Daily Readings:
Saints/Martyrs/Heroes/Feasts/Fasts to be observed/commemmorated/celebrated: the Advent of the Nativity
Daniel and the Three Young Men, prophets, (Commemoration) R - LCMS
Daniel (Hebrew: דָּנִיֵּאל, Modern Daniyyel Tiberian Dāniyyêl, meaning "God is my judge") is the central protagonist of the Book of Daniel. According to the biblical book, at a young age Daniel was carried off to Babylon where he became famous for interpreting dreams and rose to become one of the most important figures in the court.
1. Daniel's life.
Daniel refusing to eat at the King's table, early 1900s Bible illustration
The following is a summary of the biblical Book of Daniel
In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim (BC 606), Daniel and his friends Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were among the young Jewish nobility carried off to Babylon. The four were chosen for their intellect and beauty to be trained as advisors to the Babylonian court,(Daniel 1) Daniel was given the name Belteshazzar, i.e., prince of Bel, or Bel protect the king!(not to be confused with the neo-Babylonian king, Belshazzar). Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were given the Babylonian names, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, respectively. [1] At the close of his three years of discipline and training in the royal schools Daniel was brought out into public life. He soon became known for his skill in the interpretation of dreams (Daniel 1:17; Daniel 2:14). Daniel made known and interpreted Nebuchadnezzar's dream; as well as a later dream preceding the king's descent into animal behaviour, and many years afterwards, when he was now an old man, amid the alarm and consternation of the terrible night of Belshazzar's impious feast (in which Belshazzar and his concubines drank wine out of the royal Jewish ceremonial goblets of the Temple), Daniel was called in at the suggestion of the queen-mother to interpret the mysterious handwriting on the wall. For successfully reading the cryptic handwriting by an angel of God, Daniel was rewarded by the Babylonians with a purple robe and elevation to the rank of "third ruler" of the kingdom. It is believed that the place of "second ruler" was held by Belshazzar as associated with his father, Nabonidus, on the throne (Daniel 5:16), though no where in the book of Daniel is Nabonidus mentioned by name and according to the book of Daniel Nebuchadnezzar was the father of Belshazzar. Nabonidus left Babylon in his son Belshazzar's care when he fled because of his refusal to accept the role of Marduk as the prime diety. The Hebrew word translated in the book of Daniel as "son" can mean any descendant. Belshazzar was actually the grandson of Nebuchadnezzar. Daniel interpreted the handwriting, and "in that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain".
After the Persian conquest of Babylon, Daniel held the office of the first of the "three presidents" of the empire under the reign of Darius the Mede, and was thus practically at the head of state affairs, with the ability to influence the prospects of the captive Jews (Daniel 9), whom he had at last the happiness of seeing restored to their own land; although he did not return with them, but remained still in Babylon.
Daniel's Answer to the King by Briton Rivière, R.A. (1840-1920), 1890 Manchester Art Gallery.
Daniel's fidelity to God exposed him to persecution by jealous rivals within the king's administration. The fact that he had just interpreted the emperors' dream had resulted in his promotion and that of his companions. Being favored by the King, Cyrus the Great, he was untouchable. His companions were vulnerable to the accusation that had them thrown into the furnace for refusing to worship the Babylonian King, Nebuchadnezzar as a god; but they were miraculously saved, and Daniel would years later be cast into a den of lions (for continuing to practice his faith in YHWH), but was miraculously delivered; after which Cyrus issued a decree enjoining reverence for "the God of Daniel" (Daniel 6:26). He "prospered in the reign of Darius, and in the reign of Cyrus the Great," whom he probably greatly influenced in the matter of the decree which put an end to the Jewish Captivity (BC 536).
Daniel's ministry as a prophet began late in life. Whereas his early exploits were a matter of common knowledge within his community, these same events, with his pious reputation, serve as the basis for his prophetic ministry. The recognition for his prophetic message is that of other prophets like Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel whose backgrounds are the basis for their revelations.
