Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego by Simeon Solomon, 1863.
Daniel 3 (the third chapter of the Book of Daniel) tells how the three noble Jews Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were condemned to death in a fiery furnace because of the faithful refusal to worship any god but the God of Isarel, but saved by the angel of God and promoted to high office by Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon.
Summary and commentary
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, Jewish youths of noble birth "without physical defect, and handsome," were taken to Babylon to serve in the palace of King Nebuchadnezzar king's palace and learn the literature and language of the Chaldeans (meaning both the Babylonians and the court magicians–this background is related in chapter 1 of Daniel).[1] Soon they were appointed to high office over the province of Babylon (chapter 2, verse 49).[2] King Nebuchadnezzar set up a golden statue on the plain of Dura in Babylon, and and commanded that all should worship it on pain of death, but Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego did not. Certain Chaldeans reported this to the king, who commanded that the three Jews be thrown into the fiery furnace, but when this was done God sent his angel to protect them. Nebuchadnezzar therefore promoted them over the province of Babylon, and decreed that any who spoke against their God should be torn limb from limb.[3]
Daniel's absence from the tale of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego suggests that it may originally have been an independent story; the word "Dura" (where the statue is erected) means simply "plain" or "fortress" and is not any specific place; the Greek historian Herodotus mentions a golden image of the god Bel in Babylon, but the gigantic size of this statue suggests that its origins lie in folklore.[4]
Composition and structure
Late 3rd century/early 4th century Christians depicted the fiery furnace in the Catacombs of Priscilla, Rome
It is generally accepted that the Book of Daniel originated as a collection of folktales among the Jewish community in Babylon and Mesopotamia in the Persian and early Hellenistic periods (5th to 3rd centuries BCE), expanded by the visions of chapters 7-12 in the Maccabean era (mid-2nd century).[5] Modern scholarship agrees that Daniel is a legendary figure.[6] It is possible that the name was chosen for the hero of the book because of his reputation as a wise seer in Hebrew tradition.[7] The tales are in the voice of an anonymous narrator, except for chapter 4 which is in the form of a letter from king Nebuchadnezzar.[8] Chapter 3 is unique in that Daniel does not appear in it.
Daniel 3
Daniel 3 forms a chiasmus (a poetic structure in which the main point or message of a passage is placed in the centre and framed by further repetitions on either side) within Daniel 2-7, paired with Daniel 6, the story of Daniel in the lions' den:[9]
A. (2:4b-49) – A dream of four kingdoms replaced by a fifth
B. (3:1–30) – Daniel's three friends in the fiery furnace
C. (4:1–37) – Daniel interprets a dream for Nebuchadnezzar
C'. (5:1–31) – Daniel interprets the handwriting on the wall for Belshazzar
B'. (6:1–28) – Daniel in the lions' den
A'. (7:1–28) – A vision of four world kingdoms replaced by a fifth
Chapters 3 and 6 contain significant differences, however. The story of the fiery furnace does not include Daniel, while the sotry of the lions' den does not include Daniel's friends; the first story takes place under Nebuchadnezzar and the second under Darius; and in the first story the disobedience to the earthly ruler takes place in public, while in the second Daniel petitions God in private. The stories thus supplement each other to make the point that the God of the Jews will deliver those who are faithful to him.[10]
Their Hebraic names are Hananiah (חֲנַנְיָה), Mishael (מִישָׁאֵל) and Azariah (עֲזַרְיָה). It was probably by the King’s decree that Chief Official Ashpenaz assigned Chaldean names, so that Hananiah became Shadrach, Mishael became Meshach and Azariah became Abednego.Dan.1:3,7
In view of the possible foreign religious connotations attached to their names, commentators have questioned why Bible translators seldom use their original Hebrew names. It is speculated[by whom?] that they are identified mostly by their Chaldean names to maintain the accuracy of the dialogue given in the text. Since it would have been confusing to have the writer call them one thing and the King call them another, the story primarily uses their Chaldean names instead.[citation needed]
It has been asserted[by whom?] that the names Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego all pertain to pagan Babylonian gods.
