Daniel Alves

Daniel Alves for Brazil national team
Personal information
Full name	Daniel Alves da Silva
Date of birth	(1983-05-06) 6 May 1983 (age 29)
Place of birth	Juazeiro, Brazil
Height	1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)[1]
Playing position	Right back
Club information
Current club	Barcelona
Number	2
Youth career
	Juazeiro
Senior career*
Years	Team	Appsâ€	(Gls)â€
2001–2002	Bahia	25	(2)
2002–2008	Sevilla	175	(11)
2008–	Barcelona	131	(12)
National team‡
2006–	Brazil	55	(5)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 13 May 2012. † Appearances (Goals). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 29 February 2012

Daniel Alves da Silva (born 6 May 1983), commonly known as Dani Alves, is a Brazilian footballer. He plays as an attacking right defender for FC Barcelona and the Brazilian national team.

Before joining Barcelona, Alves spent a successful six year spell with Sevilla FC, winning two UEFA Cups and the Copa del Rey with the Andalusian side. He joined Barcelona for €32.5m,^[2] becoming the most expensive defender to date. Alves won the Treble in his first season with the club and a further Spanish super cup, European super cup, and FIFA Club World Cup, thus achieving the Sextuple. Also, he helped the club to clinch another Spanish super cup, two league titles, and a UEFA Champions League in the years that followed. Alves has held a Spanish passport since 2005.^[3] On Thursday, September 29, 2011, Alves was appointed as a Special Olympics Ambassador for its Global Football program, charged with promoting respect and inclusion in football for people with intellectual disabilities, particularly in the run up to the 2014 FIFA World Cup.^[4]

Club career[link]

Bahia[link]

Born in Juazeiro, Bahia, Dani Alves made his professional debut for Esporte Clube Bahia in a match against ParanĂĄ Clube, for the 2001 Campeonato Brasileiro SĂ©rie A. Bahia won 3–0, with Alves providing two assists and winning a penalty for the other goal. Coach Evaristo de Macedo proceeded to give him a starting place in the team from then on. His constant good performances landed him a transfer, at first on a loan, to Spanish side Sevilla FC, halfway through 2002.^[5]

Sevilla[link]

Dani Alves at training session with Barcelona

After 2002–03, on loan to Sevilla from Bahia, Alves travelled to play in the 2003 FIFA World Youth Championship where he impressed as Brazil won the tournament. He was named as the third best player of the tournament and, after this, the Sevilla move was made permanent.

In June 2006, Sevilla had agreed to sell Alves to Liverpool, but they were unable to match their asking price of around ÂŁ8 million.^[6] In December 2006, he signed a new contract with Sevilla, tying him to the club until 2012.^[7] He had a successful 2006–07 season, making 47 appearances and scoring five goals. He also played in every one of Sevilla's UEFA Cup matches which the club went on to win.

From his years in Spain, he also acquired Spanish citizenship, thus allowing him to bypass any non-EU quota restrictions and exempting him from needing a work permit to play in any EU countries.^[8]

On 1 August 2007, Alves told SporTV that he wanted to leave Sevilla for a European giant,^[9] later reiterating his desire to leave Sevilla to Marca, stating that he was flattered by Chelsea's interest and that he could never turn down such an opportunity.^[10] In an interview with Antena 3 on 8 August, Dani Alves confirmed that his agent had been in England for some time handling Chelsea's offer, urging Sevilla to at least consider the offer.^[11]

On 16 August 2007, Sevilla rejected an unspecified Chelsea bid and, six days later, rejected another two bids from Chelsea for Dani Alves, considering them to be "way below what was expected."^[12][13] Alves later revealed his dismay with Sevilla president José María del Nido for having knocked back Chelsea's offers for his services after his move to Stamford Bridge collapsed, with Chelsea signing fellow Brazilian full back Juliano Belletti for a much lower fee.^[14]