The time and circumstances of Daniel's death have not been recorded. However, tradition maintains that Daniel was still alive in the third year of Cyrus according to the Tanakh (Daniel 10:1). He would have been almost 100 years old at that point, having been brought to Babylon when he was in his teens, more than 80 years previously. Many[who?] posit that he possibly died at Susa in Iran. Tradition holds that his tomb is located in Susa at a site known as Shush-e Daniyal. Other locations have been claimed as the site of his burial, including Daniel's Tomb in Kirkuk, Iraq, as well as Babylon, Egypt, Tarsus and, notably, Samarkand, which claims a tomb of Daniel (see "The Ruins of Afrasiab" in the Samarkand article), with some traditions suggesting that his remains were removed, perhaps by Tamerlane, from Susa to Samarkand (see, for instance, Itinerary of Benjamin of Tudela, section 153).
2. Apocalypse
From Chapter 7 to the end of the book of Daniel, an apocalyptic vision is being described, supposedly from the perspective of Daniel. [1] This marks a change in the narrative from Daniel interpreting to messengers of God interpreting for Daniel. Daniel dreams of four beasts that come out of the sea: a lion with eagles wings, a bear with three tusks, a leopard with four wings and four heads, and a beast with iron teeth, ten horns and one little horn and human eyes.(Daniel 7:4-8) These beasts are all present at a convening of the divine counsel. Presiding over the counsel is the Ancient of Days, which may, in fact, be the Israelite God. [1] The Ancient One proceeds to put to death the beast with the one little horn. (Daniel 7:9-11) Daniel also describes the fates of the other beasts saying that while their dominion was taken away, their lives were prolonged. (Daniel 7:12) This introduction leads into a series of dreams and visions where these events are expressed in greater detail.
Scholars argue that each of these beasts represents an emperor or kingdom that ruled over the Israelites. The first being Babylon, then Media, then Persia, and finally the Greeks. The horns of the last beast may be symbolic of the rulers that replaced Alexander the Great upon his death, culminating with the little horn, or Antiochus IV. [1] There are additional details in the text that allude to Antiochus IV, including some form of desecration to the temple (Daniel 11:31) and persecution (Daniel 11:23). [1] The final message of the second half of Daniel is that God will deliver the people from oppression, the latest of which is Antiochus IV. [1]
3. Ezekiel
Daniel in the Lion's den protected by an angel by François Verdier
The prophet Ezekiel, with whom Daniel was a contemporary, describes a Daniel as a "pattern of righteousness (14:14, 20) and wisdom" (28:3). [2] In the Book of Daniel, the name is spelled with a middle letter suggesting the i of that name — but this letter is not included in Ezekiel, [3] suggesting that the reference there may be to another person, possibly the "Danel" ("Judgement of God") known from Caananite Ugaritic literature (such as the Epic of Aqhat and Anat), whose reputation for wisdom and righteousness had made him legendary. (Vowel-points were not added to the consonantal Hebrew text before well into the Common Era, and the scribes may then have slipped in a vowel-point for "i" as a middle syllable.)
4. Habakkuk
In the Deuterocanonical portion of Daniel known as Bel and the Dragon, the prophet Habakkuk is miraculously transported by an angel to take a meal to Daniel while he is in the lions' den. In response, Daniel prays, "Thou hast remembered me, O God; neither hast thou forsaken them that seek Thee and love Thee". [4]
5. Tomb
Main article: Tomb of Daniel
Tomb of Daniel at Susa, Iran.
There are six different locations claiming to be the site of the tomb of the biblical figure Daniel: Babylon, Kirkuk and Muqdadiyah in Iraq, Susa and Malamir in Iran, and Samarkand in Uzbekistan.
