The condemnation of Susanna "at the ninth hour" (v.
41) might likewise be attributed to the same Christian influence. This
was no doubt operative here, as it was with Hippolytus.
In this connection it is worthy of note that in the longer recension of
the "Ignatian" _Epist. ad Magnes.,_ ?§ III., Daniel is spoken of as
???‰???µ???±?µ?„?®?‚ when he ??????????µ ???¬?„???‡???‚ ?„??· ???µ????? ?????µ?????±?„??, a phrase evidently
reminiscent of the history of Susanna. Bishop Lightfoot notes on this:
"His age is not given in the narrative, and it is difficult to see
whence it could have been derived." He dates the longer Ignatian
epistles in the second half of the 4th century (I. 246), while Thomas
of Harkel lived in the 6th and 7th centres. But, though so much later,
this Syriac translation may perhaps afford some clue to the ultimate
discovery of Ignatius', or rather his expander's, source of information.
The words ???±?????¬???????? ???µ???„?µ?????? do not of course necessarily imply such
extreme youth as twelve years; nor are we in any way tied to the
accuracy of this or other Harklensian variations.
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