After a public war of words between Alves and del Nido^[15] and the death of team-mate Antonio Puerta, Alves decided to stay with Sevilla, with player and president appearing reconciled.^[16]

Barcelona[link]

On 2 July 2008, Alves joined FC Barcelona. He left Sevilla in tears and said that he would love to play for Sevilla again. He said that he came to Sevilla as a boy and is now leaving as a man, but later broke down in tears at the press conference.^[17] The official price of the transfer stands at ÂŁ23 million up front, with about ÂŁ7 million more to pay depending on a number of performance related factors over the next few seasons of Alves' Barcelona career, making him the world's most expensive defender^[18] and the third most expensive player bought by Barça. He signed a four-year contract with Barcelona, that includes a buy-out clause of €90 million.

Alves made his competitive and European debuts for Barcelona against WisƂa Kraków in the 2008-09 UEFA Champions League third-round qualifiers on 13 August 2008.^[19] He made his La Liga debut in the season-opener away to Numancia on 31 August 2008.^[20] Dani Alves missed the 2009 UEFA Champions League Final due to a yellow-card suspension; Barcelona beat Manchester United 2–0 and thus completed The Treble. In his second season at FC Barcelona, the club retained the La Liga title, and in the 2010–11 La Liga season, Alves was instrumental in Barca's winning of their third consecutive La Liga title and fourth Champions League title.

Manchester City F.C.[link]

On 24 May 2012, it was rumored that Manchester City would be making a bid for the Barcelona star right back.^[21]

International career[link]

Alves at the 2010 World Cup

Alves made his Brazil debut as a substitute in an unofficial friendly match against Kuwait club Al-Kuwait Selection on 7 October 2006. Three days later, he earned his first international cap in a friendly against Ecuador. He was included in Brazil's team for the 2007 Copa AmĂ©rica. He appeared in four matches including the final against Argentina, where he gave an assist and scored a goal in a 3–0 victory. Despite being the most expensive right-back in history, he has been unable to hold down a regular starting spot in the national team with Maicon being the first choice ahead of him. Alves came on as a substitute in the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup semi-final against South Africa and scored the winner, a free-kick and a traditional Brazilian full back goal in the style of Roberto Carlos in the 88th minute in a 1–0 win.^[22] He scored another long range free-kick against Iran on 7 October 2010.

Career statistics[link]

As of 13 May 2012.^[23]

International career[link]

As of 29 February 2012^[24][25]

National team Club Season Apps Goals Brazil Sevilla 2006–07 9 1 2007–08 8 0 Barcelona 2008–09 9 2 2009–10 14 0 2010–11 10 2 2011–12 6 0 Total 55 5