6. Liturgical commemorations
On the Eastern Orthodox liturgical calendar, the feast days celebrating St. Daniel the Prophet together with the Three Young Men, falls on December 17 (during the Nativity Fast), on the Sunday of the Holy Forefathers [5] (the Sunday which falls between 11 and 17 December), and on the Sunday before Nativity. [6] Daniel's prophesy regarding the stone which smashed the idol (Daniel 2:34-35) is often used in Orthodox hymns as a metaphor for the Incarnation: the "stone cut out" being symbolic of the Logos (Christ), and the fact that it was cut "without hands" being symbolic of the virgin birth. Thus the hymns will refer to the Theotokos (Virgin Mary) as the "uncut mountain"
In the West, the Roman Catholic Church commemorates Daniel on July 21. [7]
He is commemorated as a prophet in the Calendar of Saints of the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod together with the Three Young Men (Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego), on December 17. [8]
He is commemorated as a prophet in the Coptic Church on the 23rd day of the Coptic month of Baramhat. [9]
7. Rabbinic literature
Main article: Daniel in rabbinic literature
8. Modern Usage
Daniel is a very common and popular name nowadays in a variety of countries, notably those with a Judeo-Christian heritage. Usually used as a first name, it is followed by a last name.
9. Daniel in Islam
Main article: Islamic view of Daniel
Muslims traditionally consider Daniel (Arabic: دانيال, Danyal) as an Islamic prophet, alongside the other major prophets of the Old Testament, namely Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel. Although he is not mentioned in the Qur'an, there are a few Hadith which bear his name and which refer to his time spent in the den of the lions. There are debates, however, that go on about Daniel's time of preaching and some Muslims believe that he was not a prophet but a saintly man.
10. See also
•Islamic view of Daniel
•Tanakh
•Prophecy
•Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon
•Book of Daniel (book of the Bible)
•List of names referring to El
•Persian Jews
11. References
•James B. Jordan (1995). "Daniel: Historical & Chronological Comments (II)" (- Scholar search). Biblical Chronology 7 (1). http://www.biblicalhorizons.com/ch/ch7_01.htm.[dead link]
•Francis E. Gigot (1889). "Daniel". Catholic Encyclopedia on CD-ROM. New Advent. http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04620a.htm.
•T. E. Gaston (2009). Historical Issues in the Book of Daniel. Taanathshiloh.
1.^ Coogan, Michael. A Brief Introduction to the Old Testament. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009.
2.This article incorporates text from Easton's Bible Dictionary (1897), a publication now in the public domain.
3.NIV footnote on Ezekiel 14:14
4.Dixon, Henry Lancelot (1903). "Saying Grace" Historically Considered and Numerous Forms of Grace:Taken from Ancient and Modern Sources; With Appendices. Oxford and London: James Parker and Co.. pp. 11. http://books.google.com/?id=CVsNAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA11&lpg=PA11&dq=daniel+prays+%22thou+hast+remembered+me+o+god+neither+hast+thou+forsaken+them+that+seek+thee+and+love+thee%22.
5.Sergei Bulgakov, Manual for Church Servers, 2nd ed. (Kharkov, 1900) pp. 453-5. December 11-17: Sunday of the Holy Forefathers Translation: Archpriest Eugene D. Tarris
6.Bulgakov, op. cit., pp. 461-2 December 18-24: Sunday before the Nativity of Christ of the Holy Fathers
7.Francis E. Gigot (1889). "Daniel". Catholic Encyclopedia on CD-ROM. New Advent. http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04620a.htm.
8.Today in History - December 17
9.The Departure of the great prophet Daniel
In Christianity and Judaism, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego are well known from the biblical Hebrew book of Daniel Chapters 1 - 3, for their exclusive devotion to their God, having been safely delivered by their God from the Babylonian execution of being burned alive in a fiery furnace.
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego by Simeon Solomon, 1863.
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were three young Jews, of royal or noble birth from the Kingdom of Judah, who were inducted into Babylon when Jerusalem was occupied by the Babylonians in 606/605 BCE, under the campaign of Nebuchadnezzar II, during the first deportation of the Israelites. [1]
Their Hebraic names were 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.[Daniel 1: 3, 7]
These three young men were very dear to Daniel, his Chaldean name being Belteshazzar, who was a peer that 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.[Daniel 2: 48, 49]
1. Induction into Babylon
In Daniel Chapter 1, King Nebuchadnezzar wanted select men from Judah to learn the language and literature of Babylon’s primary language, Chaldean. This would be a three year training course to qualify those select 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, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. [v.6, 7] Because Daniel (Belteshazzar) did not want to defile himself with the King’s food, he requested from his appointed guard to provide them vegetable 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]
2. The Fiery Furnace
Late 3rd century/early 4th century Christians depicted the fiery furnace in the Catacombs of Priscilla, Rome
This article is about the Bible story. For the rock band, see The Fiery Furnaces.
