the Martyrdom of Daniel and Three Youths

The Martyrdom of Daniel and the Three Youths is a Christian legend based on canonical and apocryphal traditions about Daniel and his three companions. These texts share a unique and intriguing plot: Rather than dying in peace, these righteous men are persecuted by a wicked Persian king named Atticus and then beheaded in Babylon. After the resurrection of Jesus, they are raised to life along with five hundred Old Testament saints (combining the account of the risen saints at the death of Jesus in Matt 27:52-53 and the appearance of the risen Jesus to five hundred in 1 Cor 15:6). The most representative and probably the most ancient recensions of this legend are available in Greek and in a Church Slavonic translation, but neither has been translated into any European language or discussed in detail. The purpose of this book is to offer in English the published Greek and Slavonic recensions as well as their later adaptations. These sources are accompanied by a detailed introduction to the texts (treating their origins, history, structure, and theological ideas) and by exegetical and historical commentary.