Date of composition

• 200 – 1 BC.
• Azariah was one of the three young men who, along with Daniel, were Jewish exiles in Babylonia. His name was changed to Abednago, and he lived in the mid-500s BC.

Type of book

• Deuterocanonical (means "secondary or less sacred scripture") for Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and some Anglican and Lutheran churches.
• Apocrypha for most Protestant churches.

Length and Summary

• Found in the Catholic Bible from Daniel 3:24 - 90.
• Although it would appear from the title that this is multiple works, it is one long passage that can be divided into three parts:
1. Verses 24 - 45: Starting with a comment about the young men walking about in the flames, Azariah prays a prayer of repentance and declares that God is righteous in punishing them because they had failed to follow God fully.
2. Verses 45 - 50: Reports that an angel went into the flames with the three Jews and kept them from being burned.
3. Verses 50 - 90: A song of praise from the three Jews to God.