The third chapter of the book of Daniel tells the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego,
three Jewish men in exile in Babylon in the sixth century BC. When the three refuse to worship a
golden image erected by Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar, he threatens to throw them into a furnace.
Refusing to yield to the king’s demands, the three reply, “If this be so, the God whom we serve is
able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king.
But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden
image that you have set up” (verses 17-18).
The faith expressed here by Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego is unwavering. They are
confident that God will rescue them from the furnace, but even if God decides not to do so, they
will maintain their loyalty to him. As it turns out, God does protect them from harm in the furnace.
The declaration of faith in Daniel 3:16-18 is an example of a special literary form called a
pseudosorites (pronounced SU-do-suh-RYE-tees). In a pseudosorites, a speaker says that a
statement A is true, then adds that even if A is not true, it doesn’t matter because of B. In this
case, A is the conviction that God can rescue them, and B is the fact that they refuse to worship other gods.
There is a similar pseudosorites in 1 Peter 3:13-14, where Peter urges Christians to have the kind
of steadfast faith shown by Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. “Now who is there to harm you
if you are zealous for what is good?” Peter asks. He adds, “But even if you should suffer for
righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed.”
Here Peter says that generally we will not be harmed for doing good. However, if we are, God
ultimately will bless us for walking in the footsteps of his Son (see 1 Peter 2:19-25). According
to Christian tradition, Peter himself went on to die for the sake of Christ, looking forward to a future reward.
The pseudosorites is one form of literary artistry used by the biblical writers to convey their
message in a striking way. A number of additional examples of pseudosorites are discussed by
biblical scholar Richard Patterson in a 2010 paper (to find it, just search on “pseudosorites”).
One of these examples comes from Isaiah 49:15, where God says, “Can a woman forget her
nursing child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may
forget, yet I will not forget you.” This pseudosorites states that God’s love surpasses even that of
a mother for her child. It is God’s perfect love and faithfulness that prompted the strong faith
held by Shadrach, Meshech, Abednego, and Peter, and still inspires the faith of many believers today.
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