Introduction to Ezra and Nehemiah.
Historical Setting
The Persian Empire, established by the Achaemenids, extended from India to Cush (Est 1:1) and lasted from 550 BC until Alexander’s conquests (323 BC). Cyrus was the founder of the Persian Empire and the greatest Achaemenid king. He reigned over the Persians from 559 to 530 BC. He established Persian dominance over the Medes in 550 BC, conquered Lydia and Ionia in 547–46 BC, and captured Babylon in 539 BC. It was Cyrus who permitted the Jews who wished to do so to return to their homeland (Ezr 1:1–4).
The Jewish territory of Yehud (Judah) belonged to the Persian satrapy called Abarnahara (meaning “beyond [or across] the river”). The governor of Abarnahara who came to investigate the conflict between the Jews and their neighbors was Tattenai, a figure who appears in cuneiform sources as Tattanu, and he is known to have held this position between 520 and 502 BC.
The refortification of Jerusalem by Nehemiah may have been part of the imperial Persian strategy against the dangers of Athenian imperialism, which included the coastal Palestinian city of Dor in its Delian League. Extra-Biblical examples of local leaders who cooperated (some would say collaborated) with Persian authorities may be cited, most notably an Egyptian priest named Udjahorresnet, who served both Cambyses and Darius I. Since Darius I authorized the codification of Egyptian laws, some scholars have argued that Artaxerxes I may have had a similar motive in sending Ezra back to establish the Torah. It is quite significant that as the cupbearer to Artaxerxes I, Nehemiah was a highly trusted official who was sent forth as the Persian governor of Judah. ◆
Key Concepts
• God had declared through the prophets, especially Jeremiah, that after he judged his people and gave them over to the Babylonians, he would bring them back 70 years later.
• Prayer is an important expression of trust.
• The law takes its proper place as the foundation of society.
• Even pagan kings are under God’s control.