Глава 6

1–3. The accession of Darius the Mede and the rise of Daniel under him. 4–9. An attempt by the prophet's enemies to destroy him. 10–17. Bringing them to fulfill their plan. 18–24. The salvation of Daniel and the death of his ill-wishers. 25–28. Decree of Darius the Mede. Daniel 6:1. It pleased Darius to appoint one hundred and twenty satraps over the kingdom, so that they would be throughout the kingdom, From the connection of this verse with 30 v. the previous chapter. and from 28 Art. herewith, it undoubtedly follows that Darius, the son of Assuir, from the family of Media (Dan.9:1) was the successor of Belshazzar and the predecessor of Cyrus in managing the Babylonian monarchy. Meanwhile, according to the testimony of the Greek historians Herodotus and Xenophon, power over Babylon passed after the death of Belshazzar not to Darius, whom they do not know, but to Cyrus, who took possession of the Babylonian empire. Likewise, Alexander Polyhistor and the canon of Ptolemy, after the story of the conquest of Babylon, immediately speak of the reign of the same Cyrus there. The testimony of the book of Daniel does not coincide with the testimony of the Babylonian inscriptions. According to the instructions of the so-called Cyrus Cylinder, the viceroy of Babylon upon its conquest was the general Cyrus Ugbara. The disagreement between biblical and extra-biblical evidence is strengthened, finally, by the fact that the latter are completely unaware of the name of Darius the Mede. In view of all this, opponents of the authenticity of the book of the prophet Daniel suspect the very existence of this king and reject the historical authenticity of the narrative of Chapter 6. But as regards the succession of Babylonian kings after Belshazzar, the authenticity of the testimony of the book of Daniel is confirmed by the evidence of the Babylonian inscriptions. Cyrus is called in them the Babylonian king no earlier than the third year after the fall of Babylon, and during the first two he is simply called the king of nations. It is clear that he did not take the Babylonian throne immediately after the capture of Babylon; Someone else reigned before him for two years. This is what the book of the prophet Daniel affirms, calling Darius the Mede the predecessor of Cyrus in the Babylonian kingdom. And since, according to Josephus, he bore a different name among the Greeks, the defenders of the authenticity of the book. The prophet Daniel is not considered a mythical person, but they try to identify him with one of Cyrus’s contemporaries who helped him during the conquest of Babylon. Such a person, according to the story of the Greek historian Xenophon, was Cyaxares II, the son of the Median king Astyages. The identification of Darius with him is supported, first of all, by the identical meaning of the names Cyaxares and Darius. Cyaxares is the Median name Uwakshatr and means "autocrat". The meaning of the Greek name Δορειος (Darius), the Persian Darjawusch, is already defined by Herodotus with the word “ερξειης” - “holder”, “ruler”, ruler. Further, Astyages (Cyaxares, son of Astyages), - corresponding to the Median "Ajisdahaku" - "biting snake", is a name common to the kings of the Median dynasty. The Hebrew name Achaschwerosch, conveyed by Theodotion Ασσουηρος (sl. Darius, son of the Assuirs) and LXX Ξερξης, is the name of Xerxes, which comes from the Persian Kschaja - kingdom and also constitutes the common name of the Persian kings, like the Median name of Astyages. Thus, the Persian names Darius and the Median Cyaxares have the same meaning, and the father’s names: Assuir and Astyages turn out to be general dynastic titles. The only difference between the prophet Daniel and Xenophon is that the first calls Belshazzar’s successor by Persian names (Darius, son of Assuir), while the second calls it Median. Defenders of the Darius-Ciaxares hypothesis further point out the similarities in the circumstances of the accession of Cyaxares and Darius. According to Xenophon's story, Cyrus, having conquered Babylon by the authority of Cyaxares, went to Media and told him that in Babylon, if he arrived there, a house and a palace were assigned for his residence. Cyaxares agreed and, upon arriving in Babylon, installed satraps over the conquered regions and peoples. In a word, Cyaxares reigned in Babylon at the request and insistence of Cyrus. In full accordance with this, the prophet Daniel notes about Darius that he was “made king over the kingdom of the Chaldeans” (Dan.9:1), “took over the kingdom” (Dan.5:31). The last argument in favor of identifying Darius with Cyaxares is a reference to the similarity of their character and the same age at accession. As far as can be judged from the stories of Xenophon, the character of Cyaxares represented a combination of opposites. He knew how to value and choose worthy people and at the same time showed great lack of insight; was lazy and devoted to sensual pleasures; weak-willed to the point that he sometimes cried, he was also capable of strong outbursts of anger. So is Darius the Mede. Having appreciated Daniel's merits and brought him closer to himself, he at the same time agreed with the proposal of the nobles to issue a well-known decree (Dan. 6:9), not suspecting its secret purpose. Having yielded to the demands of the nobles after a whole day of argument (Dan.6:14-16), he then falls into deep sorrow (Dan.6:18). Not wanting to burden