The persian king cyrus asked the jewish prophet daniel why he did not also worship the cult image of the god bel. Daniel replied that he only worshipped the living god, not a man-made sculpture made of bronze and clay. When cyrus objected that the daily consumption of the offerings was proof, the doors of the temple were sealed after the offerings had been brought in. Bel's priests, however, collected the offerings at night through a secret entrance. Before the sealing, daniel had the temple floor sprinkled with ashes in the presence of the king, in which the footprints of the deceivers were visible, who were punished with death. The prophet daniel, however, was allowed to have the sanctuary destroyed with royal permission (st. Dan 2:1–21). Object Type: painting. Genre: religious art. Date: 1633. Dimensions: height: 235 mm (9.2 in) ; width: 302 mm (11.8 in). Medium: oil on panel. Depicted People: Daniel. Collection: Getty Center. Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn (Dutch - Daniel and Cyrus before the Idol Bel - Google Art Project
Loading...
