vor wHh the king^ and was intrusted with two im- portant offices — the governorship of the province of Babylon, and the head-inspectorship of the sacerdotal caste (Dan. ii). See Magi. Considerably later in the reign of Nebuchadnezzar we find Daniel interpreting another dream of the king*s, to the effect that, in pun- shment of his pride, he was to lose for a time his throne, but to be again restored to it after his humili- ation had been completed (Dan. Iv). Here he dis- plays not only the most touching anxiety, love, loyal- ty, and concern for his princely benefactor, but also the energy and solemnity becoming his position, point- ing out with vi^or and power the only course left for the monarch to pursue for his peace and welfare. Un- der the unworthy successors of Nebuchadnezzar, Dan- id and his merits seem to have been forgotten, and he was removed from his high posts. His situation at court appears to have been confined to a very inferior office (comp. Dan. viii, 27) ; neither is it likely that he should have retained his rank as head inspector of the order of the Magians in a country where these were the principal actors in effecting changes in the admin- istration whenever a new succession to the throne took place. We thus lose sight of Daniel until the first year of king Belshazzar (Dan. v, 7, 8), when he was both alarmed and comforted by two remarkable visions (Dan. vii, viii), which disclosed to him the fu- ture course of events, and the ultimate fate of the most powerfhl empires in the world, but in particular their relations to the kingdom of God, and its development to the great consummation. He afterwards interpret- ed the handwriting on the wall which disturbed the fSeast of Belshazzar (v, 10-28), though he no longer held his official position among the magi (Dan. v, 7, 8, 12), and probably lived at Susa (Dan. viii, 2 ; comp. Joseph. Ant. x, 11, 7; Bochart, Geogr, Sacr, iii, 14). After the conquest of Babylon by the united powers of Media and Persia, Daniel, being made first of the ** three presidents** of the empire (comp. 1 Esdr. iii, 9), seriously busied himself under the short reign (two years) of Darius the Mede or Cyaxares II with the af- fairs of his people and their possible return from ex- ile, the term of which was fast approaching, according to the prophecies of Jeremiah. In deep humility and prostration of spirit he then prayed to the Almighty, in the name of his people, for forgiveness of their sins, and for the Divine mercy in their behalf; and the answer- ing promises which he received fax exceeded the tenor of his prayer, for the visions of the seer were extended to the end of Judaism (Dan. ix). In a practical point of view, abo, Daniel appeared at that time a highly- favored instrument of Jehovah. Occupying, as he did, one of the highest posts of honor in the state, the strictness and scrupulousness with which he fulfilled his official duties could not fail to rouse envy and jeal- ousy in the breasts of his colleagues, who well knew how to win the weak monarch, whom they at last in- duced to issue a decree imposing certain acts, the per- formance of which they well knew was altogether at variance with the creed of which Daniel was a zealous professor (comp. the apocryphal Bel and the Dragon). For his disobedience the prophet sufftered the penal^ specified in the decree ; he was thrown into a den (q. v.) of lions, but was miraculously saved by the mercy of God — a circumstance whiclr enhanced his reputa- tion, and again raised him to the highest posts of hon- or. He had at last the happiness to see his most ar- dent wishes accomplished-— to behold his people re- stored to their own land. Though his advanced age would not allow him to be among those who returned to Palestine, yet did he never for a moment cease to oc- cupy his mind and heart with his people and their con- cerns (Dan. X, 12). At the accession of Cyrus he still retained his prosperity (vi, 28 ; comp. i, 21 ; Bel and Dr. 2), though he does not appear to have remained at Babylon (comp. Dan. i, 21). In the third year of Cy- is he had a series of visions, in which he was inform-
ed of the minutest details respecting tfae fiibm i tory and sufferings of his natioii, to the period cf j true redemption throo^ Christ, aa also a coaHfaa notice to himself to proceed calmly and ptrwrih the end of his days, and then await patiffitly & : nrrection of the dead at the end of time.
From that period the acconnts TeepectmgDniL: vague and oonf^ised (see Prideaux, Cbwinicft'ja,i,3t According to the Mohammedan tmditkn (IVfisb* BibL Or. i, 561) he returned to Jndsea, held tbt ^ emment of Syria, and finally died at Sua Qam mQller, Schol, p. 6, n.), where his tomb is atSI li (Ouseley's Trav. ta Persia, i, 422 ; iii, 564), aaiii ed by crowds of pilgrims (see Loftos, 7Vov. im €Um p. 320 sq.). Sssekiel mentions Daniel as a pstati righteousness (xiv, 14, 20) and wisdom (xxtS^S); m since Daniel was still young at that time, sobcIir thought that another prophet <rf' the name lived at some eariier time (Bleek), perhaps captivity of Nineveh (Ewald, Die PrcfAetm, %ys. whose fame was transferred to his later asaeak Hitzig imagines {Vorbemerh. § 3) that the DasUi Ezekiel was purely a mythical personage, wluMp totype is to be sought in Melchxzedek, and Hem. ib character was borrowed by the author of the hetki Daniel as suited to his design. These snppoakiuBiP favored by no internal probability, and are ed by any durect evidence. The order of tfat i»e " Noah, Daniel, and Job*' (Ezek. xiv, 14) seems to nf gest the idea that they represent the first and IsAb' toric types of righteousness before the law aad @^ it, combined with the ideal type (comp. Dditzsch. \ 271). On the other hand, the narrative in Daa.i,II implies that Daniel was conspicuoosly di^ti^^iifC for purity and knowledge at a very e^y age (< the apocryphal Hist, of Susan. 45), and he msy bx^ been nearly forty years old at the time of Eakiilf prophecy (B.C. 692). See Alexander, De Dox^ \z his Hitt. EccUs. iii, 566) ; Robinson, Sct^L Ckr. i M*Gavm, Ufe of Dcmkl (1882) ; Evans, Scr^S^ ii, 174 ; Williams, Char, of (?. T. p. 801 ; Eezse^ Ikmiely his Lfe and its Lessons (Lond. 18&8) ; Eni BeJUcUons on Daniel's Life anJ C3karacter (Lond. I^i See Pbophet.