Righteous Old Testament

Three Holy Youths

Also known as Ananias · Azarias · Misael · Shadrach · Meshach · Abednego

Companions of Daniel who refused idolatry in Babylon and were preserved unharmed in the fiery furnace.

Feast Day

December 17

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Commemorated as

The Holy Three Youths Ananias, Azarias, and Misael

Come to them for

Protection from Danger

Life

The Three Holy Youths were Ananias, Azarias, and Misael, companions of the Prophet Daniel and fellow members of the tribe of Judah who were carried into the Babylonian Captivity after the fall of Jerusalem. Chosen along with Daniel to be trained for service in the court of King Nebuchadnezzar, they were instructed in the Chaldean language and learning and given Babylonian names: Ananias became Shadrach, Misael became Meshach, and Azarias became Abednego.

They are remembered chiefly for their account in the third chapter of the Book of Daniel, in which they refused to bow to a golden image set up by Nebuchadnezzar and were cast into a fiery furnace, from which they emerged unharmed. The Orthodox Church commemorates them on December 17, together with the Prophet Daniel.

Timeline 3 moments Read Hide

After the fall of Jerusalem Carried into the Babylonian Captivity Following the Babylonian conquest of Jerusalem, the three youths, kinsmen of the tribe of Judah and companions of Daniel, were taken to Babylon and chosen to be trained for service at the court of King Nebuchadnezzar.
During their training Given Chaldean names By the king's decree they were assigned Babylonian names: Ananias was called Shadrach, Misael was called Meshach, and Azarias was called Abednego.
Daniel 3 Refusal and the fiery furnace When Nebuchadnezzar erected a golden image and commanded all to worship it, the three youths refused. They were cast into a furnace heated far beyond its normal heat, yet were preserved unharmed; according to the account a fourth figure was seen with them in the flames.

Contributions & Legacy

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The Account in Daniel

According to the Book of Daniel, King Nebuchadnezzar set up a golden image on the plain of Dura and ordered that all his officials bow before it, on pain of being thrown into a furnace. When it was reported that the three youths refused to worship the image, they were brought before the king and declared that they would not comply, trusting that their God would deliver them.

The furnace was heated, by the narrative, seven times hotter than usual, and the three were cast in; yet they were seen walking unharmed amid the flames, accompanied by a fourth figure described as "like a son of God." They emerged untouched, with not a hair singed nor any smell of fire upon them. Their deliverance is traditionally paired with the account of Daniel in the lions' den as a witness that God preserves the faithful. In Orthodox tradition the figure who appeared in the furnace is understood to be Christ, and icons of the scene depict him with a cross-bearing halo.

Liturgical Use

The Greek Septuagint text of Daniel, used by the Orthodox Church, includes the Prayer of Azarias and the Song of the Three Holy Youths. This canticle holds a prominent place in Orthodox worship: the Seventh and Eighth of the nine Biblical Odes appended to the Psalter are drawn from it. Their story, together with the Prayer of the Three Holy Children, is also appointed to be read during the vesperal Divine Liturgy of Holy Saturday.

Notes

Named group kept as one row.

Sources: OCA Synaxarion (oca.org), Lives of the Saints