Daniel's original vow, at the age of eight, was to devote
his life to the destruction of the Romans occupying Israel. Through his apprenticeship
with Rosh, he has worked towards that goal, although he does not yet know that Rosh is
only using Daniel's zeal to enrich himself. Later, when he renews his oath with Joel and
Thacia, the language of the oath changes:
Thacia laid her hand firmly over her brother's.
"For God's Victory," she repeated. They looked at Daniel, waiting. The three of us, Joel
had said, taking him, who had always stood outside, into the close circle of their
lives.
(Speare, The Bronze Bow, Google
Books)
Daniel does not make
the distinction until much later; while Joel is still young and driven by much of the
same patriotic fervor that consumes Daniel, Thacia is smarter and knows that the men
will destroy themselves long before they make any difference in the occupation. Instead,
the new oath is to win "God's victory" which is not necessarily the same thing as
killing Romans. Thacia knows that they need to change the minds of people from within,
not kill those with whom they disagree. This coincides with the teachings of Jesus, who,
after hearing Daniel repeat his oath, calls it representative of love instead of hate,
even if Daniel does not yet realize it.
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