International appearances and goals # Date Venue Opponent Result Goal Competition 2006–07 7 October 2006 Kuwait City, Kuwait Al Kuwait Selection 4–0 0 Unofficial friendly 1. 10 October 2006 Stockholm, Sweden  Ecuador 2–1 0 Friendly 2. 6 February 2007 London, England  Portugal 0–2 0 Friendly 3. 24 March 2007 Gothenburg, Sweden  Chile 4–0 0 Friendly 4 27 March 2007 Stockholm, Sweden  Ghana 1–0 0 Friendly 5. 1 June 2007 London, England  England 1–1 0 Friendly 6. 26 June 2007 Puerto Ordaz, Venezuela  Mexico 0–2 0 2007 Copa AmĂ©rica 7. 1 July 2007 MaturĂ­n, Venezuela  Chile 3–0 0 2007 Copa AmĂ©rica 8. 4 July 2007 Puerto la Cruz, Venezuela  Ecuador 1–0 0 2007 Copa AmĂ©rica 9. 15 July 2007 Maracaibo, Venezuela  Argentina 3–0 1 2007 Copa AmĂ©rica 2007–08 10. 22 August 2007 Montpellier, France  Algeria 2–0 0 Friendly 11. 9 September 2007 Chicago, United States  United States 4–2 0 Friendly 12. 12 September 2007 Boston, United States  Mexico 3–1 0 Friendly 13. 21 November 2007 SĂŁo Paulo, Brazil  Uruguay 2–1 0 2010 World Cup qualification 14. 26 March 2008 London, England  Sweden 1–0 0 Friendly 15. 31 May 2008 Seattle, United States  Canada 3–2 0 Friendly 16. 6 June 2008 Boston, United States  Venezuela 0–2 0 Friendly 17. 18 June 2008 Belo Horizonte, Brazil  Argentina 0–0 0 2010 World Cup qualification 2008–09 18. 19 November 2008 BrasĂ­lia, Brazil  Portugal 6–2 0 Friendly 19. 10 February 2009 London, England  Italy 2–0 0 Friendly 20. 29 March 2009 Quito, Ecuador  Ecuador 1–1 0 2010 World Cup qualification 21. 1 April 2009 Porto Alegre, Brazil  Peru 3–0 0 2010 World Cup qualification 22. 6 June 2009 Montevideo, Uruguay  Uruguay 4–0 1 2010 World Cup qualification 23. 10 June 2009 Recife, Brazil  Paraguay 2–1 0 2010 World Cup qualification 24. 15 June 2009 Bloemfontein, South Africa  Egypt 4–3 0 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup 25. 25 June 2009 Johannesburg, South Africa  South Africa 1–0 1 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup 26. 28 June 2009 Johannesburg, South Africa  United States 3–2 0 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup 2009–2010 27. 12 August 2009 Tallinn, Estonia  Estonia 1–0 0 Friendly 28. 5 September 2009 Rosario, Argentina  Argentina 3–1 0 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification 29. 9 September 2009 Salvador, Brazil  Chile 4–2 0 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification 30. 11 October 2009 La Paz, Bolivia  Bolivia 1–2 0 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification 31. 14 November 2009 Doha, Qatar  England 1–0 0 Friendly 32. 17 November 2009 Muscat, Oman  Oman 2–0 0 Friendly 33. 2 March 2010 London, England  Republic of Ireland 2–0 0 Friendly 34. 2 June 2010 Harare, Zimbabwe  Zimbabwe 3–0 0 Friendly 35. 7 June 2010 Dar es Salaam, Tanzania  Tanzania 5–1 0 Friendly 36. 15 June 2010 Johannesburg, South Africa  North Korea 2–1 0 2010 FIFA World Cup 37. 20 June 2010 Johannesburg, South Africa  CĂŽte d'Ivoire 3–1 0 2010 FIFA World Cup 38. 25 June 2010 Durban, South Africa  Portugal 0–0 0 2010 FIFA World Cup 39. 28 June 2010 Johannesburg, South Africa  Chile 3–0 0 2010 FIFA World Cup 40. 2 July 2010 Port Elizabeth, South Africa  Netherlands 1–2 0 2010 FIFA World Cup 2010–2011 41. 11 August 2010 New Meadowlands Stadium, USA  United States 2–0 0 Friendly 42. 7 October 2010 Zayed Sports City Stadium, UAE  Iran 3–0 1 Friendly 43. 11 October 2010 Pride Park Stadium, Derby, England  Ukraine 3–0 1 Friendly 44. 17 November 2010 Doha, Qatar  Argentina 0–1 0 Friendly 45. 9 February 2011 Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France  France 0–1 0 Friendly 46. 27 March 2011 London, England  Scotland 2–0 0 Friendly 47. 4 June 2011 GoiĂąnia, Brazil  Netherlands 0–0 0 Friendly 48. 3 July 2011 La Plata, Argentina  Venezuela 0–0 0 2011 Copa AmĂ©rica 49. 9 July 2011 CĂłrdoba, Argentina  Paraguay 2–2 0 2011 Copa AmĂ©rica 2011–2012 50. 10 August 2011 Stuttgart, Germany  Germany 2–3 0 Friendly 51. 5 September 2011 London, England  Ghana 1–0 0 Friendly 52. 8 October 2011 San JosĂ©, Costa Rica  Costa Rica 1–0 0 Friendly 53. 12 October 2011 TorreĂłn, Mexico  Mexico 2–1 0 Friendly 54. 14 October 2011 Doha, Qatar  Egypt 2–0 0 Friendly 55. 28 February 2012 St Gallen, Switzerland  Bosnia and Herzegovina 2–1 0 Friendly

