Following St Cyril of Alexandria, the Eastern Orthodox Church believes
that Daniel and the Three Children lived to great old age in Babylon,
and were beheaded with the sword for the true Faith.
An angel carried their bodies to Judea, to Mount Gebal, and placed them
under a rock. According to tradition, these four men arose at the time
of the death of Jesus and appeared to many, then fell asleep again.
Daniel is counted by the East as one of the four Great Prophets (with
Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel).
The Canticle of the Three Young Children in the Fiery Furnace with its
refrain "Blessed art Thou, O Lord God of our fathers and praised and
glorified is Thy Name forever" (Daniel 3:51 ff.) is sung by the Greeks
at Sunday Matins and by the Russians as part of the Saturday All-Night
Vigil. It is woven into the Eighth Ode of the Canon.
Fr Ambrose
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