Fiery Furnace is also the name of a part of Arches National Park
In Daniel Chapter 3, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were sent into a blazing fiery furnace because of their stand to exclusively serve their God alone. By God’s angel, they were delivered out of harm’s way from this order of execution by the King of Babylon.
The story takes place during the reign of King Nebuchadnezzar II, of Babylon, who had a nine story high statue made of gold, erected in the plain of Dura[v.1] (The region around present day Karbala, Iraq). [2] The statue was either an image of himself or possibly of the Babylonian god of wisdom, known as Nabu. [3] When the project was complete, he prepared a dedication ceremony to this image ordering all surrounding inhabitants to bow down and worship it. The consequence for not worshiping the idol, upon hearing the queue of instruments, was execution into a fiery furnace.[v.2-9] During the dedication ceremony, certain officials noticed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego not bowing down to the idol. Thus, Nebuchadnezzar was immediately notified.[v.10-12]
The King was enraged and demanded that these three men come before him.[v.13] Nebuchadnezzar knew of these very men, because it wasn’t too long ago when Daniel had petitioned the King to assign Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego over the affairs of the province of Babylon.[Daniel 2: 48, 49] Daniel was also very special to the King because he was able to interpret his dreams unlike any of the Chaldean wise men.[Daniel 2: 24, 25] So it is of no surprise that the King would offer one more chance for these three Jews, who held honorable positions to the King, to show their patriotism to Babylon.[v.14, 15]
Their response: "O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up."[v.16-18]
Nebuchadnezzar demanded that the execution furnace be heated seven times hotter than usual. Valiant soldiers of the King’s army were ordered to firmly bind Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego fully clothed, and cast them in the blazing furnace. Upon approaching the mouth of the furnace, the King’s soldiers were burned alive to the point that they perished, and the three Jews who were tightly bound, had fallen in.[v.19-23]
An angel of God immediately came to deliver the three men from the furnace releasing them from their ties. When the King saw what appeared to be four men in the furnace, unbound and walking about, he called to them to come out. King Nebuchadnezzar then acknowledged the power of their God, even going as far as to make a decree, whereby any nation who says anything against the God of the Jews is an act of war. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were then given promotions to their positions over the province of Babylon.[v.24-30]
In the "Prayer of Azariah", an apocryphal passage of the Septuagint, 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".
3. Hebrew Names versus Chaldean Names
In view of the possible foreign religious connotations attached to their names, commentators have questioned why the Bible seldom uses their original Hebrew names. It is speculated 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.
3. 1. Meanings of their Hebrew Names
Hananiah is a Hebrew name that means "Yahweh who is gracious". Mishael means "Who is like Yahweh?” and it also means "to feed" or "to provide" as in how a husband provides for his family. The Hebrew name Azariah appropriately means "Yahweh has helped".
3. 2. Origins of their Chaldean Names
It has been asserted that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego's names all pertained to pagan Babylonian gods. Shadrach possibly is derived from Shudur Aku "Command of the moon god". [4] Meshach is probably a variation of Mi•sha•aku "Who is what Aku is?", an interesting twist from the Hebrew name Mishael “Who is like Yahweh?” 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." [5]
Abednego, (Hebrew עֲבֵד־נְגוֹ, Standard Hebrew ʿAved-nəgo, Tiberian Hebrew ʿĂḇēḏ-nəḡô)
4. Liturgical Use
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).
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 vesperal Divine 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.
5. Political Use
In 17th century England, Quakers used the Bible Story of the Fiery Furnace to justify their campaign against the deference required by the judiciary, which they called "Hat Honour".
