Reading for May 29th

Read Daniel 3.1-30 In 3.1-30: The fiery furnace. The narrative promotes adherence to Jewish identity and religion by demonstrating thatGod prtects the righteous. In verses 1-18: Antiochus IV ((175--163 BCE) erected a statue of Zeus in the Jerusalem Temple and demanded that Jews worship Greek gods or be put to death (1 Macc 1.41-64; 2 Macc 6.1-11), His nickname, Epiphanes, "manifest god," indicates that he expected worship as a god. Worshipof national gods was generally understood as a sign of loyalty, but Jews are montheistic and do not worship pagan gods. Charges of disloyalty prompted many anti-Jewish in the Greco-Roman and medievil periods and continue to underlie mondern anti-Semitism. Comments or Questions..