Honours[link]

Bahia

• Campeonato do Nordeste: 2

2001, 2002

• Campeonato Baiano: 1

2001

Sevilla

• UEFA Cup: 2

2005–06, 2006–07

• UEFA Super Cup: 1

2006

• Copa del Rey: 1

2006–07

• Supercopa de España: 1

2007

Barcelona

• La Liga: 3

2008–09, 2009–10, 2010–11

• Copa del Rey: 2

2008–09, 2011–12

• Supercopa de España: 3

2009, 2010, 2011

• Champions League: 2

2008–09, 2010–11

• UEFA Super Cup: 2

2009, 2011

• FIFA Club World Cup: 2

2009, 2011

Brazil

• FIFA World Youth Championship: 1

2003

• Copa AmĂ©rica: 1

2007

• FIFA Confederations Cup: 1

2009

Individual

• UEFA Cup Most Valuable Player: 1

2006

• UEFA Super Cup Most Valuable Player: 1

2006

• FIFPro World XI: 2

2009, 2011

• ESM Team of the Year: 4

2006–07, 2008–09, 2009–10, 2010-11

• UEFA Team of the Year: 2

2007, 2009

• La Liga's Best Defender: 1

2009

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Dani Alves

• FC Barcelona profile
• BDFutbol profile
• Transfermarkt profile
• Daniel Alves career stats at Soccerbase
• 2010 FIFA World Cup profile
• Daniel Alves at National-Football-Teams.com
• Daniel Alves – FIFA competition record
• Daniel Alves – UEFA competition record

Brazil squads v t e Brazil squad – 2007 Copa AmĂ©rica Winners (8th Title) 1 Helton 2 Maicon 3 Alex 4 Juan 5 Mineiro 6 Gilberto 7 Elano 8 Gilberto Silva (c) 9 VĂĄgner Love 10 Diego 11 Robinho 12 Doni 13 Daniel Alves 14 Alex Silva 15 Naldo 16 KlĂ©ber 17 JosuĂ© 18 Fernando 19 JĂșlio Baptista 20 Anderson 21 Afonso Alves 22 Fred Coach: Dunga v t e Brazil squad – 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup Winners (3rd Title) 1 JĂșlio CĂ©sar 2 Maicon 3 LĂșcio (c) 4 Juan 5 Felipe Melo 6 KlĂ©ber 7 Elano 8 Gilberto Silva 9 LuĂ­s Fabiano 10 KakĂĄ 11 Robinho 12 Victor 13 Daniel Alves 14 LuisĂŁo 15 Miranda 16 AndrĂ© Santos 17 JosuĂ© 18 Ramires 19 JĂșlio Baptista 20 KlĂ©berson 21 Pato 22 Nilmar 23 Gomes Coach: Dunga v t e Brazil squad – 2010 FIFA World Cup 1 JĂșlio CĂ©sar 2 Maicon 3 LĂșcio (c) 4 Juan 5 Felipe Melo 6 Michel Bastos 7 Elano 8 Gilberto Silva 9 LuĂ­s Fabiano 10 KakĂĄ 11 Robinho 12 Gomes 13 Daniel Alves 14 LuisĂŁo 15 Thiago Silva 16 Gilberto 17 JosuĂ© 18 Ramires 19 JĂșlio Baptista 20 KlĂ©berson 21 Nilmar 22 Doni 23 Grafite Coach: Dunga v t e Brazil squad – 2011 Copa AmĂ©rica 1 JĂșlio CĂ©sar 2 Daniel Alves 3 LĂșcio (c) 4 Thiago Silva 5 Lucas Leiva 6 AndrĂ© Santos 7 Robinho 8 Ramires 9 Pato 10 Ganso 11 Neymar 12 Victor 13 Maicon 14 LuisĂŁo 15 Sandro 16 Elano 17 Elias 18 Lucas 19 Fred 20 JĂĄdson 21 Adriano 22 Jefferson 23 David Luiz Coach: Mano Menezes

