DANIEL FREED FROM THE CRITIC'S  DEN

Rev. Bertrand Comparet

  

   In the latter part of the nineteenth century many Biblical critics trained their heavy artillery upon the book of Daniel.  They asserted that the greatness of Babylon had been grossly exaggerated. That Belshazzar was fictitious; that Daniel, If he ever existed, was not the author of the book that bears his name; and that this asserted prophetic volume must have been written later, after the events predicted had taken place.

   During this age of scholarly unbelief, however, archaeologists, the modern historians of the past, arose to vindicate the Bible narrative.  However, so many who believed the higher critics have not kept up with modern discoveries‑‑so we find many people, even ministers, who have no belief in the Old Testament.

   Let us examine the evidence produced by the archaeologist, as it relates to the book of Daniel.  We now know that Babylon was indeed a mighty city, even when judged by modern standards.  It was laid out in a square. Around the city were two walls, 300 feet high above ground, and the bases of the walls extended 35 feet into the ground, so they could not be undermined.  The inside walls were as high and as thick as the outside walls, the space between was reserved for farming in case of siege.  There were 100 gates penetrating these walls, 25 on each side.  The gates were made of copper and bronze. The streets originating from these gates crossed the city in straight lines and were, on the average, 125 feet wide.  The City was built on both sides of the river and there were bridges and ferry boats.

    The palace of the Emperor was a fortress itself, in turn having great walls around it. Within the grounds of the palace were the famous "Hanging Gardens" of Babylon, which were the imitations of mountains; the mountains of the country from which the Empress came.  She got home‑sick for the mountains of her native land, Persia.  The king in attempting to cure her homesickness built these Gardens, it and produced one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.  The word translated hang­ing" really conveys the meaning of balconies.  And balconies raised one above ano­ther is exactly what they were. They comprised a series of wide stone terraces, supported by arches, and rose, like a giant stairway to a height of 350 feet.  The gardens were irrigated by means of hydraulic pumps which raised water to a reservoir on the highest terrace, quite an accomplishment for that day.  On the top of the many arches the builders laid reeds and bitumen (a kind of mineral pitch used as mortar), and above these, thick sheets of lead.  This served to prevent moisture from the soil leaking through and damaging the spacious and‑superbly decorated apartments constructed in the vaulted spaces between the arches below.

   To beautify Babylon, armies of workmen performed the almost incredible task of transporting from afar huge granite and marble blocks, and giant cedars from the Mediterranean coast across 700 miles of desert.  An inscription of Nebuchadnezzar reads: "I did what no former king had done; I cleft high mountains, stones of the mountain I quarried, I opened passes, I made a straight road for the cedars.  Mighty cedars they were, tall and strong, of wonderful beauty, whose dark appearance was remarkable, the mighty products of Mount Lebanon".

   Other surprises have greeted the excavators.  In the Bible story, Daniel and his youthful companions are said to have been enrolled in a state school or univer­sity, at Babylon.  But critics of the Book ridiculed the idea that such schools were conducted in that remote age, and also that captives were not treated by anci­ent kings with such kindly consideration. But among the marble palaces unearthed in the ruins of Babylon, one bears the title, engraved upon enduring stone, "The Place of Learning."  In the library at the school there were two regulations I'm sure you will find interesting. 1. Any impiety to the gods carried the penalty of the offender being cast into the fiery furnace. And 2. Any untoward act relative to the king carried the penalty of being cast alive in the den of lions.

   You remember the story in the 3rd. chapter of Daniel ‑‑‑Nebuchadnezzar made an image of gold 90 feet high and 9 in breadth which he erected on the plain of Dura (about 6 miles below Babylon).  He decreed that everyone who did not fall down and worship the image would be cast into fiery furnace.  Daniel 3:16‑18 says: "Shad­rach, Meshach, and Abednego answered the king, '10 Nebuchadnezzar, we would not make any defense in this matter; for the God whom we serve, is able to save us from the fire of the furnace and He will deliver us out of your hand, 0 king. But, whether He does or not, be it known to you, 0 king, we will not serve your gods, or wor­ship the image which you have set up'".

   The story of the fiery furnace has also been branded as mere myth, or fiction.  But again archaeology comes to the rescue.  Some years ago excavators uncovered what appeared to be a firing kiln for the production of brick or pottery.  But the inscription at the base said, "This is the place of burning where men who blasphe­me the gods of Chaldea die by fire", so that is probably where Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were cast when they wouldn't bow down to the golden image.  It was the customary punishment for that sort of thing.

   Marcel Dieulafoy, when excavating at Babylon, fell into a pit which first appeared to be an ancient dry well, but was found to be one of the open cages for lions in the zoological gardens and at the curb was the inscription: "The place of execution where men who angered the king died, torn by wild beasts."  They found a list of 484 men of high standing who were executed in that fashion.  Of course Daniel was not among them because he came out alive.

   Many critics of the Bible have ridiculed the story of Nebuchadnezzar's mad­ness, but an ancient document has been deciphered which says this: "In all my dom­inions I did not build a high place of power, the precious treasures of my kingdom I did not lay up.  In Babylon, buildings for myself and for the honor of my king­dom I did not lay out.  In the worship of Merodach, my lord, the joy of my heart, in Babylon the city of his sovereignty, and the seat of my empire, I did not sing his praises.  I did not furnish his alters with victims, nor did I clear out the canals."  This indicates there was a period when he transacted no business.

   For centuries the critics pointed to Belshazzar as a creature of fancy, but today he is known to have been an actual sovereign.  His name appears on commer­cial contracts and state documents, some of which ascribe to him royal powers and dual rulership with his father Nabonidus.  Nabonidus was much more interested in archaeology than in ruling his empire, so he let Belshazzar rule.  The records show that Nabonidus and his brilliant daughter Belshalti established schools and a famous museum of antiquities in Babylon.