Susanna and the elders

Susanna and the elders (also «The Salvation Of Susanna By Daniel", "Court Daniel», "The tale of Susanna and Daniel", "Daniel saves Susanna") — a popular story from the Book of Daniel, is associated with the Susanna, a Jewish woman from Babylon.
While Susanna was bathing naked in her garden, behind her was watching two old ladies and the elders, which the Jews were chosen by the judges, and then threatened to accuse her of adultery and tried to get her copulation. Susanna refused to meet the request of the elders, they were falsely accused and sentenced to death, but at the last minute thanks to the prophet Daniel, who questioned the elders separately, were saved. False witnesses were caught in lies and executed.

The story according to the 64 verses from the Book of the prophet Daniel (Dan. 13:1). Catholics and Orthodox consider them an integral part of St. the book of Daniel (Chapter 13), the Orthodox — with the caveat that the history of Susanna — «non-canonical add". Protestants also do not believe the story of Susanna and the elders «canonical"and "doctrinaly", thus keeping it in the Bible. The Jews do not include the story of Susanna and the elders in the Tanakh. According to the Jewish electronic encyclopedia, Bible verses about Susanna was created in the II—I centuries BC, while the rest of the book of Daniel (according to the same encyclopedia) was written a century earlier, in III—II centuries BC.

In the Orthodox Church Susanna is revered among the saints as the Susanna of Babylon, but the day her memory is not installed.

Susanna was the daughter of Hilkiah and wife of Joakim. (Hippolytus of Rome suggests that it was Jehoiakim, the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, which agree with what Julius Africanus, Nebuchadnezzar took to help, (2 Chronicles. 36:5)).

The legend tells of how during the period of the Babylonian exile (598 in 539 BC), a fine Jew was falsely accused by two senior Horny old men, podsmatrivanie for her. Presumably, these two elders were the Jewish elders (the judges of the bet DIN).

One day she was bathing in her garden, having sent away her servants. At this time it began to pry the two elders, for some time had a similar habit: «They were both wounded with lust for her, but did not open each other their pain, because they were ashamed to declare their lust, that wanted to copulate with her. And they diligently guarded every day to see her".

When, after the bath, the woman was going to go home, they stopped her and began to sexually assault, claiming that if she doesn't agree to their harassment, they accuse her of adultery and say that in the garden she had a date with a young lover.

She ignores their blackmail: «Then Susanna groaned and said me closely everywhere; for if I do this, the death of me, but if you don't, they will not escape from your hands. Better for me not to do it and to fall into your hands than to sin before the Lord". She begins to scream, people running and confused, the elders carry out their threat. Susanna is arrested, and she faces death for adultery, and the woman swears she is innocent. At this time in the process interferes with a young man named Daniel (it's a future famous the prophet Daniel), to whom God had revealed that she's telling the truth: «brought God the Holy spirit of a young man named Daniel". He isolates two witnesses and interrogates them individually, subjecting to cross-examination. Because none of them knows what the other one said, they are wrong in detail — give various readings about the tree under which Susanna supposedly met her lover.

The elders condemned to death as false witnesses, «according to the law of Moses» (cf. 19:18-21): «...treated them like they were evil to the neighbor, the law of Moses, and slew them, and saved the day the blood of the innocent". This event is not only the salvation of Susanna, but the first appearance of Daniel as a prophet-judge to the people: «And Daniel became great before the people from that day and then".

Susanna can be found in early Christian art of the Roman catacombs, perhaps as an example for the persecuted Christians of that era — the deliverance of the righteous from the devil which will eventually come. «The image on the motives of the Apocrypha appear in the Gallic and Roman catacombs and on sarcophagi (2-4 CC.), on a crystal dish 9 V. (Frankish state)". The middle ages turned it into a symbol of the Church, which threatened the Jews and the Gentiles. Medieval artists preferred the theme of Daniel who preside over justice. As the allegory of Justice, this theme is often depicted in tandem with the Court of Solomon and Daniel.

Most of the images of Susanna in the painting appear in the period of the Late Renaissance, largely thanks to the opportunities provided this theme for art embodiment of female nudity.

In Orthodoxy instructions about how to portray the story «Daniel saves Susanna"gives Erminia Dionysius: «Before young Daniel is Susanna. Her hands are tied behind their backs. Two old men, in a wide clothing and headdress of a scarf to indicate her to Daniel. Close to is her husband Joachim and a lot of people. And away these elderly people are beaten with stones".