“Darius Son of Ahasuerus, King of the Persians”: Textuality and Chronology in Jacob of Edessa’s Book of Daniel

Abstract This article explores the textual witness of Jacob of Edessa’s revision of Daniel. Jacob’s is an aggregate and mixed text, one that combined both Syriac and Greek biblical traditions. Yet perhaps the most remarkable aspect of Jacob’s Daniel is his conscious effort to include not only “Theodotion” but also Old Greek traditions. This article focuses on his witness to the latter, which is demonstrated at both the micro- and macrotextual levels. Special attention is also paid to the chronological presentation of the Daniel cycle Jacob’s version transmits, particularly the unique location of ch. 9. It is argued that Jacob adopted this chapter order from a lost OG manuscript whose text had previously been altered, perhaps under the influence of Porphyry.