Daniel
Daniel's Answer to the King by Briton RiviĂšre
Prophet
Born	7th Century B.C
Died	6th Century B.C Babylon (?)
Honored in	Roman Catholic Church Eastern Catholic Churches Eastern Orthodox Church Lutheranism adventism Islam[1] Armenian Apostolic Church
Major shrine	Tomb of Daniel, Susa, Iran
Feast	July 21 December 17
Attributes	Often depicted in the den of the lions

Daniel (Hebrew: Ś“ÖžÖŒŚ ÖŽŚ™Ö”ÖŒŚŚœ, Modern Daniyyel Tiberian DāniyyĂȘl ; Arabic: ŰŻŰ§Ù†ÙŠŰ§Ù„, meaning in Hebrew "God is my Judge") is the protagonist in the Book of Daniel of the Hebrew Bible. In the narrative, when Daniel was a young man, he was taken into Babylonian captivity where he was educated in Chaldean thought. However, he never converted to Neo-Babylonian ways. By Divine Wisdom from his God, Yahweh, he interpreted dreams and visions of kings, thus becoming a prominent figure in the court of Babylon. Eventually, he had apocalyptic visions of his own that have been interpreted as the Four monarchies. Some of the most famous tales of Daniel are: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, The writing on the wall and Daniel in the lions' den.

Narrative of Daniel[link]

Induction into Babylon[link]

Daniel refusing to eat at the King's table, early 1900s Bible illustration

In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim (BC 606), Daniel and his friends Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were among the young Jewish nobility carried off to Babylon. The four were chosen for their intellect and beauty to be trained as advisors to the Babylonian court,(Daniel 1) Daniel was given the name Belteshazzar, i.e., prince of Bel, or Bel protect the king!(not to be confused with the neo-Babylonian king, Belshazzar). Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were given the Babylonian names, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, respectively.^[2]

Daniel and Nebuchadnezzar[link]

In the narrative of Daniel chapter 2, it is the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar and the king is distressed by his dreams.^[v.1] Thus he summons his interpreters,^[v.2] however, they are unable to relay or interpret the dreams.^[v.10-11] The King acts in fury and demands the execution of all the wise men in Babylon.^[v.12] When Daniel discovers the King's executive order, he requests from the captain of the guard, Arioch, to see the King.^[v.13-16] Daniel prays for God’s mercy to receive a revelation from the King’s dream.^[v.15-18] God then reveals the mystery to Daniel in a vision that night.^[v.19] Daniel praises his God with a doxology.^[v.20-23] After meeting with Arioch again, Daniel is granted access to the king^[v.24-30] and relays the description of the dream,^[v.31-36] followed by its interpretation.^[v.37-45] With Daniel's successful interpretation of the dream, the king expresses homage,^[v.46] followed by his own doxology that affirms that Daniel's God is God of gods for revealing this mystery of his dream.^[v.47] Daniel is then promoted as chief governor over the whole province of Babylon.^[v.48] At Daniel’s request, his companions are also promoted, thus they remain at the king’s court.^[v.49][3]

Nebuchadnezzar's madness[link]

Nebuchadnezzar recounts a dream of a huge tree which is suddenly cut down at the command of a heavenly messenger. Daniel is summoned and interprets the dream. The tree is Nebuchadnezzar himself, who for seven years will lose his mind and become like a wild beast. All of this comes to pass until, at the end of the specified time, Nebuchadnezzar acknowledges that "heaven rules" and his kingdom and sanity are restored and his kingdom is restored to him.

