The Prophet Daniel
The prophet Daniel is the hero of the Book of Daniel in the canon of sacred Jewish writings and the Christian Bible, who was a celebrated Jewish scholar, a master interpreter of dreams, and who received apocalyptic visions. He is one of four Major Prophets in Hebrew Scripture, along with Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel. And he is famous for successfully interpreting the proverbial “writing on the wall” and for miraculously surviving being thrown into the lions’ den.
During this lunchtime bike ride I discovered a statue of the prophet Daniel. But it was not located at a synagogue or church, as you might expect. The statue is displayed on the grounds of The Organization of American States, located at 200 17th Street (MAP) in Downtown D.C. The 8-foot tall statue is made from concrete, and is based on an original 1805 soapstone sculpture by Antonio Francisco Lisboa, better known as “Aleijadinho,” a sculptor and architect of Colonial Brazil. It was a gift to the Organization of American States from the government of Brazil, and dedicated in 1962.
I decided to learn a little more about Daniel later when I got home. But there is so much known about him from his writings and from history that I will only include a few of the more interesting highlights here.
- Daniel was a good-looking man. We know this because King Nebuchadnezzar’s criteria for serving in his court included physical appearance, and Daniel makes the grade.
- Daniel was renowned for his wisdom and intelligence.
- Daniel was descendant of the royal family of David.
- Perhaps most appropriate for D.C., Daniel was a government official. He served in Babylon under four kings: Nebuchadnezzar; Belshazzar; Darius the Mede, and; Cyrus the Persian.
- And finally, and absolutely shocking for government official in this city, Daniel was scandal free. In fact, when his political opponents tried to get dirt on him, their only option was to make it illegal to obey God.
[Click on the photos to view the full-size versions]
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