### 🔹 What Are They?

These are *Greek additions* made during the 2nd–1st century BC to the books of **Daniel** and **Esther**, inserted into the Greek Septuagint (LXX). They include:

* **Susanna** – A courtroom drama with moral overtones.
* **Bel and the Dragon** – A tale of Daniel slaying a dragon and mocking idol worship.
* **Song of the Three Holy Children** – A Greek hymn inserted into the fiery furnace story.
* **Additions to Esther** – Six Greek sections, including visions, prayers, and speeches, designed to give Esther more overtly religious content.

### 🔍 Key Fact:

None of these additions exist in **Paleo-Hebrew**, **Aramaic Daniel**, or **Early Square Script (Ketav Ashuri)**. They are found **only** in Greek and **never in the original Hebrew scrolls**.

### ⚔️ Purpose of the Additions:

* To insert **Greek moral philosophy** and **religious speeches** into stories that were originally more restrained in divine mention.
* To make Esther more religious (God is never mentioned in the original Hebrew Esther).
* To reshape Daniel into a **miracle-worker hero**, more aligned with **Greek heroic literature**.

### 🧿 Why It Matters:

These additions were not written by Daniel or Mordecai and do **not reflect early Hebrew theology**. They were created under Greek influence and added to the Septuagint to appeal to Hellenized Jews and early Christians.

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