English Christian Poetry written around the approximated date of Daniel. Concordance Differences between the Old English Daniel and Biblical Daniel Some scholars insist that the Daniel poet was much more interested in the literal interpretation of the Book of Daniel, but others illustrate the author's intention to write allegorically. In the Biblical Book, King Nebuchadnezzar wishes to educate Daniel, but the dramatized OE Daniel has Nebuchadnezzar trying to acquire Daniel's wisdom. This change sets the character of Daniel in a way more consistent with the Old English hero. The three youths are named Ananias, Misael, and Azarias. Daniel is called "aethele cnithas", meaning that he was to be trained a servant for the king. Daniel was put into servitude and him and the youths were also probably made eunuchs, the speculation comes because the master of the eunuchs trained the youths in divination, magic, and astrology. In the Septuagint, the 2nd century B.C.E. Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible, Daniel is also called "archi-eunouchos", which translates to “chief eunuch”; in the Latin Vulgate, Daniel is also called "praepositus eunuchorum". This is something that is not mentioned the Old English Daniel. Another stark contrast is the inclusion of the author's version of the Azarias and the introduction to the Song of Songs. These differences and many others are thought to indicate that the unknown author of Daniel was not simply paraphrasing the Biblical book, but was in fact original in his composition. Critical assessment The abrupt ending of the poem seems to denote that the work was unfinished. This assumption is based on the idea that Daniel is a mere translation of the Bible. However, the poem’s focus diverges from that of the Bible in an attempt to state a more distinctive message about pride. The poem achieves this by being less concerned about conveying details of the dreams and Daniel’s prophecies. As the role of Daniel diminishes, the message of pride and humility can be more prevalent and in turn causes Nebuchadnezzar’s role to be increasingly important. The author creates a new perspective by using Nebuchadnezzar. The focus then shifts from Daniel’s prophetic gift to consequences of pride. There is also, then, a stronger link between pride and God’s judgment of pride. This is because Daniel takes on the sole role of being the giver of God’s warnings. Had the author then added Daniel in the Lion’s den, there would