Rex Banks
1. The Exile
2. The Decree of Cyrus
3. The Elephantine Papyri
4. Esther
The Exile
Clifford Wilson has lengthy quotation from W. F. Albright's book The Bible After Twenty Years of Archaeology- 1932-1952, in which the famous archaeologist comments upon the fact that certain scholars denied "there had been any real Exile or Restoration, and that there was an Ezra." Albright responds to the suggestion:
"The views of these scholars have been categorically disproved by the archaeological discoveries of the past 20 years. Excavation and surface exploration in Judah have proved that the towns of Judah were not only completely destroyed by the Chaldeans in their two invasions, but were not reoccupied for generations -- often never again in history." (That Incredible Book)
According to Wiseman "The return of the Jews to Judah can be seen in the sparse traces of
resettlement found at Gezer, lachish, Bethel, Beth-zur (north of Hebron) and tell el-Far'ah. It was
a slow process and the country does not seem to have recovered until the third century B.C."
The Decree of Cyrus
Evidence of the Lord's complete control of human history is provided by the fact that details concerning the length of the captivity in Babylon and subsequent Jewish restoration are set forth in Scripture even before the fall of Jerusalem had occurred. An exile of 70 years had been decreed by God (Jer. 29:10) and about 150 years before the birth of Cyrus the Great of Persia, the prophet Isaiah announced that Cyrus had been chosen by God as the instrument through whom the restoration would take place. Through Isaiah Jehovah had said: "It is I who says of Cyrus. 'He is My Shepherd! And he will perform all My desire.'And he (Cyrus) declares of Jerusalem, 'She will be built' And of the temple,'Your foundation will be laid.' " (Isa. 44:28) Jehovah had chosen Cyrus to "subdue nations before him" (45:1), and He declared "I will gird you (Cyrus) though you have not known Me.." (45:5) indicating that the Persian King would not be a worshipper of the true God. Subsequently we read in Ezra 1:1-4:
"Now in the first year of Cyrus King of Persia, in order to fulfil the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus King of Persia, so that he sent a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and also put it in writing saying 'Thus says Cyrus King of Persia, 'The Lord, the God of heaven has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and He has appointed me to build Him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whoever there is among you of all His people, may his God be with him! Let him go up to Jerusalem which is in Judah, and rebuild the house of the Lord, the God of Israel; He is the God who is in Jerusalem. And every survivor at whatever place he may live, let the men of that place support him with silver and gold, with goods and cattle, together with a free will offering for the house of God which is in Jerusalem". (cf. Ezra 6:3; 2 Chron. 36:22, 23)
Now earlier scholars "frequently argued that there was no evidence that Cyrus ever made a decree of this kind, or that both versions of the decree were Jewish forgeries". (Harrison Introduction) Then in the 19th century, Hormuzd Rassan discovered the famous Cyrus cylinder (now on display at the British Museum) which provided remarkable confirmation of the biblical record at this point. Part of the inscription upon the cylinder reads as follows:
"I am Kurash ['Cyrus'], King of the World...When I entered Babilani (Babylon) as a friend and when I established the seat of the government in the palace of the ruler under jubilation and rejoicing, Marduk, the great lord, induced the magnanimous inhabitants of Babilani to love me, and I was daily endeavoring to worship him....As to the region from as far as Assura and Susa, Akkade, Eshnunna, the towns Zamban, Me-turnu, Der as well as the region of the Gutians, I returned to these sacred cities on the other side of the Tigris the sanctuaries of which have been ruins for a long time, the images which used to live therein and established for them permanent sanctuaries. I also gathered all their former inhabitants and returned them to their habitations. Furthermore, I resettled upon the command of Marduk, the great lord, all the gods of Kiengir and Akkade whom Nabonidus had brought into Babilani to the anger of the lord of the gods, unharmed, in their former temples, the places which make them happy." (From School of Oriental & African Studies [http://www.cais-soas.co.uk/decree_jews.htm <[http://www.cais-soas.co.uk/decree_jews.htm>])
Thus it can be seen that "the substance of Cyrus's decree in... favour of the Jews) is in striking harmony with other known decrees of that monarch.... (and) with his general policy of clemency and toleration towards the conquered races of his empire". (Catholic Encyclopaedia) We recall that through Isaiah the Lord had described Cyrus as one who did not know him, and thus it comes as no surprise that the Persian King attributes his success to Marduk. Cyrus says:
