A book of the Hagiographa which usually follows the books of Job, Proverbs, Psalms, and the Five Scrolls. The book deals with martyrdom and the hope for salvation, and is called after the biblical hero Daniel. The first chapters are in Hebrew and the remainder in Aramaic. They recount the story of Daniel and his friends, and the visions of Daniel. He is described as a wise and righteous man living in exile in Babylon who repeatedly risks his life for his faith and is miraculously saved by God. The visions of Daniel are recorded in a mysterious language and point to the salvation which is to come. His prophecies offered encouragement to many people in their struggle against the Romans, and during the period of their exile. A wise and righteous man called Daniel was known in the ancient Near East and in Ugaritic song. In Ezekiel there is also mention of a wise man named Daniel, once on his own (25:3), and once with Noah and Job as one of three righteous of ancient days (14:2). Sages attributed the writing of the book to Daniel himself. In spite of his visionary experiences, Daniel is not traditionally counted among the prophets. The opinion of later scholars is that the Book of Daniel was composed at the time of the decrees of Antiochus (167 BCE) in order to strengthen the people during a period of severe persecution.
The Book of Daniel became a central text in the development of the messianic concept, the faith in the resurrection of the dead, and in the whole Jewish mystical tradition. The mystics believed that the process and the timetable of salvation could be deduced from a careful reading of its text. The Apocrypha contains additions to the Book of Daniel which speak in praise of martyrdom as the price of opposition against idolatry.
