A Jesuit, Daniel was born in Rouen and died in Paris. He was primarily a historian, publishing a Histoire de France, in three volumes in 1713 with subsequent expanded editions. It is a work that was praised by such later notables as Augustin Thierry and Sainte-Beuve. He was appointed historiographer of France by Louis XIV.

Daniel was also a polemicist, indefatigably defending the Jesuits, most notably, but not exclusively, against the blisteringly ironical attacks of Pascal in the Provincial Letters. Daniel's Entretiens ranges over issues from Pascal's style to such hard topics such as philosophic sin and probabilism. In the seventh dialogue, for example, he addresses Pascal's allegation that the Jesuits teach an indefensibly lax theory of morality, in this instance that love of Christ the Redeemer is not necessary for salvation. The specific issue is whether imperfect contrition (sorrow for sin because of impending punishment) is sufficient for the sacrament of penance, or forgiveness, or whether perfect contrition (sorrow for sin simply as an offense against God) is required. Daniel points out that the Jesuits agree with Pascal and the Jansenists that perfect contrition is very hard but draw the conclusion not that many are damned but that the new law, based on Christ's sacrifice, requires only imperfect contrition (see Jansenism). The upshot is that the tables are turned, and Pascal stands accused of minimizing the significance of Christ's Redemption. Pascal had died in 1667, but the debate continued with Mathieu Petitdidier's reply to Daniel.

Daniel's penchant for fictionalized polemic had already been demonstrated in a kind of ironic history that he wrote, the satirical send-up of Descartes’ theory of vortices in the Voyage du monde de Monsieur Descartes (1690), followed by an expanded edition, and by a Suite (see vortex).

See also Jansenism; Pascal, Blaise