Who was Darius the Mede?
Darius the Mede is mentioned several times in the book of Daniel: Dan 5:31 – Darius the Mede received the kingdom at the age of 62; he was “made king” over Babylon. Dan 6:28 – “So Daniel enjoyed success in the reign of Darius and in the reign of Cyrus the Persian.” Dan 9:1 – Darius was the son of Ahasuerus, of Median descent. Dan 11:1 – in the first year of Darius the Mede . . . The question comes from the fact that no ancient document or historian other than......
A Letter About the Temple
The small potsherd with writing shown here (also known as an ostracon) was discovered by archaeologists digging at a Judean fortress in southern Israel. The name of the site is Arad; this ostracon and the others found at the same site are known as the Arad Letters. They date to about 600 BC, not long before the destruction of Jerusalem by Babylon. Arad is located in the desert, about 35 miles straight south of Jerusalem. Both Arad and Jerusalem can be seen on this Google Earth map. What is most interesting about......
Babylon – How to Take a Strong City
Ancient Babylon was a mighty city. Although ancient historians greatly exaggerated its size as well as the height and width of its walls, it was likely the largest city of its day. Excavations have shown that the city walls were built of mudbrick, using bitumen as mortar. The Ishtar Gate , which was located near the palace, was 45 feet tall and 32 feet wide, which probably reflects the approximate size of the rest of the city walls. The city proper was about 2 by 3 miles in size, although there may......
Belshazzar’s Throne Room Identified
Nearly all of the narrative sections of the book of Daniel (Dan 1-6) took place in and around the capital, Babylon. Daniel 5 records the night on which Babylon fell to the Medes and Persians. The crown prince, Belshazzar, was having a drinking party in the palace. Although exact details are lacking in the text, this probably took place in the throne room of the palace and the courtyard that faced it. The palace where Belshazzar lived was the one that had been built by Nebuchadnezzar a few decades earlier. It was......
Elijah, Daniel, and Miracles
Malachi ends his book with the pronouncement that Elijah the prophet would come before the great and terrible day of the Lord (Mal 4:5-6). This prophecy stumped the disciples of Jesus who were at the transfiguration. They saw Jesus in blazing white, flanked by Moses and Elijah (Mat 17:1-12). Afterward, they were puzzled at the appearance of Elijah, realizing that he was prophesied to return. They had just seen him, but then he had disappeared again, and Jesus begun to talk of his own death. The angel who announced the birth of......
