Saint Daniel Round Rope Border Religious Medal

Daniel (Hebrew: , Modern Daniyyel Tiberian Dniyyl ; Persian: , Dniyal or Danial, also Dani, ; Arabic: , Danyal) is the central protagonist of the Book of Daniel. The name "Daniel" means "judgement of God", Dan = judgement, "i = a suffix denoting a genitive relationship and "El" = God. This article describes the character Daniel, from the Book of Daniel,which is a book of the bible, as a historical figure. The historicity of Daniel, which is a subject of dispute, is discussed at Book of Daniel. This section describes him within the setting of the history that the Bible describes. At a young age, Daniel was carried off to Babylon where he was trained in the service of the court under the authority of Ashpenaz. Daniel became famous for interpreting dreams and rose to become one of the most important figures in the court and lived well into the reign of the Persian conquerors. He retained his high position there and had influence in the decision to restore the Jews to their homeland. Daniel would years later himself be cast into a den of lions for continuing to practice his faith in HaShem. But he also was miraculously delivered; after which Cyrus issued a decree enjoining reverence for "the God of Daniel" (Daniel 6:26). He "prospered in the reign of Darius, and in the reign of Cyrus the Persian," whom he probably greatly influenced in the matter of the decree which put an end to the Jewish Captivity (BC 536). 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. Christianity regards Daniel as a saint and as prophet. Judaism considers the Book of Daniel a part of its canon, but does not regard Daniel as a prophet.