If I had to name the most unsung secular hero in the Biblical record, hands down it would be Darius the son of Hystaspes also know as Darius ‘the Great’ Artaxerxes.
Practically unknown to most readers of the Old Testament, Darius’ influence on the affairs of the Jewish people during the 2nd temple era is unrivaled. It was during his reign that some of the most important events in the history of the Jewish people took place.
So this week in our search for the the person who gave the “commandment to restore and build Jerusalem” mentioned in Daniel 9:25 we will look at this unsung Biblical hero to see if he qualifies as the one who gave the “commandment” which began our countdown to the Messiah.
“And the God that hath caused his name to dwell there destroy all kings and people, that shall put to their hand to alter and to destroy this house of God which is at Jerusalem. I Darius have made a decree; let it be done with speed.”
Ezra 6:12
It could be argued that Persia’s power and influence reached its zenith during the reign of Darius ‘the Great’ Artaxerxes. Darius played a central role in the Jewish people’s reestablishment of Jerusalem and the temple service. By his sixth year of rule the Second Temple, the very heart of Jerusalem, was completed, nearly sixteen years after permission to build it had first been given by Cyrus.
Darius was the third Persian ruler after Cyrus the Great. (For more on Cyrus see last weeks blog post: Cyrus the “Messiah”) Cyrus died in 530 BC, and his son Cambyses II ruled for eight years. For a short period after Cambyses’s death, Bardis the Magian usurper (aka Smerdis) ruled. This imposter, by some accounts, was a double for Cambyses II’s murdered brother. When Cambyses died, Bardis, who was already impersonating the brother of Cambyses II, took the game to a whole new level and assumed the throne as Artaxerxes of Persia. After ruling for less than a year, he was deposed by Darius ‘the Great’, son of Hystaspes, also known historically as Artaxerxes (Ezra 6:14. See also Ussher, Annals of the World, page 126, section 1015.)
Trouble in the Promised Land
To understand the decree given by Darius ‘the Great’, we need to back up a bit and give a little history of the Jewish people’s efforts to Continue reading →
Have you ever wondered why the birth of Yeshua (Jesus) is celebrated on December 25th? Most of us take this date for granted but what Biblical evidence is there to support it? Was is made up or is there a basis in real Bible history?
