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Daniel (, Hebrew "God is my Judge") is the hero of the Book of Daniel. Taken into captivity by Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, he serves the king and his successors until the time of the Persian conqueror Cyrus, all the while remaining true to the God of Israel. Most scholars see the book as a cryptic allusion to the reign of the Greek king Antiochus IV Epiphanes (175–164 BCE), and the broad consensus is that Daniel never existed. A clay tablet from Ugarit dated c.1360 BCE mentions a Danel (Daniel) known for his wisdom and righteousness; much later, in the 6th century BCE, the Book of Ezekiel refers to a legendary Daniel famed for wisdom and righteousness; and later again a 2nd-century work called the Book of Jubilees mentions a legendary Daniel who lived before Noah's Flood. While it is unlikely that Ezekiel or the authors of the Book of Daniel were aware of the Canaanite stories, this legendary Daniel, remembered from long ago, became the human hero of the book that bears his name. Six cities claim Daniel's Tomb, the most famous being that in Susa, (Shush, in southern Iran), at a site known as Shush-e Daniyal.〔("Daniel's tomb," ''Jewish Encyclopedia'' )〕 He is not a prophet in Judaism, but the rabbis reckoned him to be the most distinguished member of the Babylonian diaspora, unsurpassed in piety and good deeds, firm in his adherence to the Law despite being surrounded by enemies who sought his ruin, and in the first few centuries CE they wrote down the many legends that had grown up around his name. The various branches of the Christian church do recognise him as a prophet, and although he is not mentioned in the Quran, Muslim sources describe him as a ''nabi'', a saintly and righteous man. ==Background== Daniel's name means "God (El) is my judge". While the best known Daniel is the hero of the Book of Daniel who interprets dreams and receives apocalyptic visions, the Bible also briefly mentions three other individuals of this name: #The Book of Ezekiel (14:14, 14:20 and 28:3) refers to a legendary Daniel famed for wisdom and righteousness. In chapter 20, Ezekiel says of the sinful land of Israel that "even if these three, Noah, Daniel and Job, were in it, they would deliver but their own lives by their righteousness." In chapter 28, Ezekiel taunts the king of Tyre, asking rhetorically, "art thou wiser than Daniel?" It is possible that the author of the Book of Daniel chose the name Daniel for his hero because of his reputation. "The legendary Daniel, known from long ago but still remembered as an exemplary character ... serves as the principal human hero in the biblical book that now bears his name." #Ezra 8:2 mentions a priest named Daniel who went from Babylon to Jerusalem with Ezra. #Daniel is a son of David mentioned at 1 Chronicles 3:1. Daniel (Dn'il, or Danel) is also the name of a figure in the Aqhat legend from Ugarit. (Ugarit was a Canaanite city destroyed around 1200 BCE–the tablet containing the story is dated c.1360 BCE). This legendary Daniel is known for his righteousness and wisdom and a follower of the god El (hence his name), who made his will known through dreams and visions. It is unlikely that Ezekiel knew the far older Canaanite legend, but it seems reasonable to suppose that some connection exists between the two. The authors of the tales in the first half the Book of Daniel were likely also unaware of the Ugaritic Daniel and probably took the name of their hero from Ezekiel; the author of the visions in the second half in turn took his hero's name from the tales. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Daniel (biblical figure)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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