"Marduk scanned and looked through all the countries, searching for a righteous ruler willing to lead him (i.e. Marduk) in the annual procession. Then he pronounced the name of Cyrus, king of Anshan, declared him to become the ruler of all the world...Without any battle, he made him enter his town Babylon, sparing Babylon and calamity... (The Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopaedia of the Bible vol.1)
On the other hand, given the polytheistic background, it would not have been difficult for Cyrus to acknowledge the God of Israel as Ezra records. Josephus tells us that the prophecy of Isaiah "was known to Cyrus by his reading the book which Isaiah left behind him of his prophecies," adding:
"Accordingly, when Cyrus read this (prophecy) and admired the Divine power, an earnest desire and ambition seized upon him to fulfill what was so written; so he called for the most eminent Jews that were in Babylon, and said to them, that he gave them leave to go back to their own country, and to rebuild their city Jerusalem, and the temple of God, for that he would be their assistant, and that he would write to the rulers and governors that were in the neighbourhood of their country of Judea, that they should contribute to them gold and silver for the building of the temple, and besides that, beasts for their sacrifices." (Antiquities of the Jews, Book XI, Chapter I, Section 2 [Christian Classic Ethereal Library. <http://ccel.org/j/josephus/JOSEPHUS.HTM>])
Since Daniel lived until at least the third year of Cyrus (Dan. 10:1) it is likely that he drew the
King's attention to this prophecy. Anyway, once again scepticism concerning the biblical account
had to give way to solid fact.
The Elephantine Papyri
Under the heading Semitic Epigraphy we find the following in Catholic Encyclopaedia:
"Directly connected with inscriptions through language and period are the Aramaic texts written on papyrus and discovered in Egypt. Nearly all of them proceed from the Jewish military colony established in the Island of Elephantine (Philoe). Four large sheets in the Museum of Cairo, found in 1904, contain about 240 lines of writing, well preserved. The documents (sale, gift, release, marriage contract, etc.) proceed from the same Jewish family and are dated (471-411 B.C.) Other leaves, in greater number but less complete, belong to the Museum of Berlin and have just been published (1911) by M. Sachau. The first three concerning the worship and the sanctuary of Jahweh at Elephantine are of great interest to Biblical study.....There are besides letters, accounts, lists of colonists... a partial translation of the celebrated inscription of Darius, graven in cuneiform characters on the rocks of Behistoum in Persia."
Perhaps the most important document recovered was "a letter addressed to Bagoas, the Governor of Judea in which appeal is made for his intervention in their behalf to obtain restoration of the yahu temple which had been destroyed in 400 10 B.C. at the instigation of the priests of the Egyptian god Khnum". (Interpreters Dictionary) A copy of this letter can be found at K.C. Hanson's Collection of West Semitic Documents: (http://www.stolaf.edu/people/
kchanson/templeauth.html <(http://www.stolaf.edu/people/kchanson/templeauth.html>) Of particular interest is the fact that Bagoas (Bagohi, Bigvai) is one of the names in the lists of Judahites who returned from Babylon (e.g. Ezra 2:2; Neh 7:7) At one point the writers say "We have (previously) sent letters to our lord when this catastrophe happened to us; and to the high priest Yehochannan and his associates, the priests in Jerusalem..." Yehochannan is Johanan the high priest mentioned in Nehemiah (12:22; 13:28). The writers also say: "We have also set forth the whole matter in a letter in our name to Delaiah and Shelemiah, the sons of Sanballat, the governor of Samaria." Presumably this is the same Sanballat who was Nehemiah's implacable enemy. (Neh 2:19; 4:1) These references to biblical characters supply further confirmation of specific details mentioned in Scripture.
But the Elephantine papyri are also important because "As far as Ezra is concerned... they
indicate that the Aramaic used in the canonical book was the Imperial Aramaic characteristic of
the age in which the book purported to be written, and consonant with it in matters of language
and style." (R.K. Harrison) For example, evidently the expression "The God of the Heavens" was
used particularly during the Persian period (see Ezra 1:2; 5:11; Neh 1:4-5; Jonah 1:9) which is
significant in light of the fact that and in the petition the writers say "And you shall have honour
before Yahu, the God of the Heavens." Again archaeology has proved to be a thorn in the flesh of
those who insist that the biblical documents are from a period much later than that of the events
which they purport to describe.
