Chapter 101

¹ And Daniel said to the king: “My God sent his angel and stopped up the mouths of the lions, and they did me no harm, because before him uprightness was found in me; and before you too, O king, I have committed no offense.”—

² How great a thing it is to have confidence toward God rather than toward men! For men despair and hand over to death, but God does not forsake his servants. Therefore the psalmist teaches, saying: “It is good to trust in the Lord rather than to trust in man; it is good to hope in the Lord rather than to hope in rulers.”

³ Then, accordingly, when the angel appeared in the den, the wild beasts were tamed, and the lions, wagging their tails, fawned upon him and rejoiced over him, submitting as to a new Adam; licking Daniel’s holy feet and rolling at the tracks of his feet, themselves longing to be trodden upon by him.

⁴ For if we believe that, when Paul was condemned to the beasts, the lion that was let loose upon him fell down at his feet and licked him all over, how shall we not also believe the things that happened in Daniel’s case—which Darius himself, having sent it out to all in writing, recounted? And in the books of the Persians and Medes these things are indeed recorded to this day, so that not only the Hebrews, nor only the Babylonians, but also the Medes and Persians and all the nations dwelling under heaven, hearing what had happened, might themselves too fear God.

⁵ As also then Darius, hearing the voice of Daniel, was astounded and marveled, and ordered the stone to be rolled away, and he saw Daniel sitting in the midst of the lions and stroking their mane with his own hands. And indeed, having called everyone together, he showed them the marvelous spectacle—wild beasts tamed by a man and warmed in his hands.

⁶ When, accordingly, Daniel had been brought up out of the den, no corruption whatever was found in him, because he had believed in his God.