Daniel and the Queen of Babylon

Carole M. Lunde

Description

Fire! Daniel was dragged out of burning Jerusalem and taken in chains to Babylon. The Queen was the architect who rebuilt Babylon.
The Book of Daniel in the Hebrew Bible gives no information about Daniel’s early life or information about the queen of Babylon. The book is mostly about King Nebuchadnezzar’s increasing dementia, and little about Daniel himself. The queen is mentioned only as one who summoned Daniel to interpret the writing on the wall at Belshazzar’s feast. She was not given a name.
Upon extensive research into the ancient empires of Babylonia, Assyria, Persia, China, and Egypt, the story comes forth. She was Queen Nitocris, designer and architect of the rebuilding of the City of Babylon. She was named after Queen Nitocris of Ancient Egypt, who lived 2000 years before her.
Daniel was brought into her city, Babylon, as a slave. He became her spiritual teacher and she was his friend. After Daniel’s death in Persia, she carries his teachings and friendship in her heart. His teachings and her quest for purpose and love take her on adventures to China, the fabled Silk Road, India, and Egypt.
The author, Carole Lunde, traveled to the middle east and Egypt. Her research for this mysterious queen, who was barely mentioned in the Hebrew Testament, caused her to investigate the ancient histories of Babylonia, Persia, and China around 550 BCE to find this queen and write her story. The author has published nine books on spirituality and Bible fiction, illuminating the lives of other nameless women in the Hebrew Testament.

Sujets

• Historical
• Babylon (software)
• Cantón (China)
• Egipto
• Egypt
• Silk Road
• Nebuchadnezzar II
• Jerusalem
• Guangzhou
• Amazons
• Belshazzar
• China
• Babylon
• Daniel
• Cyrus
• Fiction
• Canton (Chine)
• Architecture

Informations

• Publié par: iUniverse
• Date de parution: 01 août 2022
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781663243126
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 2 Mo

Extrait

DANIEL AND THE QUEEN OF BABYLON
 
 
 
 
 
 
CAROLE M. LUNDE
 
 
 
 
 

 
DANIEL AND THE QUEEN OF BABYLON
 
 
Copyright © 2022 Carole M. Lunde.
 
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
 
 
 
 
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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.
 
Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.
Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.
 
ISBN: 978-1-6632-4311-9 (sc)
ISBN: 978-1-6632-4312-6 (e)
 
 
 
 
iUniverse rev. date: 08/01/2022
Contents
Introduction
 
Chapter 1     Daniel in Jerusalem
Chapter 2     Young Ninana goes to Babylon
Chapter 3     Babylon in Ruins
Chapter 4     Queen Samiramis
Chapter 5     Jarem meets Ninana
Chapter 6     The Secret Room
Chapter 7     Ninana’s Wedding
Chapter 8     Belshazzar is Born
Chapter 9     Babylon Rises
Chapter 10   A new direction
Chapter 11   Voyage on the Sea
Chapter 12   India
Chapter 13   India to China
Chapter 14   Arriving in China
Chapter 15   Silkworms and Dancers
Chapter 16   The School of Philosophy
Chapter 17   School of Art and Architecture
Chapter 18   Master Chaoxiang
Chapter 19   Love Found and Love Lost
Chapter 20   The Silk Road
Chapter 21   The Amazons
Chapter 22   The Dying Village
Chapter 23   Journey Home Begins
Chapter 24   Interruptions
Chapter 25   Going Home
Chapter 26   The Jewish Community Rises
Chapter 27   Daniel and Arakhu
Chapter 28   Ninana’s Project
Chapter 29   Babylon Rising
Chapter 30   Nebuchadnezzar’s Passing
Chapter 31   A Queen Regent
Chapter 32   Yang Light of the Rising Sun
Chapter 33   A Chinese Wedding
Chapter 34   The Power of Nitocris
Chapter 35   The Queen
Chapter 36   The Siege of King Cyrus
Chapter 37   Nitocris and Daniel in Persia
Chapter 38   Lions and Fire
Chapter 39   Returning to Babylon
Chapter 40   The Ishtar Gate
Chapter 41   Ruins of Jerusalem
Chapter 42   Queen Nitocris of Egypt
Chapter 43   Danger and Escape
Chapter 44   Gaza Seaport
Chapter 45   Holding Jerusalem
Chapter 46   A New Jerusalem
Chapter 47   Babylon Falling
Chapter 48   Another Aspect of Love
Chapter 49   The Governor of Babylon
Chapter 50   Has Love Fled?
Chapter 51   A Bowl of Ashes
Chapter 52   Cambyses Returns
Chapter 53   Remembering Joy
Chapter 54   Governor Arakhu
Chapter 55   Love Still Awaits Me
Chapter 56   The Driving Storm
Chapter 57   Sea Cliffs, Rocks, and Sand
Chapter 58   The Indus River
Chapter 59   The Khyber Pass
Chapter 60   Challenge in the Desert
Chapter 61   Escape into the Wilderness
Chapter 62   Amazon Sister/Cousin
Chapter 63   Xian City
Chapter 64   Touching the Eternal
Chapter 65   Polydora’s Promise
Chapter 66   The Yellow River
Chapter 67   Return to the Village
Chapter 68   Mysteries of Guangzhou
Chapter 69   King of Babylonia
Chapter 70   Divination and Decision
Chapter 71   A Great Adventure
Chapter 72   The Last Voyage
Chapter 73   The Port of Ur
Chapter 74   The Way Home
Chapter 75   The Ishtar Gate
Chapter 76   Message to Darius
 