5. 1. Hat Honour
George Fox: Journal, 1656: When we were brought into the court, we stood a while with our hats on, and all was quiet. I was moved to say, "Peace be amongst you." Judge Glynne, a Welshman, then Chief-Justice of England, said to the jailer, "What be these you have brought here into the court?" "Prisoners, my lord," said he. "Why do you not put off your hats?" said the Judge to us. We said nothing. "Put off your hats," said the Judge again. Still we said nothing. Then said the Judge, "The Court commands you to put off your hats." Then I spoke, and said, "Where did ever any magistrate, king, or judge, from Moses to Daniel, command any to put off their hats, when they came before him in his court, either amongst the Jews, the people of God, or amongst the heathen? and if the law of England doth command any such thing, show me that law either written or printed." Then the Judge grew very angry, and said, "I do not carry my law-books on my back." "But," said I, "tell me where it is printed in any statute-book, that I may read it. "Then said the Judge, "Take him away, prevaricator! I'll ferk him." So they took us away, and put us among the thieves. Presently after he calls to the jailer, "Bring them up again." "Come," said he, "where had they hats, from Moses to Daniel; come, answer me: I have you fast now." I replied, "Thou mayest read in the third of Daniel, that the three children were cast into the fiery furnace by Nebuchadnezzar's command, with their coats, their hose, and their hats on." This plain instance stopped him: so that, not having anything else to say to the point, he cried again, "Take them away, jailer."
6. Influences
The "fiery furnace" part of the Russian Christmas liturgy, as painted by Nicholas Roerich.
6. 1. In Culture
•Sir Charles Laughton's recounting of the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego was a well-known recording in the 1950s.
•Martin Luther King Jr. references them in his Letter from Birmingham Jail: "It was evidenced sublimely in the refusal of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego to obey the laws of Nebuchadnezzar, on the ground that a higher moral law was at stake."
•The 1955 electronic work Gesang der Jünglinge by Karlheinz Stockhausen takes its title and some words from the story.
•The Australian town of Bendigo is said to be a corruption of Abednego.
•Grant Burge Winery in Australia has three Icon wines: Meshach Shiraz, Shadrach Cabernet Sauvignon, Abednego Shiraz Grenache Mourvedre
6. 2. In Performances
•The Burning Fiery Furnace is one of the three Parables for Church Performances composed by Benjamin Britten, dating from 1966, and is his Opus 77.
•In the musical, "Guys and Dolls," Sky Masterson claims that he once won a parlay bet on the names Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, thus demonstrating his knowledge of the Bible.
•Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were referenced in "Guys and Dolls" during Sky Masterson's interview with Sister Sara.
•A Christian children's musical called "It's Cool in the Furnace" was written by Buryl Red And Grace Hawthorne in 1972. The musical follows Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego to Babylon where they are thrown into a burning hot furnace by King Nebuchadnezzar when they refuse to bow down to the king instead of their God. However, their faith in God allows them survive the furnace and they emerge unscathed only to see the king make a decree that there is only one true God.
•In Tyler Perry plays, his Madea character jokingly says "Shadrach, Meshach, and a Billy Goat."
6. 3. In Music
•In 1989 the Beastie Boys created a sample heavy album entitled Paul's Boutique. The song, Shadrach sampled the song Loose Booty by Sly and the Family Stone and interpolated the chant from the song also. While left to some interpretation, the refrain from the song Shadrach appears to compare the three members of the band to that of the invincible Shadrach (Adrock), Meshach (Mike D), and Abednego (MCA):
"We're just 3 M.C.'s and we're on the go
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego"
•The story of the fiery furnace is chronicled in the Johnny Cash song named The Fourth Man in the Fire, appearing on the albums The Holy Land and Unearthed.
•In the song 'Loose Booty' by Sly and the Family Stone, the names Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego are repeatedly sung.
•An indie rock band called The Fiery Furnaces has released several albums.
•Quote: "She's hotter than Meshach, Shadrach and Abendego..." - "The Infamous Date Rape" from A Tribe Called Quest's The Low End Theory album.
