As mentioned last week, Hippolytus began his Commentary on Daniel with a summary of events, namely the Babylonian Captivity, which caused Daniel to be found in Babylon. Hippolytus then starts to comment on the Book of Susannah, which he considered part of the canonical Book of Daniel. Roman Catholic and Orthodox Christians consider this as part of the Apocrypha today. In the following passage Hippolytus explains why, in his copy, Susannah is found at the beginning of the book of Daniel and not later on in the book, which would make more chronological sense:
Therefore the account itself [The book of Susannah] occurs later, but it is written before as the first of the book. For it was the custom of the scribes to place many things in reverted order in the scriptures. For we also find in the visions of the prophets, some which occurred first are even fulfilled at the end, and in turn again what is spoken last occurs even first. This occurs by the economy of the Spirit, so that the devil may not understand the things which are spoken by the prophets in parables and, having ensnared Man again a second time, kill him.