Editing Book of Daniel (section)

== Manuscripts ==
The Book of Daniel is preserved in the 12-chapter [[Masoretic Text]] and in two longer Greek versions, the original [[Septuagint]] version, c. 100&nbsp;BC, and the later [[Theodotion]] version from c. 2nd century AD. Both Greek texts contain three [[additions to Daniel]]: [[The Prayer of Azariah and Song of the Three Holy Children]]; the story of [[Susanna (Book of Daniel)|Susannah and the Elders]]; and the story of [[Bel and the Dragon]]. Theodotion is much closer to the Masoretic Text and became so popular that it replaced the original Septuagint version in all but two manuscripts of the Septuagint itself.{{sfn|Harrington|1999|pp=119–120}}{{sfn|Spencer|2002|p=89}}{{sfn|Collins|1984|p=28}} The Greek additions were apparently never part of the Hebrew text.{{sfn|Seow|2003|p=3}}

Eight copies of the Book of Daniel, all incomplete, have been found at [[Qumran]], two in [[Qumran Caves|Cave 1]], five in Cave 4, and one in Cave 6. Among them, they preserve text from eleven of Daniel's twelve chapters, and  the twelfth is quoted in the [[Florilegium]] (a compilation scroll) 4Q174, showing that the book at Qumran did not lack this conclusion. All eight manuscripts were copied between 125&nbsp;BC (4QDan<sup>c</sup>) and about 50 AD (4QDan<sup>b</sup>), showing that Daniel was being read at Qumran only about 40 years after its composition. All appear to preserve the 12-chapter Masoretic version rather than the longer Greek text. None reveal any major disagreements against the Masoretic, and the four scrolls that preserve the relevant sections (1QDan<sup>a</sup>, 4QDan<sup>a</sup>, 4QDan<sup>b</sup>, and 4QDan<sup>d</sup>) all follow the bilingual nature of Daniel where the book opens in [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]], switches to [[Aramaic language|Aramaic]] at 2:4b, then reverts to Hebrew at 8:1.{{sfn|VanderKam|Flint|2013|pp=137–138}}