•The 1930s song "Shadrack" written by Robert MacGimsey.
•The Washington D.C.-based indie rock/pop band, Exit Clov, has a song titled "For Abednego" on their Starfish EP.
•There are numerous references in reggae music, e.g. the Viceroys song "Shadrach, Meshach and Abednigo", the Twinkle Brothers' "Never Get Burn", the Abyssinians "Abendigo" [6] and Bob Marley & the Wailers' "Survival".
•In the song Meshach by the ApologetiX.
•The Golden Gate Quartet sang a Robert MacGimsey spiritual, "Shadrack" which retells this tale.
•The 1974 song Loose Booty by Sly and the Family Stone contains a chant of "Shadrach Meshach Abednego."
•Louis Prima also recorded the Robert MacGimsey song about the three called "Shadrack."
•The Neville Brothers' cover of Ball of Confusion includes the chant in an apparent reference to the Sly and the Family Stone track.
•"Million Voices" song by Wyclef Jean about the Rwandan genocide mentions the three by name
•The band Om makes reference to the three in the song "Meditation is the Practice of Death," on Al's 7th album, God is Good.
•The Christian hip hop group P.O.D. rapped about select stories from the book of Daniel, including the fiery furnace, in their song "Don't Bow", from their 1988 debut album, "Here We Are."
•Shane Barnard & Shane Everett sing in their song, "Burn Us Up" that "There were three before the king / There were three who wouldn't bow to him." This track can be found in their 2007 album, "Pages."
6. 4. In Literature
•Author William T. Vollmann presents an idiosyncratic take on this tale to express the color orange in the short story "Scintillant Orange" in his collection The Rainbow Stories.
•In the October 1998 issue of Scientific American magazine, Carolyn P. Meiner wrote a story, "How Hackers Break In... and How They Are Caught", about a hacker who used the alias "Abednego".
•In Toni Morrison's Sula there is a character named Shadrack who is interpreted as a prophet.
•The author Robert Silverberg wrote a Science Fiction novel named Shadrach in the Furnace.
•In Andrew Marvell's poem 'Last Instructions to a Painter', he alludes to the story at line 648 in reference to the three ships destroyed in the Battle on the Medway.
•Of the cremation of Shelley.... "The fire was so fierce as to produce a white heat on the iron, and to reduce its contents to grey ashes. The only portions that were not consumed were some fragments of bones, the jaw and the skull, but what surprised us all was that the heart remained entire. In snatching this relic from the fiery furnace my hand was severely burnt; and had anyone seen me do the act I should have been put in quarantine." Recollections of the Last Days of Shelley and Byron, by Trelawny.
•"Moby Dick" by Herman Melville (chapter 98), describes how the whale's spermaceti, oil and bone will "pass unscathed through the fire" as did the trio Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
•The Robert Silverberg novel Shadrach in the Furnace.
•In the sequel to Mister Roberts, Ensign Pulver, one of the characters tries some islander moonshine and after cringing responds, "Shadrach, Meshak, and ABED WE GO."
•The alternate spelling Shadrack is present in the Toni Morrison novel Sula; the character endures hardships at war and returns to his town mentally ravaged.
•Abednego appears as a slave in the Zakes Mda novel, Cion.
6. 5. In Film
•"Shadrack Meshack Abednigo" is the title of a seminal snowboard film, produced by AdventureScope Films in 1994 and marketed with the slogan "Nothing will burn them. Nothing will alter their faith." (The U.S. distributor of the VHS cassette was aptly and coincidentally named "Furnace").
•Shadrach is also referenced in To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee. In chapter 12, Scout and Jem get in trouble at church because they told Eunice Ann Simpson that they wanted to play the game "Shadrach". Jem told her that if she had enough faith, she wouldn't get burnt, and the kids proceeded to tie her to a chair and place her in the furnace room. They forgot she was there and went upstairs for Church, until banging came from the radiator pipes during the service. After investigating, they found Eunice in the furnace room.