himself with the affairs of government, he appoints 120 satraps to govern the state. Darius took the throne at 62 years old (Dan.5:31). Likewise, according to Xenophon’s story, Cyaxares is of such an age that he no longer hopes to have male heirs. He is older than Cyrus, who was over 60 years old when he conquered Babylon. All these data make it quite plausible to assume that Darius the Mede is identical with Cyaxares II. Daniel 6:2. and over them three princes - of whom one was Daniel - so that the satraps would give them an account and so that the king would not have any burden. Dan.6:3. Daniel was superior to other princes and satraps, because he had a high spirit, and the king was already thinking of placing him over the entire kingdom. The division of power between 120 satraps and its concentration in the hands of three main archons made it easier for Darius, who was not particularly inclined to work, to manage a vast monarchy. Daniel was made one of the supreme princes. He owes his elevation to this position to his outstanding wisdom, rumors of which could have reached Darius, as well as to the events of the last night of Babylon - the prediction of its conquest by the Medes and Persians. Darius exalts the person who announced success to him, that is, the person, according to his concepts, is located towards him. In his new position, Daniel not only justified the king’s trust in himself, but for his wisdom he turned out to deserve appointment to the post of the first and sovereign ruler of the state. Daniel 6:4. Then the princes and satraps began to look for a pretext to accuse Daniel of ruling the kingdom; but no excuse or fault could be found, because he was faithful, and no fault or fault was found in him. Dan.6:5. And these men said, We cannot find an excuse against Daniel, unless we find one against him in the law of his God. Darius, obviously, did not hide his intention from those close to him (Dan.6:3). And this circumstance aroused envy among Daniel’s ill-wishers, and it gave rise to the desire to destroy him, to get rid of his happy rival. But the prophet’s government activities did not provide material for accusations: he was too honest and disinterested. In view of this, the enemies decided to use his religious beliefs for their own purposes and, indeed, did. Dan.6:6. Then these princes and satraps approached the king and said to him: King Darius! live forever! Dan.6:7. All the princes of the kingdom, governors, satraps, advisers and military leaders agreed among themselves that a royal decree should be made and a command issued that whoever within thirty days asks any god or person other than you, king, to be thrown into the lions’ den. When getting acquainted with the life of the prophet, the dignitaries were sure that under no circumstances would he change his religion and its requirements. The law they drafted demanded her renunciation. Daniel, his enemies reasoned, would not fulfill the law and therefore would have to perish. The decree invented by the satraps elevated the king to the level of deity - he obliged all his subjects to pray to him as to God. Strange at first glance, it is in fact historically correct - it fully corresponds to the religious views of the Medes, which allowed the deification of the royal personality. Like the Persians, they considered their kings to be gods - the embodiments of Agura Mazda and therefore gave them divine honors. So it is known about Darius Hystaspes that when he left the palace, the court servants burned fragrant incense before him. In the same way, the kings, having adopted a similar view, tried to pass themselves off as inaccessible, invisible to mere mortals celestial beings. According to the story, for example, Herodotus, the Median king Deioces forbade his subjects to appear to him, hid from the eyes of the people so that his subjects, without seeing him, would recognize him as the highest divine being. The right to see the king's face belonged only to seven highest dignitaries. The decree in the second half is also historically correct - in condemning disobedient people to be torn to pieces by lions. As can be seen from Assyro-Babylonian inscriptions, this was one of the usual methods of execution in Assyria and Babylon. Dan.6:8. So, king, confirm this definition and sign the decree so that it will be unchanged, like the law of the Medes and Persians, and so that it will not be violated. Daniel 6:9. King Darius signed the decree and this command. With royal approval and approval, the decree received the force of a binding law, which was the character of all Medo-Persian decrees (Dan.6:12, 15), despite the injustice and monstrosity of some of them (Esth.1:19; Esther.8:8). In view of the complete normality of the projected law, Darius agreed with the proposal of his entourage. Daniel 6:10. Daniel, having learned that such a decree had been signed, went to his house; the windows in his upper room were open towards Jerusalem, and three times a day he knelt down and prayed to his God and praised Him, as he had done before. The calculations of Daniel's enemies came true. Having learned the contents of the decree, he did not abandon his custom three times a day, perhaps in the morning, at noon and in the evening (Ps. 54:18), or at 3, 6 and 9 o'clock, like the hours of liturgical meetings in the temple of Jerusalem (Ps. 141:2; Dan. 9:21), to pray to God in the direction of Jerusalem. (For this custom, see