Bel and the Dragon

Bel and the Dragon, an apocryphal book of the Old Testament, originally appended to the Book of Daniel. It first appears in the Septuagint, and does not seem to have been accepted as inspired by the Jewish Church, nor is there any proof that a Hebrew or Chaldee version of the story ever existed. Jerome considered it a 'fable,' an opinion in which most modern readers will coincide. It was, however, one of the books declared canonical by the Council of Trent (1546). The aim of the writer appears to have been to warn against the sin of idolatry some of his brethren who had embraced Egyptian superstitions. See APOCRYPHA.