Daniel, one of the Four Major Prophets, was of noble Jewish lineage and was taken into Babylonian captivity at a young age, around 607 BCE (Dan. 1:1–6). In Babylon, he received an education and was appointed to serve at the court of King Nebuchadnezzar, who gave him the name Belteshazzar (Dan. 1:7). Along with Daniel, other Jewish youths—Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego—were also renamed according to Babylonian custom. Daniel became renowned for his ability to interpret dreams, similar to Joseph in Egypt (Dan. 2:19–23), which brought him into the circle of the king’s wise men.

Daniel quickly gained Nebuchadnezzar’s favor; for interpreting one of the king’s dreams, he was appointed chief ruler over the land, while his companions were made administrators in Babylon (Dan. 2:48–49). During Nebuchadnezzar’s reign, the well-known ordeal occurred when the king ordered the construction of a golden idol and decreed that all should worship it (Dan. 3:1–6). Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refused and were cast into a blazing furnace but, with divine intervention, emerged unscathed, leading Nebuchadnezzar to acknowledge the power of the God of Israel (Dan. 3:24–30).

Envious officials, aware of Daniel’s practice of praying three times a day facing Jerusalem, persuaded King Darius to issue a decree forbidding prayers to any deity except the king for thirty days (Dan. 6:7–9). Daniel continued to pray and was subsequently thrown into a lions’ den. However, an angel shut the mouths of the lions, and Daniel was unharmed. The conspirators were then cast into the same den (Dan. 6:16–24). Later, Daniel interpreted the writing on the wall during King Belshazzar’s feast, predicting the fall of Babylon (Dan. 5:25–28).

The Book of Daniel contains numerous prophecies, including the interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream of a statue made of four metals. Daniel foretold the destruction of four kingdoms and the establishment of the Kingdom of God, symbolized by a mountain growing from a stone. He also received a vision of four beasts emerging from the sea (Dan. 7:1–8): a winged lion, a bear, a leopard with four wings, and a beast with iron teeth and ten horns. The Archangel Gabriel explained that these beasts represented Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome. Daniel prophesied the rebuilding of Jerusalem, the coming of the Messiah, His suffering, and the establishment of the New Covenant.

Iconography

Depictions of the Prophet Daniel are commonly found in the prophetic row of iconostases and in icons of the Virgin Mary with the Praise of the Theotokos. He is traditionally portrayed as a beardless youth, often with a turban or another form of Eastern headdress. In 15th–16th century icons, Daniel is depicted wearing a short tunic in blue-green hues, a red cloak, and high boots. Later representations include long robes. His attributes include a scroll and a mountain, symbolizing the Kingdom of God, as well as a lion, representing his deliverance from the lions’ den. Images of the four beasts from his apocalyptic vision are frequently present in depictions of the Last Judgment.

M. Skop