the Introduction in the section on the authenticity of the book.) Dan.6:13. Then they answered and told the king that Daniel, who is one of the captive sons of Judah, pays no attention either to you, king, or to the decree you signed, but prays his prayers three times a day. Daniel 6:14. The king, hearing this, was greatly saddened and decided in his heart to save Daniel, and even before the sun set he tried hard to deliver him. Daniel 6:15. But those people approached the king and said to him: know, king, that according to the law of the Medes and Persians, no definition or decree approved by the king can be changed. Daniel 6:16. Then the king commanded, and they brought Daniel and threw him into the lions' den; at the same time, the king said to Daniel: Your God, Whom you always serve, He will save you! In the soul of Darius, who understood the plans of Daniel’s enemies, there is a struggle between the sense of duty, obliging him to fulfill the law, and the desire to save the prophet. The latter is so strong that initially it prevails over the former: the king comes up with various means to circumvent the decree approved by himself (Dan. 6:14). But in the end, the consciousness of the need to be faithful to the law takes precedence over the disposition towards Daniel. Unable to save him, or even to provide any help, he lives only in the hope that the prophet’s protection will be the God he serves. Dan.6:17. And a stone was brought and placed on the mouth of the ditch, and the king sealed it with his ring, and with the ring of his nobles, so that nothing would change in the order concerning Daniel. The stone rolled over the opening of the ditch was sealed with the seal of Darius and his nobles so that “nothing would change in the order regarding Daniel.” The seals of the nobles did not allow Darius to take any measures to free the prophet; The king's seal deprived the dignitaries of the opportunity to kill Daniel if the lions had not touched him. Daniel 6:18. Then the king went to his palace, went to bed without supper, and did not even order food to be brought to him, and sleep fled from him. Daniel 6:19. In the morning the king rose at dawn and hastened to the lion's den, Daniel 6:20. and, approaching the ditch, he called out to Daniel in a plaintive voice, and the king said to Daniel: Daniel, servant of the living God! Could your God, whom you always serve, save you from the lions? Deep grief for his beloved dignitary did not destroy Darius’s hope for his miraculous salvation (Dan.6:16). Prompted by her, the king sets out early in the morning to find out whether his expectations were justified or not. Daniel 6:21. Then Daniel said to the king: King! live forever! Dan.6:22. My God sent His Angel and stopped the mouths of the lions, and they did not harm me, because I turned out to be pure before Him, and before you, king, I did not commit a crime. Daniel 6:23. Then the king rejoiced exceedingly over him and ordered Daniel to be raised from the pit; and Daniel was taken up out of the pit, and no injury was found on him, because he believed in his God. The salvation of the prophet Daniel was the work of the omnipotence of God and the consequence of the appearance of an Angel to the prophet. Just as the Angel miraculously changed the action of the elements of nature, commanding the fire not to burn, but to cool the righteous (Dan. 3:49–50), so in the present case he forbade the lions to touch the prophet. There is no reason to think that Daniel himself possessed the magnetic power of his eyes, with the help of which he tamed wild animals. It is also impossible to assume that the lions were full, or that the Angel miraculously satisfied their hunger (Corneli, Knabenbauer): the same animals tore to pieces the prophet’s enemies before the latter reached the bottom of the ditch (Dan. 6:24). Daniel 6:24. And the king commanded, and those people who accused Daniel were brought and thrown into the lions' den, both themselves and their children and their wives; and they had not reached the bottom of the ditch when the lions took possession of them and crushed all their bones. The ancient Persian law against slanderers was applied to Daniel's enemies. According to it, they were subjected to the very punishment to which they condemned their victim. Not only dignitaries, but also their families were thrown into the lion's den, which is quite consistent with the testimony of Herodotus about the Persian custom of executing their wives, children and even close relatives along with the guilty. Daniel 6:25. After this, King Darius wrote to all peoples, tribes and languages ​​living throughout the earth: “May peace be multiplied to you! Daniel 6:26. I give a command that in every region of my kingdom they should tremble and revere the God of Daniel, because He is the living and everlasting God, and His kingdom is indestructible, and His dominion is endless. Daniel 6:27. He delivers and saves, and performs signs and wonders in heaven and on earth; He delivered Daniel from the power of the lions.” Recognizing the God of Daniel as a living, eternally abiding God, working wonders and signs in heaven and on earth, Darius does not, however, demand that his subjects renounce their gods and believe only in the God of Daniel, but only forbids insulting Him. Consequently, like Nebuchadnezzar, he is far from believing in the Lord as the only true God (cf. Dan. 3:96). You might be interested in: