• The Book of Ezra, Isaiah: Cyrus the Persian
• The Book of Daniel: Darius the Median
Over the years, little to no attention has been given to a certain issue in the Bible except for a few people who engage in a careful Bible study and perhaps, professors in the Department of Bible Studies. It is the story of who conquered Babylon and took over the Kingdom. While the Book of Daniel establishes a certain fact, other books of the Bible seem to say otherwise. But what they say indeed is not otherwise. If we conclude that they are otherwise, it is because we have not studied them enough.
Scripture (2 Timothy 2:15) advises that we study the word of truth, cutting it straight, that is, spending quality time to interpret it appropriately.
A study such as this has been criticized as irrelevant to salvation and therefore, it is not worth studying. Such people willingly do not want to understand the fact that if the Scriptures are contradictory, our faith becomes questionable. And as far as the Christian faith is concerned, it has its basis from scriptures.
Going back to the main subject, in Daniel 5:31, it is established that Babylon as a kingdom was conquered after Belshazzar the King was killed on a certain night and Darius the Mede took over the Kingdom at the age of 62.
Daniel 5:30-31 (KJV) “In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain.
And Darius the Median took the kingdom, being about threescore and two years old.”
But the contrast is what we have gotten from the Book of Ezra and Isaiah. In Ezra, Cyrus is recorded to have been before Darius. According to Ezra chapter 6, Cyrus is identified as having conquered Babylon and ruled before Darius. This seems to be a seeming contradiction with Daniel 6:28 where it posits Darius first and then Cyrus.
Isaiah 44:28 and 45:1 (also known as Deutero-Isaiah) also prophesied that Cyrus would be the one to conquer Babylon and deliver the Jews in exile.
Now the shocking thing is that Darius the Mede did not appear in any historical documents or records. He was not mentioned elsewhere other than in the Bible. History records that Cyrus conquered and took over the Babylonian kingdom in 539 BCE after which he was succeeded by Cambyses and then Darius the Great. This has led some scholars to assume that Darius the Mede recorded in Daniel 5:31 and 6 is a fictional character in the figment of the author.
Nevertheless, some others have tried to balance the matter by saying that Darius could have been a governor under King Cyrus. Indeed, historical record attests to the fact that there was a governor appointed by King Cyrus to oversee some provinces in Babylon. This actually tallies with Daniel 6:1-2 where Darius the Mede appointed some princes and presidents, out of which was Daniel.
Daniel 6:1-2 (KJV) “It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom an hundred and twenty princes, which should be over the whole kingdom;
And over these three presidents; of whom Daniel was first: that the princes might give accounts unto them, and the king should have no damage.”
It is, however, not probable that a governor could have been called a King alongside Cyrus and possessing absolute power.
Daniel 6:8 (KJV) “Now, O king, establish the decree, and sign the writing, that it be not changed, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which altereth not.”
It has also been said that Darius and Cyrus are the same. But, Daniel 6:28 distinguished them.
Daniel 6:28 (KJV) “So this Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius, and in the reign of Cyrus the Persian.”
In the quest to balance the issue, I have discovered that the Darius mentioned in Ezra and Nehemiah 12:12 is different from that of Darius the Mede in Daniel.
Belshazzar as scripture asserts was slain. By who? Notice that the Bible did not say that it was Darius the Mede who killed Belshazzar that night. It only says that he took over the Kingdom from him and set it up. While the Bible itself is silent on who killed him, historical records say “by Cyrus forces.”
We then conclude that Darius the Mede and Cyrus the Persian ruled concurrently or simultaneously.
Daniel 6:28 (KJV) “So this Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius, and in the reign of Cyrus the Persian.”
The above could mean that they both ruled concurrently or simultaneously. But, linguistically, it is said that concurrently would fit in. Thus, while Darius the Medes ruled briefly as a ceremonial leader (and he could historically be an elder family person to Cyrus), Cyrus himself could have been the military leader until he (Darius the Medes) died and Cyrus took full charge.
You can watch the video of my explanation here.
