Susanna


Date of composition

  • 200 - 1 BC

Type of book

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

Length

  • It is found in Daniel 13 (Protestant Bibles have 12 chapters for Daniel) and 64 verses long.

Summary

  • Susanna was a beautiful married woman who walked in her garden daily. Two elders noticed this and lusted after her. One day, she went into the garden with her two assistants but gave them leave so she could bathe, asking them to lock the gates. The two elders entered into the garden and demanded that she lie with them. If she did not, they told her they would yell and say that she had been lying with a young man who had fled. She refused, and they followed through with their threat. She was taken to court and condemned to death since she supposedly committed adultery. But a young man named Daniel stopped the proceedings. He questioned them independently and separately by asking which tree they saw the adultery taking place under. They responded by mentioning different types of trees; therefore, Susanna was pronounced innocent, and the two were put to death.

Noteworthy from the book

  • This is purported to be a story of a young Daniel while living in Israel and the wisdom he had even then.

© 2024 Mark Nickens