew2. Therefore, who is Daniel and how is he described in chapters 1-6? The setting of Daniel in historic realities, in the exile and Babylonian captivity, does not yet testify to the historicity of this figure. Other than in the Book of Daniel, no mention appears of a prophet bearing this name in the Hebrew Bible3. It is proper, however, to notice that the prophet Ezekiel repeatedly mentions the name of a Daniel who is a legendary sage and a man who is just and lawful (Ezek 14:14.20; 28:3). The existence of this name is authenticated in texts from Mari (18th century BCE) and in the literary texts discovered at Ugarit (around 1400-1300 BCE), where the figure of a king bearing the name Dnil, a righteous and pious man, appears in the epic about Aqhat (KTU 1.17-1.19). In the Book of Jubilees it appears as the name of Enoch’s father-in-law (Jub 4:20). All these testimonies refer to a legendary person in an- cient Near East, well-known and greatly appreciated due to his justice, piety and wisdom. Most likely the material contained in the Book of Daniel was credited to the per- son of Daniel. The stories of chapters 1-6 contain colour- ful accounts depicting him as a sage having the ability 2 See J.J. coLLins, The Apocalyptic Vision of the Book of Daniel (HSM 16; Missoula 1977) 27; P.R. DaVies, Daniel (Old Testament Guides; Sheffield 1998) 88. 3 In the Hebrew Bible this name is mentioned twice: in 1 Chr 3:1 (the name of the son of David and Abigail) and in Ezra 8:2 and Neh 10:7 (the name of the priest from Ithamar’s line). 67 to interpret dreams and being superior to all the sages of the court, however in the visions (Dan 7-12) the author identifies himself with the sages who are the teachers of wisdom and justice4. The first chapter of this book introduces the main char- acter, Daniel, and is viewed as an introduction to chapters 1-6, as well as to the final redaction of the whole Book of Daniel. It is difficult to establish the concrete histori- cal context in which the book of Daniel was written. The evidence of the first narrative – similar to the stories in chapters 1- 6 -would seem to be of eastern origin and most likely it was written in the Diaspora. It should be noted that numerous Akkadian and Persian words appear here; there is no evidence however of Greek words. The assumption is that the account from the first chapter was written as an introduction to the narratives of chapters 2-6. Later, probably during the initial period of the Hellenis- tic epoch, after having been compiled, the first chapter was edited in its final form. From an analysis of the story content (Dan 1) one is lead to the conclusion that it was written in a Jewish environment found in pagan surround- ings, which were well-disposed towards Jews, who found success in the service of a pagan ruler, even in the royal court. Considering Daniel and his companions as young officials receiving education and moving up in the world at the pagan king’s court could idealize the picture of the environment in which the author of Daniel 1 functioned. On the other hand, it is known that the occupation of high positions at pagan ruler’s courts by Jews was not only “an ideal”, but also happened in reality. Nehemiah is an example of all those who were so favoured, serving at the royal palace as cup-bearer (Neh 1:11). Therefore, it is possible to state that the story told in Daniel 1 reveals all the aspirations of upper-class Jews living in the Diaspora 4 See J. Day, „The Daniel of Ugarit and Ezekiel and the Hero of the Book of Daniel”, VT 30 (1980) 174-184; J.J. coLLins, The Apocalyptic Imagination. An Introduction to Jewish Apocalyptic Literature (Grand Rapids 1998) 86-87; M. Parchem, Księga Daniela, 30-31. 68 and their tendency to aim for careers at pagan royal courts without compromising their national and religious identity. For this reason Daniel’s persona is portrayed as a model for those living in the Diaspora5. 2. THE IDEAL YOUNG MAN – AN ANALYSIS OF THE DESCRIPTION OF DANIEL AND HIS COMPANIONS Chapter 1 is essentially an introductory chapter with verses 3-7 describing Daniel and his three friends. The training they were to receive would be a three-year pro- gram, after which they would be tested by king Nebuchad- nezzar himself. The scene consists of three parts having specific “stages” in the presentation of the main characters of the story and also the entire book. At the beginning the author presents their social status and upper class back- ground (v. 3), then describes their physical and intellectual features (v. 4), and only at the end mentions their names (v. 6-7). 2.1. Young men and their learning abilities The author of the story in Daniel 1 introduces Daniel and his three companions as “young men” (heb. yeladim). Admittedly, the Hebrew noun used here does not indicate any specific age, however, in biblical tradition this term is used to describe children of the male sex who still had not reached maturity.