Daniel was a prophet and sage who lived in Babylonia in the 6th century B.C.E. 

During the first deportation of Jews to Babylonia, Daniel, and his companions Chananiah, Mishael and Azariah, became servants in the palace of Nebuchadnezzar. They refused to drink unkosher wine and eat unkosher meat, but they still became strong and wise on a vegetable diet. 

When Daniel faces Jerusalem and prays to the One God of the Jews, an act forbidden by royal decree, he is thrown into a den of lions. God protects Daniel from harm, and he is rescued. 

One of the books of the Bible is named after Daniel, and it relates both stories about Daniel and visions of Daniel. While the stories take place in the 6th century B.C.E., Bible scholars believe the Book of Daniel may have been written much later in the 2nd century B.C.E. It is believed that the stories were written in order to encourage Jews who were suffering during the reign of Antiochus. Like Daniel, they were forced to eat unkosher food and forbidden from praying to their One God. In the Jewish world, the Book of Daniel is primarily seen as a textbook of faith in and obedience to God and as a series of stories for children.