Daniel - From the Pride of Lions' to the Godly Pride.

                       Picture by Briton Riviere

Letter to Hebrews 11:33 reads, "They shut the mouths of lions". Who shut the lions mouth? No no, it's not St.Ignatius of Antioch who became a martyr, was chained and fed to lions in a Roman Colosseum probably in AD 110. Though there is no written record about this, but the tradition remember this event as part of the Church history.

So whom does the Letter to Hebrews 11:33 talk about? It's about Prophet Daniel. This is happening in the power transition period from Babylonian to Median and then to Persians. Daniel was a young man probably around the age of 15 when he was taken as captive to Babylon. Book of Daniel 1:1 reads, that Daniel was taken captive in the third year of Jehoiakim of Judah (probably from 609 - 598 BC), maybe in 605 BC by Nebuchadnezzar-2 (605 - 562 BC), when he was a co-regent with his father Nabopolassar (626 - 605 BC). 2Kings 24:14 and Book of Jeremiah 24:1, reads that Nebuchadnezzar-II took the best craftsmen, metalsmiths to Babylon. In Book of Daniel 1:3-4 reads, those of the captives who are good looking, suitable for instruction in all wisdom, knowledgeable, are chosen to serve at king's palace. Daniel is one among the captives (Daniel 1:7) including Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Daniel served all through the Babylonian empire till it was conquered by the Medes and the Persians (605 - 535 BC?). From Nebuchadnezzar-2, his son Evil-Merodach (2Kings25:27) also known as Amel-Marduk (562 - 560 BC) took over the reign. After him Neriglissar (560 - 556 BC) probably who married the daughter of Nebuchadnezzar-2 resigned over. After his death his son Labashi-Marduk, a child king took over for two or three months (556 BC). Nabonidus (556 - 539 BC), probably who married one of the daughter's of Nebuchadnezzar-2 was the last official king to reign over Babylon, though he was never on the throne. His son, crown prince Belshazzar (539? BC) was partying when Cyrus the Great or Cyrus-2 (King of Persia 559 - 530 BC; King of Media 549 - 530 BC) conquered Babylon in 539 BC with the help of the Medians (Median empire: 700 - 550 BC).

So now that the Babylonian empire fell to the combined forces of Medians and Persians - in this context, who is Darius the Mede (Daniel 5:31)? He is said to be the son of Xerxes (or in Hebrew called as Ahasuerus) in Daniel 9:1. So who is Darius the Mede? Other than the Book of Daniel, he is not mentioned in the works of Herodotus or Ctesias of Cnidus. Scholars tried to fit Darius the Mede with General Gabaru a Babylonian who helped Cyrus-2 to conquer the city Babylon, some with Ugbaru, the commander and governor of Gutium who led Persian army into Babylon, and some said Darius is an another name for Cyrus-2, and some with Astyages son of Cyaxares, the last king of Medes, before Persians took over Media. These are all speculations. Cardiff University Professor of Ancient History, Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones, writes in his book "Persians" that, ".. throughout the Achaemenid period, Medes were routinely appointed to high office at the Persian court." Whoever this Darius might be, he is now the king or the governor of Babylon. Moreover, Medes were the conquerors of Babylon was backed up by verses from Isaiah 13:17, 21:28; and Jeremiah 51:11,28. Daniel 5:28, emphasizes the Aramaic word "peres", which means "division" of Babylon between Medes and Persians.

For someone ending up in a lions den is unthinkable. If that too as a punishment is gruesome. In the Babylonian empire though there are some brutal punishments for culprits, the punishment of humans or guilty criminals as feed to the lions is unheard of. Then where did this kind of punishment come from? We can draw some insights from their predecessors, the Assyrian empire.

After killing Sennacherib's son Ashur-nadin-shumi (700 -694 BC) puppet king of Babylon, the Elamite king Hallushu-Inshushinak-2 (699 - 693 BC) gave charges of Babylon to Nergal-ushezib (694 - 693 BC). In 693 BC, on their way back to secure the borders from rebellion at Uruk, a Babylon-Elamite border, he came across Hallushu-Inshushinak-2's son and Nergal-ushezib at Nippur. Sennacherib killed Hallushu-Inshushinak-2's son and captured Nergal-ushezib. Sennacherib (704 - 681 BC), brought him to Nineveh, put him on display at the gate leading to citadel, chained him together with a wild bear that would slowly devour him. It was one of the gruesome spectacles that was done on regular basis, writes Eckart Frahm in his book "Assyria".

