Additions to Daniel facts for kids
The Additions to Daniel are three chapters that are in some but not all Christian Bibles, added to the Book of Daniel. Roman Catholics and followers of the Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox churches believe that these chapters are sacred and they put them in their Bibles as part of their Biblical canon. The chapters are listed in Article VI of the Thirty-Nine Articles of the Church of England as good but not sacred reading. Most Protestant Bibles do not have these chapters because most Protestant churches believe these chapters are apocryphal.
The Additions to Daniel are not found in the Hebrew or Aramaic text of Daniel. These stories are in the Greek Septuagint and a translation by the writer Theodotion. However, most Protestant Bibles use only the text in the Hebrew and Aramaic manuscripts, so they do not have these chapters.
The additions are:
- The Prayer of Azariah and Song of the Three Holy Children : Azariah prays for God's protection. Later on, he and his friends sing a prayer of thanks. These prayers make up Daniel 3:24-90, put between verses 23 and 24 (v. 24 becomes v. 91).
- Susanna and the Elders : This story is found before Daniel 1:1 as a prologue in very old Greek texts. It is found as chapter 13 in the Vulgate and modern Catholic Bibles.
- Bel and the Dragon : This chapter has three stories about how Daniel fights against the worship of idols, and how he escapes from lions. These stories come after Daniel 12:13 in the Greek texts, and they make up chapter 14 in the Vulgate.
See also
In Spanish: Adiciones a Daniel para niños