Addendum
Reference
INTRODUCTION

The Book of Daniel in the Hebrew Bible gives no information about Daniel’s early life and no information about the queen of Babylon. The book is mostly about King Nebuchadnezzar’s increasing dementia, and little about Daniel himself. The queen is mentioned only as one who summoned Daniel to interpret the writing on the wall at Belshazzar’s feast. She was not given a name.
Upon extensive research into the ancient empires of Babylonia, Assyria, Persia, and Egypt, the story comes forth. She was Queen Nitocris, designer and architect of the rebuilding of the City of Babylon. She was named after Queen Nitocris of Ancient Egypt, who lived 2000 years before her.
Over a thousand years before Queen Nitocris of Babylonia was Queen Samiramis of Babylon, who built a tunnel under the Euphrates River so she could walk from the palace to the temple without passing over the Euphrates River. It was large enough to accommodate horses and chariots. The description of the tunnel was written by Diodorus in 50 BCE and is found in Wikipedia. It is quoted in this story and permission to use it is in the Reference section at the end of this book.
For reading clarity, listed here are modern and ancient names of people and places.
Daniel’s three friends, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, were given these names in Babylon. Their Hebrew names that I use in this story are Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.
The Seaport of Ur, first home of Abram and Sarai, is no longer a seaport today because the Persian Gulf has receded several miles from Ur. The ancient name of the Persian Sea was Makran. The Strait of Hormuz was called Bazora.
The Chinese City of Guangzhou became known as Canton because of a faulty English translation of the Chinese name Guangzhou. The name is still Guangzhou.
The Amazon Warrior Women were relegated to myth until archaeologists excavated their remains, giving them a place in history. They roamed ancient Scythia, a region that covered what is now Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Chapter 1 DANIEL IN JERUSALEM

The troops of Nebuchadnezzar poured into the temple in Jerusalem. They tore down the woven hangings, carried out the gold vessels, and destroyed everything else sacred to the Jews.
Daniel was almost frozen in shock. A chain was around his leg. He was being dragged along the streets with everyone from the temple and the royal house. The noise was horrendous as the flames of Jerusalem crackled and roared, grew higher, and spread with amazing speed throughout the city. It seemed as if everything was bursting into flame at the same time.
Through burning eyes, he looked around for his friends, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. But it was impossible to see anyone in the dust and smoke that swirled around. He tried to call out to them, but the smoke made him cough and choke until he could barely breathe.
People around him were crying, calling out, and falling over the stones from the buildings and walls. The heat from the fires was suffocating. Those left behind died in the fire and smoke before they could get out of their neighborhoods.
He stumbled outside of the walls and fell down on his face, losing consciousness. He was shaken to half awake because someone was taking the chain from his ankle and dragging him. Still coughing he was helpless to ask or protest.
Once outside the walls of Jerusalem the people of the royal house and the temple who survived were being thrown into wagons to be brought to the palace at Uruk in Babylonia by order of King Nebuchadnezzar.
Everyone in the wagons was in misery. Daniel was not sure he himself would survive. They needed water. Eventually a guard put an urn of water on each wagon. Daniel dipped the corner of his robe into it and crawled to the others. He squeezed water into their mouths from the fabric and wiped their faces.
His three friends, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, were in the wagon behind. The four of them began to attend to those in the wagons behind them as well.
“Use the water sparingly, Azariah. We do not know when they will bring more.”
Daniel looked about to determine where they were. The river ran past Jericho and they likely would not go there. It was a long and steep way down from the heights of Jerusalem to the river. But perhaps further north closer to the Sea of Galilee.
“When we get nearer to the Jordan River, we can refill the urns there.”
In the next few days the river was in sight. The soldiers stopped to refill their supply of water. Daniel, Azariah, Hananiah, and Mishael picked up the urns from the wagons and headed toward the river. In their weakened state it was hard to fill and carry the urns, but they affirmed with each other that God was their strength.
On their second trip back from the river the guards came by. Azariah, Mishael, and Hananiah were in their wagons ministering to the people. Daniel hoisted his urn into the wagon bed and was climbing in. The guards grabbed Daniel and dumped him out of the wagon knocking him to the ground.
“Are you trying to organize an escape? You can walk to Babylonia, prophet!”
The travel by foot was hard and grueling. Daniel rubbed his ankle where the shackle was placed again on his chafed skin. He was hungry and tired. In anger and frustration he shouted to the guards who were close by.
“Please, if your king expects you to bring him a large workforce of slaves, these people must have food and rest as they travel or they will all die!”
A guard tramped over to Daniel and took a threatening stance.
“And who are you to tell us what we must do, slave?”
A very young Daniel, with clear eyes, disheveled hair, and