The Bible Plus - Bel & the Dragon

EXTRA BIBLICAL TEXT - The book of Bel & the Dragon was not included in the Cannon of the scriptures as they were not considered, by biblical scholars, as 'entirely inspired' by the Holy Spirit or the texts did not reveal the will of God through pure standards of biblical interpretation.

However, these books do include inspired spiritual instructions, revelations, and passages as-well-as excellent reference material for world history and human interaction of their time.

These texts should not be taken as 'the Word of God' as we have come to accept and know the cannon of scripture, but these books are a vital and very necessary look at the history and education for a greater understanding of biblical times, events, and cultures which are not revealed to us from the 'accepted' sixty-six books of the current cannon of inspired scriptures.

Bel and the Dragon is a collection of ancient Jewish scriptures which tells the story of Daniel and his war against a dragon. This story is found in the Greek Bible and is considered apocryphal or non-canonical by most Protestant Christians, but is accepted as part of the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox canons.

In the story, a large dragon is worshipped by the Babylonians as a god named Bel. Daniel, a Jewish prophet, proves that the dragon is not a real god by exposing the priests who secretly feed it food. Daniel then challenges the dragon to a duel, and kills it using a mixture of pitch, fat, and hair.