Shadrach possibly is derived from Shudur Aku "Command of the moon god"[11]
Meshach is probably a variation of Mi•sha•aku, meaning "Who is what Aku is?", and may have been an alteration of his Hebrew name Mishael
Abednego is either a corrupted or deliberate use of Abednebo, "servant of Nebo/Nabu," or Abednergo, a variation of Abednergal, "servant of the god Nergal"[12]
Induction into Babylon
In Daniel (Daniy'el) Chapter 1Template:Bibleverse with invalid book, King Nebuchadnezzar wanted select men from Judah to learn the language and literature of Babylon. This would be a three-year training course to qualify those selected to serve in the King’s Palace. Those chosen were to partake of Babylonian royal food and wine. v.3–5 Among these men of Judah were Daniel (Belteshazzar), Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. v.6, 7 Because Daniel did not want to defile himself with the King’s food, he requested from his appointed guard to provide them vegetables and water for ten days. After the ten day trial, the four appeared better nourished and healthier than all the others who partook of the royal food. Thus, they were awarded the freedom to regularly have vegetables and water. v.8–16 Upon the King’s review, he also found them to be "ten times better than all the magicians and conjurers who were in all his realm". v.20
Daniel spoke highly of the three to the King whenever opportunity afforded itself, so that they could also have honorable positions in the Province of Babylon.Dan.2:48,49
Prayer of Azariah
In the "Prayer of Azariah," Azariah (Abednego) confesses their sins and the sins of Israel, and asks their God to save them in order to demonstrate God’s power to the Babylonians. It is followed by an account of an angel who came to make the inside of the furnace feel like a cool breeze over dew. An extended hymn of praise to their God for deliverance is found in the "Song of the Three Young Men."
The Prayer of Azariah appears in the Septuagint, but not the Masoretic Text. It is part of the Deuterocanon for Catholic and Orthodox Christians, but considered apocryphal by most Protestants and most Jews.
Eastern Orthodox observance
The song of the three youths is alluded to in odes seven and eight of the canon, a hymn sung in the matins service and on other occasions in the Eastern Orthodox Church, where their feast day is December 17 (along with Daniel). The Orthodox also commemorate them on the two Sundays before the Nativity of Christ. The reading of the story of the fiery furnace, including the song, is prescribed for the vesperalDivine Liturgy celebrated by the Orthodox on Holy Saturday. Likewise, the three are commemorated as prophets in the Calendar of Saints of the Lutheran Church on December 17 with Daniel.
The Three Young Men in the Fiery Furnace. The fourth is sometimes interpreted as being the Archangel Michael (15th century icon of the Novgorod school).
References and portrayals in popular culture
Literature
1954 In her short story A Circle in the Fire, Flannery O'Connor partly parallels this story, ending with the phrase, "as if the prophets were dancing in the fiery furnace, in the circle the angel had cleared for them."
1955 In the play Guys and Dolls, Sky Masterson says, "Never tangle with me on the Good Book... In one of my blackest moments I came up with a three-horse parlay, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego."
P. G. Wodehouse often referred to Shadrach, Mechach, and Abednego in his novels and short stories, thus using a humorous and somewhat irreverent hyperbole to describe the typically minor difficulties or mental turmoil faced by the characters in his stories.
1989: William T. Vollmann's short story Scintillant Orange in The Rainbow Stories collection features the captured Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.
1999: cartoonists Howard Mackie and John Byrne created the character Shadrac, a Spider-Man foe, cursed by being a "human torch", who never dies or burns up
Davidson, Robert (1993). "Jeremiah, Book of". In Metzger, Bruce M.; Coogan, Michael D. (eds.). The Oxford Companion to the Bible. Oxford University Press.
Gallagher, Eugene V. (2011). "Millennialism, Scripture, and Tradition". In Wessinger, Catherine (ed.). The Oxford Handbook of Millennialism. Oxford University Press. ((cite book)): Invalid |ref=harv (help)
Holbrook, Frank B. (1986). The Seventy Weeks, Leviticus, and the Nature of Prophecy (Volume 3 of Daniel and Revelation Committee Series ed.). Biblical Research Institute, General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. ISBN0925675024. ((cite book)): Invalid |ref=harv (help)
Spencer, Richard A. (2002). "Additions to Daniel". In Mills, Watson E.; Wilson, Richard F. (eds.). The Deuterocanonicals/Apocrypha. Mercer University Press. ((cite book)): Invalid |ref=harv (help)
Towner, W. Sibley (1993). "Daniel". In Coogan, Michael D.; Metzger, Bruce M. (eds.). The Oxford Companion to the Bible. Oxford University Press.
Towner, W. Sibley (1984). Daniel. Westminster John Knox Press. ((cite book)): Invalid |ref=harv (help)