Esther
Following the decree of Cyrus many Jews returned to their homeland, but many remained dispersed throughout the Persian empire. The book of Esther records a ten year span during the 60 year interlude in the book of Ezra and provides the background to the inauguration of the Jewish feast of Purim. The book has been labelled a fiction in the mould of A Thousand and One Nights but without good reason and it is now evident that "references to Persian customs (by the writer) show considerable accurate knowledge". (Interpreters)
One of the chief characters in the book is Esther's cousin Mordecai, a high government official who is ultimately named as prime minister to the king, whose name may have been preserved outside of Scripture. F.B. Huey Jnr has stated:
"The most impressive evidence for Mordecai's rise to power was the discovery of the name Marduka (=Mordecai) on a cuneiform tablet from Borsippa. He is identified as a high of official in the royal Court at Susa during the early years of Xerxes reign. Some scholars interpret this discovery to mean only that it was possible for a foreigner like Mordecai to rise to power under Xexes...Others insist that the two are to be equated. Gordis ("Book of Esther" p.384) says 'Two officials with the same name is scarcely likely.' (The Expositors Bible Commentary vol 4)
Evidence that the writer of the book of Esther was intimately acquainted with Persian custom is supplied by Herodotus (5th century B.C.). For example in Esther 1:14 mention is made of "the seven princes of Persia and Media who had access to the King's presence and said in the first place in the kingdom -." Herodotus (3:118) has the following:
"Of the seven Persians who rose up against the Magus, one, Intaphernes, lost his life very shortly after the outbreak, for an act of insolence. He wished to enter the palace and transact a certain business with the king. Now the law was that all those who had taken part in the rising against the Magus might enter unannounced into the king's presence, unless he happened to be in private with his wife."
(Text at <http://www.webnexus.com/users/paik/lit/Herodotus/Histories/herodotus-3.html>)
Too this harmonises with Esther 4:11 where we are told that there was but one law for any man or woman who came to the King to the inner court without having been summoned. That law was that the individual be put to death unless the King held out the golden sceptre "so that he may live." Commenting upon the Herodotus passage G. Rawlinson says that "in making the exception (the passage) shows the general rule to have been such as here represented." (The Pulpet Commentary vol 7) Herodotus also mentions another interesting fact in passing. Speaking of one "Phaedima... Otanes' daughter" Herodotus makes the statement: "when her turn came, and she was taken to the bed of the Magus (in Persia a man's wives sleep with him in their turns)..." (3.69.1) This helps us understand Esther's statement "And I have not been summoned to come to the king for these 30 days" (Esther 4:11). Elsewhere Herodotus tells of one Phylacus who "was enrolled among the king's benefactors, and presented with a large estate in land" (8:85.1) (<http://www.webnexus.com/users/paik/lit/Herodotus/Histories/herodotus-8.html>])
We are told that "In the Persian tongue the king's benefactors are called Orosangs." Again this enrolment of benefactors helps us with Esther 6:1, 2 and the record of Mordecai's service to the King contained in the Chronicles."
Ancient reliefs also confirm the historicity of Esther. For example, consider Haman's suggestion that the king bestow honour upon an individual by placing him upon a horse "on whose head the royal crown has been placed". (6:8) Huey tells us that "As verification of this practice, horses wearing crowns or head ornaments are detected on both Assyrian and Persian reliefs..." We could multiply examples to demonstrate that the book of Esther was written by someone who was intimately acquainted with the customs and events of the period with which he claims to deal.
In an article entitled The Authority and Inspiration of the Bible which appears in The Expositor's Bible Commentary, Carl F.H. Henry makes a comment which all who approach a study of Scripture should take to heart:
"(Frank E.) Gaebelein cautions that 'the attitude of suspended judgment toward Bible difficulties...is constantly being vindicated, as archaeology has solved one Biblical problem after another, and as painstaking re-examination of discrepancies has finally led to answers' (The Unity of the Bible)....Higher critics have an unenviable record of mistaken judgments hurriedly passed on the biblical narratives, though this is often unknown to contemporary readers because of the continuing revision of their texts and the failure of most contemporary critics to acknowledge the mistakes of the past. For examples of such mistakes, it was insisted that writing was unknown in Moses' day, that the Hittites were a grandiose construction of biblical imagination, and even that Jesus of Nazareth never lived -- such verdicts being passed by respected scholars in leading universities, who were not on that account free from philosophical prejudice or immune from premature judgment."
Hopefully this series of articles on the Old Testament and archaeology has been of help to you in
your study of Scripture. If we can be of any help further assistance please feel free to contact the
Hamilton church of Christ. (see Home page) If you reside outside of Hamilton, we are will
supply you with a contact address for the nearest church of Christ. I plan to add material to the
body of this article from time to time. God bless you in your study of His word.