NOTES for Dan 1:1-21

Reading the Book of Daniel, it is easy to notice that it consists of two parts: the first (chs. 1-6) includes a description of steadfastness and faithfulness to God during persecution, and the second (chs. 7-12) contains apocalyptic visions that the author of the book attributes to Daniel, the hero of ancient Jewish traditions, who under the author's pen becomes a confessor of the faith.

Little is known today about the Daniel of Jewish traditions; as for the Book of Daniel, in the opinion of most biblical scholars it was written in the middle of the second century BC, during the persecutions of Antiochus Epiphanes and the Maccabean wars. The fact that the author of the book transferred its action to the time of the Babylonian captivity is quite understandable. And the point is not that in Babylon some sort of harassment or persecution fell upon the Jews; on the contrary, the local authorities sought to have the Jewish community assimilate as quickly as possible, and persecutions, of course, could not have contributed to that. The point is that both assimilation and physical destruction, the threat of which hung over the people during the persecutions of Antiochus Epiphanes, equally threatened the people of God with disappearance, which naturally was not part of God's plans.

Antiochus, of course, did not intend to deport anyone anywhere. He "only" set up pagan altars in the courtyard of the Jerusalem Temple, demanding from the Jews, under threat of death, worship of pagan gods and the abandonment of some of the Torah norms most important for Judaism, such as circumcision and kashrut (the prescriptions concerning ritually clean and ritually unclean food). Yahwism was thereby turned into a variety of pagan religion that allowed worship of other, lower gods alongside the One, while Judaism was in effect forbidden altogether: without circumcision, kashrut, and strict observance of the Sabbath (the rules of Sabbath rest), which in effect was also placed under ban, it is unthinkable. It is no accident that already in the first chapter of the Book of Daniel its author draws attention to the care with which his heroes observe kashrut: they are more ready to refuse tasty and abundant food than to violate the Torah (vv. 5-16).

The mention of vegetables and water in the book is not accidental: of everything that could have been on the abundant royal table, only vegetables could be considered kosher without any special preparation. And God did not leave without support those who were ready to remain faithful to Him at any cost (v. 17).