Jewish folk hero and prophet at the court of
Nebuchadnezzar; also the name of a book of
the Old Testament, probably compiled in the
2nd century BC. It includes stories about
Daniel and his companions Shadrach, Meshach,
and Abednego, set during the Babylonian
captivity of the Jews. One of the best-known
stories is that of Daniel in the den of
lions, where he was thrown for refusing to
compromise his beliefs, and was preserved by
divine intervention. The book also contains a
prophetic section dealing with the rise and
fall of a number of empires.