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Jerusalem’s Walls Repaired in 502 BC (251 x 2)Persia
conquered Palestine in 539 BC, but the rabbinic date is 373 BC. Alexander
conquered Palestine and visited Jerusalem in a Sabbatical year, in 331 BC.
So, according to these dates, Persia ruled Palestine only 42 years, but it
was actually 208 years. By distorting the dates in Esther and Nehemiah 166 years, we
lose the ability to spot the 502 years between the founding of the second
temple in 520 BC and Herod’s temple in 18 BC. Moreover, we cannot connect the 502 years between 502 BC (when
Nehemiah repaired Jerusalem’s walls) and 1 AD, the beginning of the Christian
Era. Esther was just after 352 BC (+ 166 = 518 BC)According
to rabbinical chronology, Darius II, in his second year, commanded that the
second temple be founded in Jerusalem. This view says this was the same
person as Darius III who was conquered by Alexander in 331 BC. Therefore, all
books of the Old Testament must have been written prior to the death of
Darius II.
After translating the Behistun Inscriptions in Iran (Persia), which
preserve the family tree of Cyrus, scholars began re-dating the books of
Esther, Nehemiah and Esther as being after the death of Darius II. The Hebrew
Megillas Esther is dated as about 352 BC. The context of the Hebrew Megillas Esther has the king of Persia
beginning to rule in about 352 BC, about 70 years after the destruction of
the temple in 422 BC. The 70 years should be 166 years earlier, in 588 and
518 BC. In
Archbishop Ussher's view, Esther married Darius also named Artaxerxes and
Ahasuerus (Annals of the World, pp. 126-130).
In the book
of I Esdras 3:1-2, we read, “Now King Darius gave a great banquet for all
that were under him and all that were born in his house and all the nobles of
Media and Persia and all the strapies and generals and governors that were
under him in the 127 satrapies from India to Ethopia.” This was likely taken
directly from the book of Esther.
In the 20th
year of Artaxerxes (Darius?) (502 BC?), Nehemiah requested permission from
the king and queen of Persia to allow him to return to repair Jerusalem’s
wall. Esther had been crowned in the seventh year. Artaxerxes is the king
during Ezra and Nehemiah, and he is also king in the Greek Septuagint version
and apocraphal book of Esther.
Megillos
Esther: 3408 AM, 352 BC (actually 518 BC, 166 years
earlier) This link, http://www.milechai.com/Megillah_Esther.html,
says, “The events described in Megillas Esther took place during the first
exile of the Jewish people. In the year 3338 from the creation of the world (422
BCE, 490 years before 70 AD) the Babylonian emperor Nevuchadnetzar (Nebuchednezzar)
destroyed the Holy Temple of Jerusalem and exiled the Jews. This
exile had been predicted by the prophet Yirmiyahu (Jeremiah) who also
prophesied that the exile would last for seventy years.”
“Nevuchadnetzar ruled the Babylonian empire till his death in the year
3364 (396 BCE, actually 562 BC). He was succeeded by his son Eveel Merodach.
He was followed by his son Bal'shatzar. Then Babylon was conquered by
Dar'yavesh (Darius) king of Madai. When Dar'yavesh died he was succeeded by
Coresh (Cyrus) king of Persia. Daryavesh and Coresh were followed
by Achashveirosh Achashveirosh married Vashti, the daughter of Bal'shatzar.” Esther
became queen of Persia, when the rebuilt temple was dedicated in the 7th
year of the king, in 515 BC instead of in 468 BC. The difference is 47 years.
Ezra, the scribe, returned to Jerusalem
with other priests in the 7th year of the king, in 515 BC instead of in 457
BC (Ezra 7:7). The difference is 58 years.
Nehemiah
returned to Jerusalem in the 20th year of the king, in 502 BC instead of 444
BC. The difference again is 58 years.
There is
evidence that supports this shorter chronology:
1.
Esther’s first cousin, Mordecai, was taken from Jerusalem to Babylon along
with king Jeconiah in 598 BC. It is not likely they would still be alive
after king Darius died in 485 BC. |
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