Daniel the Holy Ghostbuster

A 6th Century BC Paranormal Investigation

Have you heard of what might be the earliest paranormal investigation on record: Daniel the Holy Ghostbuster? No, I hadn’t until I started exploring the Septuagint [1] as part of my Masters dissertation research.

When you read the Septuagint, you discover more cultural background to the more familiar Old Testament stories. The book of Daniel has a couple of extra chapters, and includes a prayer and song that was supposedly sung by Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, as they walked about inside the fiery furnace [2].

However, this particular post is about what is believed to be the earliest recorded account of a paranormal investigation. Set after Cyrus has taken over Babylon [3], Daniel is quizzed by the king why he doesn’t worship the statue of Bel. This statue mysteriously eats all the food set before it each night by the worshippers, including the king himself.

Confident in his knowledge of the “normal behind this paranormal” occurrence, the holy Daniel puts his life on the line with a ghostbuster trick familiar with modern paranormal investigators, as well as Scooby Doo fans.

Daniel Chapter 14

Here’s the text of Daniel 14:1-22 in full:

When King Astyages was laid to rest with his ancestors, Cyrus the Persian succeeded to his kingdom. ² Daniel was a companion of the king, and was the most honoured of all his friends.

³ Now the Babylonians had an idol called Bel, and every day they provided for it 305 kilograms of choice flour and forty sheep and 50 gallons of wine. ⁴ The king revered it and went every day to worship it. But Daniel worshipped his own God.

So the king said to him, ‘Why do you not worship Bel?’ ⁵ He answered, ‘Because I do not revere idols made with hands, but the living God, who created heaven and earth and has dominion over all living creatures.’

⁶ The king said to him, ‘Do you not think that Bel is a living god? Do you not see how much he eats and drinks every day?’ ⁷ And Daniel laughed, and said, ‘Do not be deceived, O king, for this thing is only clay inside and bronze outside, and it never ate or drank anything.

⁸ Then the king was angry and called the priests of Bel and said to them, ‘If you do not tell me who is eating these provisions, you shall die. ⁹ But if you prove that Bel is eating them, Daniel shall die, because he has spoken blasphemy against Bel.’ Daniel said to the king, ‘Let it be done as you have said.’

¹⁰ Now there were seventy priests of Bel, besides their wives and children. So the king went with Daniel into the temple of Bel. ¹¹ The priests of Bel said, ‘See, we are now going outside; you yourself, O king, set out the food and prepare the wine, and shut the door and seal it with your signet. ¹² When you return in the morning, if you do not find that Bel has eaten it all, we will die; otherwise Daniel will, who is telling lies about us.’ ¹³ They were unconcerned, for beneath the table they had made a hidden entrance, through which they used to go in regularly and consume the provisions. ¹⁴ After they had gone out, the king set out the food for Bel. Then Daniel ordered his servants to bring ashes, and they scattered them throughout the whole temple in the presence of the king alone. Then they went out, shut the door and sealed it with the king’s signet, and departed. ¹⁵ During the night the priests came as usual, with their wives and children, and they ate and drank everything.

¹⁶ Early in the morning the king rose and came, and Daniel with him. ¹⁷ The king said, ‘Are the seals unbroken, Daniel?’ He answered, ‘They are unbroken, O king.’ ¹⁸ As soon as the doors were opened, the king looked at the table, and shouted in a loud voice, ‘You are great, O Bel, and in you there is no deceit at all!’

¹⁹ But Daniel laughed and restrained the king from going in. ‘Look at the floor’, he said, ‘and notice whose footprints these are.’ ²⁰ The king said, ‘I see the footprints of men and women and children.’

²¹ Then the king was enraged, and he arrested the priests and their wives and children. They showed him the secret doors through which they used to enter to consume what was on the table. ²² Therefore the king put them to death, and gave Bel over to Daniel, who destroyed it and its temple.

Conclusion

This is the origin of the cheapest and most effective way of spotting fakery in paranormal hauntings… Powder on the floor to spot footprints. If the perpetrators don’t know it’s there, they’ll leave their tracks, which can be spotted when the lights go up. Rodents and other creatures can also be discerned this way. Simply sprinkle on shelves of pantries or anywhere where activity is alleged to take place. You may be able to tell what creature it is from the footprints left behind. All thanks to Daniel, the holy ghostbuster, who was not afraid of performing a paranormal investigation.

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[1] 3rd Century BC Greek translation of the now missing original Hebrew texts. Used by Jesus and the disciples as part of their

[2] Daniel 3 – Expanded Septuagint translation

[3] The Persian king took over the kingdom of Babylon in 539BC from Babylonian king Belteshazzer.

[4] Image ©2020 Andy S. Gray . Andy is a writer, illustrator and DJ. Find out more at onegraydot.com and kidzministry.com