Dreams, Riddles, and Visions by Michael Segal

Author:Michael Segal
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Walter de Gruyter
Published: 2016-01-15T00:00:00+00:00

7.1Placement and Function of the Story of Susanna: Preliminary Considerations

Scholars generally agree that Susanna was not an original part of the book of Daniel, and was added only after the initially independent stories in chapters 1–6 had been combined. Moreover, it is possible that Susanna itself existed as an independent literary entity prior to being attached to the larger Daniel collection, although this assertion is more difficult to demonstrate since there is no extant textual evidence for such a composition. The main arguments for the claim of Susanna’s secondary status in Daniel emphasize its distinctiveness in comparison to the other narratives: while all of the stories in Daniel 1–6 are also located in Babylonia, they are court tales; they share an interest in the competition and intrigue between the Jewish exile Daniel (and sometimes his three compatriots) and the local Babylonian sorcerers, magicians, and advisors to the king. In some of the tales, Daniel’s faith in God and his adherence to the law are combined with his success in this foreign world. As we have noted, these stories were composed as positive paradigms for Jews in the Diaspora, encouraging them to succeed in the royal court while simultaneously preserving their religious and ethnic identity. In a similar fashion, the story of Susanna describes a contest between Daniel and more established members of society. However, in sharp contrast, his adversaries are not the courtiers of the Babylonian king, but rather the members of the Jewish religious establishment, judges or elders.

Another argument for the secondary status of Susanna within the context of Daniel can be adduced from its different locations in the various manuscripts that reflect the expanded Daniel of the Greek textual tradition. In manuscripts that derive from OG, the story appears at the end of the book. In ms 88, the Syro-Hexapla and the Vulgate, it is found following Daniel 12 (the end of the book in MT), and prior to the story of Bel and the Dragon. In Papyrus 967 (the earliest exemplar of OG), it follows Bel and the Dragon. It appears at the beginning of the book in Theod, as attested in the overwhelming majority of Greek codices and manuscripts.481 The divergence in message and setting, coupled with the absence of Susanna from the MT and its floating placement in the Greek textual tradition, confirm the claim that the story was added to translations of the completed Hebrew/ Aramaic book of Daniel.

The story, like chapter 1 MT, describes Daniel in his youth, but makes no mention of his role as a royal courtier. It therefore only makes narrative sense when set prior to the first chapter of MT Daniel. Reading Greek Daniel as a complete composition leads the reader to conclude that the events recounted in the Susanna chapter must have taken place at a time when Daniel already lived in Babylonia, but had not yet been taken to the court of Nebuchadnezzar.482 The placement of Susanna at the end of the book (whether before or after

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