| Daniel
shows the futility of worshiping the false god Bel or a dragon. |
Daniel
refused to worship the Persian god Bel, who is an idol incapable of thought
or action. The king told the priests to place food in the temple and to
seal the entrance, so that when the food was gone the next day it would
be clear that Bel consumed it. The priests did so, but Daniel spread ashes
on the floor of the temple. That night, the priests entered the temple through
a secret passageway and ate the food; but in the morning Daniel exposed
fraud by pointing to their footprints in the ashes. The king then told Daniel
to worship a great dragon, but Daniel killed the dragon by feeding it poison
cakes. The priests were angered and threw Daniel into the lions' den, but
God sent the prophet Habbakuk to give Daniel food. The king was astonished
at Daniel's survival and threw the priests into the den, where they were
eaten instantly. This story appears in Daniel
chapter 14 in Roman Catholic Bibles. |