•In the Lonesome Dove Saga (Dead Man's Walk) Harry Dean Stanton plays a mountain man character named Shadrach.
6. 6. In Television
•Shadrach Dingle is a character in UK soap Emmerdale.
•In Veggietales, the episode "Rack, Shack, and Benny" tells a Veggietales version of the biblical Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego; Bob the Tomato, Larry the Cucumber, Junior Asparagus played the roles of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. But later they were nicknamed Rack, Shack, and Benny. In the episode Rack Shack and Benny are working in a chocolate factory for Nebby K. Nezzer who praises Bunnies more than God but Nezzer goes too far on his obsession when he orders Rack Shack and Benny and all his employees to worship a giant bunny statue.
•In the second season premier of The Dead Zone, a kidnapper, hoping to draw the attention of the main character, writes the three names on a wall.
7. See Also
•List of Hebrew Bible events
•The Prayer of Azariah and Song of the Three Holy Children, an apocryphal text
•The Burning Fiery Furnace, a performance
•Book of Daniel, from the Tanakh
8. References
1.Barker, Kenneth (Editor); Donald Burdick, John H. Stek, Walter Wessel, & Ronald F. Youngblood (1995). The NIV Study Bible 10th Anniversary Edition. The Book of Daniel: Zondervan Publishing House. pp. 1291-1295.
2.Compare Old Testament Map #5. Plain of Dura with Map of Karbala, Iraq
3.The Zondervan Corporation (2005). Archaeological Study Bible. The Book of Daniel (under the archaeological commentary): The Zondervan Corporation. pp. 1389.
4.JewishEncyclopedia.com, "Shadrach"
5.Easton's Bible Dictionary, "Abednego."
6.Track 5, side 1 on the album Satta Massagana, released by The Abyssinians in 1976 on Penetrate Label.
9. External Links
•Bible Stories for Kids - The Fiery Furnace, modern Christian telling of the story for children
•Biblical Art on the WWW, illustrations of the story
•Chananya, Mishael, and Azarya - The Fiery Furnace. From Talks and Tales by Nissan Mindel at Chabad.org
•Lessons on Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Teaching the Story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
•October 1998 Scientific American Magazine
•Map 9: The World of the Old Testament, See #5. Plain of Dura
•The height of the golden image, (60 Cubits = 90 feet; 90 ft. = 9 stories)
Scriptural Readings:
Friday, December 17, 2010
Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19
Psalm 80
1Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph like a flock! You who are enthroned upon the cherubim, shine forth
2before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh. Stir up your might, and come to save us!
3Restore us, O God; let your face shine, that we may be saved.
4O Lord God of hosts, how long will you be angry with your people’s prayers?
5You have fed them with the bread of tears, and given them tears to drink in full measure.
6You make us the scorn of our neighbors; our enemies laugh among themselves.
7Restore us, O God of hosts; let your face shine, that we may be saved.
17But let your hand be upon the one at your right hand, the one whom you made strong for yourself.
18Then we will never turn back from you; give us life, and we will call on your name.
19Restore us, O Lord God of hosts; let your face shine, that we may be saved.
2 Samuel 7:18-22
2 Samuel 7:18-22
18Then King David went in and sat before the Lord, and said, “Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my house, that you have brought me thus far? 19And yet this was a small thing in your eyes, O Lord God; you have spoken also of your servant’s house for a great while to come. May this be instruction for the people, O Lord God! 20And what more can David say to you? For you know your servant, O Lord God! 21Because of your promise, and according to your own heart, you have wrought all this greatness, so that your servant may know it. 22Therefore you are great, O Lord God; for there is no one like you, and there is no God besides you, according to all that we have heard with our ears.
Galatians 4:1-7
Galatians 4:1-7
4My point is this: heirs, as long as they are minors, are no better than slaves, though they are the owners of all the property; 2but they remain under guardians and trustees until the date set by the father. 3So with us; while we were minors, we were enslaved to the elemental spirits of the world. 4But when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5in order to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as children. 6And because you are children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” 7So you are no longer a slave but a child, and if a child then also an heir, through God.
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