Daniel and Belshazzar[link]

In Daniel's later years, king Belshazzar holds a great feast for all his nobles. In a drunken state, the king calls for the sacred vessels captured from the Jerusalem temple and blasphemously drinks from them. Suddenly, the fingers of a man's hand appear before the king and write on the wall of the palace. When none of his wise men are able to interpret the message, Daniel is called in at the suggestion of the queen-mother. After reprimanding the king for his impiety, Daniel interprets the handwriting on the wall to mean that Belzhazzar is about to lose his kingdom to the Medes and the Persians. For successfully reading the cryptic handwriting, Daniel is rewarded with a purple robe and elevated to the rank of "third ruler" of the kingdom. "That very night", we are told, "Belshazzar, king of the Babylonians, was slain" and his successor was King Darius the Mede, aged 62.

Daniel in the Lion's den protected by an angel by François Verdier

Daniel and Darius the Mede[link]

After the Persian conquest of Babylon, Daniel is depicted as one of three senior administrators of the empire in the reign of Darius the Mede. When the king decides to set Daniel over the whole kingdom, the other officials plot his downfall. Unable to uncover any corruption, they use Daniel's religious devotion to defeat him. The officials trick the king into issuing an irrevocable decree that no god is to be worshiped for a thirty day period. When Daniel continues to pray three times a day towards Jerusalem, he is thrown into a den of lions, much to the distress of Darius. After an angel shuts the lions' mouths, Daniel is delivered and his opponents thrown into the den where they are devoured instantly.

Daniel's visions[link]

Daniel's ministry as a prophet began late in life. Whereas his early exploits were a matter of common knowledge within his community, these same events, with his pious reputation, serve as the basis for his prophetic ministry. The recognition for his prophetic message is that of other prophets like Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel whose backgrounds are the basis for their revelations.

From Chapter 7 to the end of the book of Daniel, an apocalyptic vision is being described, supposedly from the perspective of Daniel.^[2] This marks a change in the narrative from Daniel interpreting to messengers of God interpreting for Daniel. Daniel dreams of four beasts that come out of the sea: a lion with eagles wings, a bear with three tusks, a leopard with four wings and four heads, and a beast with iron teeth, ten horns and one little horn and human eyes.(Daniel 7:4-8) These beasts are all present at a convening of the divine counsel. Presiding over the counsel is the Ancient of Days, which may, in fact, be the Israelite God.^[2] The Ancient One proceeds to put to death the beast with the one little horn. (Daniel 7:9-11) Daniel also describes the fates of the other beasts saying that while their dominion was taken away, their lives were prolonged. (Daniel 7:12) This introduction leads into a series of dreams and visions where these events are expressed in greater detail.

Scholars argue that each of these beasts represent an emperor or kingdom that ruled over the Israelites. The first being Babylon, then Media, then Persia, and finally the Greeks. The horns of the last beast may be symbolic of the rulers that replaced Alexander the Great upon his death, culminating with the little horn, or Antiochus IV.^[2] There are additional details in the text that allude to Antiochus IV, including some form of desecration to the temple (Daniel 11:31) and persecution (Daniel 11:23).^[2] The final message of the second half of Daniel is that God will deliver the people from oppression, the latest of which is Antiochus IV.^[2]

Daniel's final days[link]

The time and circumstances of Daniel's death have not been recorded. However, tradition maintains that Daniel was still alive in the third year of Cyrus according to the Tanakh (Daniel 10:1). He would have been almost 100 years old at that point, having been brought to Babylon when he was in his teens, more than 80 years previously. Many^[who?] posit that he possibly died at Susa in Iran. Tradition holds that his tomb is located in Susa at a site known as Shush-e Daniyal. Other locations have been claimed as the site of his burial, including Daniel's Tomb in Kirkuk, Iraq, as well as Babylon, Egypt, Tarsus and, notably, Samarkand, which claims a tomb of Daniel (see "The Ruins of Afrasiab" in the Samarkand article), with some traditions suggesting that his remains were removed, perhaps by Tamerlane, from Susa to Samarkand (see, for instance, Itinerary of Benjamin of Tudela, section 153).

References to Daniel[link]

Tomb of Daniel at Susa, Iran.

Book of Ezekiel[link]

The prophet Ezekiel, with whom Daniel was a contemporary, describes a Daniel as a "pattern of righteousness" in the Book of Ezekiel 14:14, 20 and "wisdom" (28:3).^[4] In the Book of Daniel, the name is spelled with a middle letter suggesting the i of that name — but this letter is not included in Ezekiel,^[5] suggesting that the reference there may be to another person, possibly the "Danel" ("Judgement of God") known from Caananite Ugaritic literature (such as the Epic of Aqhat and Anat), whose reputation for wisdom and righteousness had made him legendary. (Vowel-points were not added to the consonantal Hebrew text before well into the Common Era, and the scribes may then have slipped in a vowel-point for "i" as a middle syllable.)

Bel and the Dragon[link]

In the Deuterocanonical portion of Daniel known as Bel and the Dragon, the prophet Habakkuk is miraculously transported by an angel to take a meal to Daniel while he is in the lions' den. In response, Daniel prays, "Thou hast remembered me, O God; neither hast thou forsaken them that seek Thee and love Thee".^[6]

Six tombs of Daniel[link]

There are six different locations claiming to be the site of the tomb of the biblical figure Daniel: Babylon, Kirkuk and Muqdadiyah in Iraq, Susa and Malamir in Iran, and Samarkand in Uzbekistan.

Religious perspectives[link]

Rabbinic literature[link]

According to Rabbinical tradition, Daniel was of royal descent; and his fate, together with that of his three friends, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, was foretold by the prophet Isaiah to King Hezekiah in these words, "and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon".^{Isaiah 39:7[7][8]}

According to this view, Daniel and his friends were eunuchs, and were consequently able to prove the groundlessness of charges of immorality brought against them, which had almost caused their death at the hands of the king.^[8]

Daniel on the window in the church of St Daniel in Celje (Slovenia)

Islamic views[link]

Muslims traditionally consider Daniel (Arabic: ŰŻŰ§Ù†ÙŠŰ§Ù„, Danyal) as an Islamic prophet, alongside the other major prophets of the Old Testament. Although Daniel is not mentioned in the Qur'an, there are accounts of Daniel's life which feature in later Muslim literature. There are debates, however, that go on about Daniel's time of preaching and some Muslims believe that he was not a prophet but a saintly man. Daniel is listed as a prophet in all major versions of Stories of the Prophets.^[9] When the Muslims conquered Alexandria in 641 C.E, a mosque was immediately built dedicated to Daniel.^[10]

Muslim literature[link]

Muslim exegesis, including Tabari's History of the Prophets and Kings narrates that Daniel was carried off to Babylon after Nebuchadnezzar's attack on Jerusalem. It goes onto state that there he was thrown into the den of the lions, but was later rescued. In one such account, Daniel is aided by Jeremiah, who comes to Babylon to help Daniel in the lions den.^[11] In the apocryphal Bel and the Dragon, however, there is a very similar tale which states that the Hebrew prophet Habbakuk was miraculously transported to the den of the lions, to give a meal to Daniel.