In an another incident from the same book, Ashurbanipal (668 - 631 BC), along with his people, would watch the terror that he had devised to punish his opponents at the Citadel Gate at Nineveh. Ashurbanipal records about a punishment he gave to Arab ruler Uaite (Yauta), "I placed him in a neck-stock, bound him up with a bear and dog, and made guard the Citadel Gate of Nineveh."*

Ashurbanipal has also a hobby of hunting lions. Travellers around Nineveh feared lions. Though it was unlikely that Ashurbanipal hunted, but the royal servants made an arena (like a Roman arena) where hunting takes place. The space around was protected during lion hunts, by two solid rows of soldiers armed with long spears and bows, and in addition guarded by a number of large dogs. A sculpture relief illustrates how the lion hunt in Nineveh arena was carried out. First, a child or a small adult released the lions from a cage. The king then killed them one by one, shooting his arrows from the royal chariot while racing around the arena. Citizens watched this spectacle from a nearby  hill, while men carrying waterskins sold them drinks. Historian Eckart Frahm believes that the lions released into the Nineveh arena were probably well fed - and perhaps even sedated - when they were unleashed to face the merciless weapons of the Assyrian king.

From the above texts, we can infer that it was an act of spectacle to watch the guilty persons who were chained along with the wild animals, so that they can devour them slowly. We don't know whether we have such an arena present in Babylon or not. But we have a clear picture of such a merciless acts that were enjoyed by the king as well as the people.

Daniel who is now an 80 or 90 years old man, had been a high officer of the Babylonian Empire throughout its whole 70 years and continued to serve the Medes and Persian empires as well. Daniel, right from his surrender to the old age, he had been a faithful person in his faith (Daniel 1:8; 6:11). Nabonidus (556 - 539 BC), the last Babylonian king characterized the Medes as barbarians. One such barbarian(?) king Darius the Mede appointed Daniel over 120 satraps. This made other satraps and administrators jealous over Daniel. They wanted find a charge or corruption against Daniel, but they couldn't. Verse 6:5 reads, "these men said, "we will never find any charge against this Daniel unless we find something against him concerning the law of his God". So, they went to the king and forced to make an ordinance that for 30 days, people should only come to you for petitions and should not go to any other God or man. If they did, they should be thrown into lions' den. They saw Daniel praying and praising God thrice a day ignoring the active ordinance. Hence proven guilty, and "as the law of the Medes and Persians, is irrevocable and cannot be changed (Daniel 6:8,12,15)", Daniel was thrown into the lions' den and sealed, though Darius didn't like it. The next day early morning Daniel was taken out out of lions' den unharmed (Daniel 6:19 - 21). The very next moment, those who complained maliciously against Daniel, with their wives and children, were thrown into lions' den, and the lions devoured them even before they reached the bottom of the den (Daniel 6: 22 - 25). This is all written in Daniel 6th chapter.

From the above reading, we can match some clues with the Nineveh arena of Assyrian empire. According to "Josephus Antiquities", this is happening at Ecbatana the capital of Median empire. That the arena is round and has a opening on the top of it and it's for public spectacle. And about the question of sedation to the lions. The first answer would be, why would Darius be so anxious and go without eating all through the night? (Daniel 6:18). There is a better answer in "The Complete Works of Josephus, The Antiquities of the Jews, Book 10.11.260-262, "Now when his (Daniel) enemies saw that Daniel had suffered nothing which was terrible, they would not own that he was preserved by God, and by his providence; but they said that the lions had been filled full with food, and on that account it was, as they supposed, that the lions would not touch Daniel, nor come to him; and this they alleged to the king; but the king, out of an abhorrence of their wickedness, gave order that they should throw in a great deal of flesh to the lions; and when they had filled themselves, he gave farther order that Daniel's enemies should be cast into the den that he might learn whether the lions, now they were ful, would touch them or not; ....for the lions spared none of them, but tore them all to pieces, as if they had been very hungry and wanted food". Hence the question of sedation of lions or fully fed lions is answered.

Now, let's come back to the Letter to Hebrews 11:33, who shut the mouths of lions? Daniel answering Darius says, "My God sent His angel and shut the lions' mouths; and they haven't harmed me, for I was found innocent before Him" (Daniel 6:22).

"Who can say, "I have kept my heart pure; I am cleansed from my sin?" (Proverbs 20:9). No one can dare to say that. The only way to renew yourself is by reconciliation with Christ. "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, and see, the new has come" (2Corinthians 5:17). As we have escaped the snout of the lion which is satan who is prowling around to devour (1Peter 5:8), we can now proudly say, "from the pride of lions' to the Godly pride".

Additional information:

*The gate also served as the place where the severed head of the Elamite king Teumman (664 - 653 BC) was displayed to the public after it had been hung around the neck of the Gambulean leader Dunanu, who had to parade it around the city, later who was slaughtered later like a lamb. And it was at the Citadel Gate that the two sons of Nabu-shumu-eresh, a governor of Nippur who had sided with the Elamites, were forced to grind the bones of their father. These are some of the texts taken from Ashurbanipal records.