All sources, classical and modern, describe Daniel as a saintly and spiritual man. Abdullah Yusuf Ali, in his Qur'anic commentary says:

Daniel was a righteous man of princely lineage and lived about 506-538 B.C. He was carried off to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar, the Assyrian, but was still living when Assyria was overthrown by the Medes and Persians. In spite of the "captivity" of the Jews, Daniel enjoyed the highest offices of state at Babylon, but he was ever true to Jerusalem. His enemies (under the Persian monarch) got a penal law passed against any one who "asked a petition of any god or man for 30 days" except the Persian King. But Daniel continued true to Jerusalem. "His windows being open in his chambers towards Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime."

—Abdullah Yusuf Ali, The Holy Qur'an: Text, Translation and Commentary^[12]

Commemorations[link]

Eastern Orthodox commemorations[link]

On the Eastern Orthodox liturgical calendar, the feast days celebrating St. Daniel the Prophet together with the Three Young Men, falls on December 17 (during the Nativity Fast), on the Sunday of the Holy Forefathers^[13] (the Sunday which falls between 11 and 17 December), and on the Sunday before Nativity.^[14] Daniel's prophesy regarding the stone which smashed the idol (Daniel 2:34-35) is often used in Orthodox hymns as a metaphor for the Incarnation: the "stone cut out" being symbolic of the Logos (Christ), and the fact that it was cut "without hands" being symbolic of the virgin birth. Thus the hymns will refer to the Theotokos (Virgin Mary) as the "uncut mountain"

Roman Catholic Commemorations[link]

The Roman Catholic Church commemorates St. Daniel in the Roman Martyrology on July 21.^[15] However, his commemoration at Mass occurs only on local calendars of particular dioceses, sometimes on July 21 and sometimes on another day. For example, the archdiocese of Gorizia celebrates the feast of St. Daniel, prophet and confessor, on September 11. The reading of the Mass is taken from the Book of Daniel, chapter 14; the Gradual from Psalm 91; the Alleluia verse from the Epistle of James 1; and the Gospel from Matthew 24.^[16]

Coptic Church Commemoration[link]

The prophet is commemorated in the Coptic Church on the 23rd day of the Coptic month of Baramhat.^[17]

Protestant Commemorations[link]

He is commemorated as a prophet in the Calendar of Saints of the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod together with the Three Young Men (Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego), on December 17.^[18]

Chapters of the Book of Daniel
1: Induction into Babylon 2: Nebuchadnezzar's dream of an image 3: The fiery furnace 4: The madness of Nebuchadnezzar 5: Belshazzar's feast 6: Daniel in the lions' den 7: Daniel's first vision 8: Vision of the ram and goat 9: Prophecy of Seventy Weeks 10: Vision of a man 11: Kings of the North and South 12: Epilogue
v t e

See also[link]

Saints portal

• Book of Daniel
• List of names referring to El
• Nebuchadnezzar II, King of Neo-Babylon
• Arioch, Captain of the guard
• Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, Daniel's narrative companions
• Belshazzar, possible last King of Neo-Babylon
• Darius the Mede
• Cyrus the Persian, King of Achaemenid Empire
• Ezekiel, Daniel's narrative contemporary
• Persian Jews
• Apocalypse of Daniel

References[link]

• James B. Jordan (1995). "Daniel: Historical & Chronological Comments (II)" (– ^{Scholar search}). Biblical Chronology 7 (1). http://www.biblicalhorizons.com/ch/ch7_01.htm. ^{[dead link]}
• Francis E. Gigot (1889). "Daniel". Catholic Encyclopedia on CD-ROM. New Advent. http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04620a.htm. 
• T. E. Gaston (2009). Historical Issues in the Book of Daniel. Taanathshiloh. 

External links[link]

• Book of Daniel (Biblical Passage)
• Daniel by Rob Bradshaw Detailed dictionary-style article.
• Daniel in the TaNaKh Detailed authorized Jewish translation of the original

Wikisource has original 1897 Easton's Bible Dictionary text related to:

Daniel

• Who is Ezekiel's Daniel? : The Ugaritic Danel
• Daniel 11 in Context Overview of the allusions to the Syrian Wars in Daniel 11