The Origins of the 'Second' Temple: Persian Imperial Policy and the Rebuilding of Jerusalem (BibleWorld)

457 Pages·2006·4.54 MB·English

by  Diana Vikander Edelman

THE ORIGINS OF THE
‘SECOND’ TEMPLE
BibleWorld
Series Editor: Philip R. Davies, University of Shefeld
BibleWorld shares the fruits of modern (and postmodern) biblical scholarship not only among prac-
titioners and students, but also with anyone interested in what academic study of the Bible means
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litical and aesthetic – which drive modern biblical scholarship.
Recent and forthcoming books in the series:
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Michael Carden
Yours Faithfully
Virtual Letters from the Bible
Edited by Philip R. Davis
Israel’s History and the History of Israel
Mario Liverani
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Edwin D. Freed
An Introduction to the Bible (Revised edition)
John Rogerson
The Morality of Paul’s Converts
Edwin D. Freed
The Mythic Mind
Essays on Cosmology and Religion in Ugaritic and Old Testament Literature
N. Wyatt
THE ORIGINS OF THE
‘SECOND’ TEMPLE
PERSIAN IMPERIAL POLICY AND
THE REBUILDING OF JERUSALEM
DIANA EDELMAN
Published by

Equinox Publishing Ltd

UK: Unit 6, The Village, 101 Amies St., London SW11 2JW

US: 28 Main Street, Oakville, CT 06779

www.equinoxpub.com

First published 2005 by Equinox Publishing Ltd.

© Diana Edelman 2005

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any
means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or any information storage or
retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the publishers.

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Edelman, Diana Vikander, 1954-
The origins of the 'Second' Temple : Persian imperial policy and the
rebuilding of Jerusalem / Diana Edelman.-- 1st ed.
p. cm. -- (BibleWorld)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 1-84553-016-0 -- ISBN 1-84553-017-9 (pbk.)
1. Temple of Jerusalem (Jerusalem)--History. 2.
Jerusalem--History--To 1500. 3. Bible. O.T. Ezra I-VI--History of
Biblical events. 4. Bible. O.T. Nehemiah--Chronology. 5. Bible. O.T.
Haggai--Chronology. 6. Bible. O.T. Zechariah--Chronology. 7. Yehud
(Persian province) 8. Artaxerxes I, King of Persia, d. 425 or 4
B.C.--Relations with Jews. I. Title. II. Bible world (London, England)
DS109.3.E34 2005
221.9'5--dc22
2004023176

ISBN 1-84553-016-0 (hardback)
ISBN 1-84553-017-9 (paperback)

Typeset by CA Typesetting, www.sheffieldtypesetting.com
Printed and bound in Great Britain by Antony Rowe, Chippenham, Wiltshire
eISBN: 1845534832
To my parents, Arthur and June Vikander,
whose gift of a top-quality education has
enriched my life in so many ways
and given me the tools to pursue my interests and dreams

CONTENTS

Preface xiii
List of Illustrations and Maps xv

Introduction 1
The Topic of Inquiry 1
A Brief Survey of Past Hypotheses 3
An Outline of Chapters 9

Chapter 1
WHEN GENERATIONS REALLY COUNT: DATING ZERUBBABEL AND
NEHEMIAH USING GENEALOGICAL INFORMATION IN THE BOOK OF NEHEMIAH 13
Introduction 13
Generation 1 17
Iddo 18
Kadmiel 18
Yeshua ben Yehozadak 18
Generation 2 20
Zerubbabel 20
Yehoiakim 22
Berekiah 22
Shekaniah ben Arah 23
Generation 3 23
Eliashiv 24
Meshullam, Son of Zerubbabel 26
Hananiah, Son of Zerubbabel 26
Shelomit 30
Elnatan 31
Zechariah 32
Meshullam, Son of Berekiah and Brother of Zechariah 32
Shemaiah ben Shekaniah 33
Tobiah the Ammonite 33
Sanballat the Horonite/Sinuballit the Harrranite 38
Geshem the Arab 53
Generation 4 57
Yoiada/Yehoiada 58
The Daughter of Meshullam ben Berekiah 58
viii The Origins of the ‘Second’ Temple
The Sons of Sanballat/Sinuballit 58
Bagohi 62
Generation 5 63
Yohanan ben Yehoiada 63
The Daughter of Sanballat/Sinuballit and the Son of Yehoiada 66
Yonatan ben Yehoiada 67
Generation 6 69
Yaddua 69
Chronological Implications of the Genealogies 70
Establishing Date Parameters 70
Nehemiah as a Member of Generation 3 74
Conclusion 75
Endnotes 76

Chapter 2
WHAT’S IN A DATE? THE UNRELIABLE NATURE
OF THE DATES IN HAGGAI AND ZECHARIAH 80
Introduction 80
Dating Formulae Used from the Seventh–Second Centuries BCE 82
Judah 84
Neo-Assyria 85
Neo-Babylonia 86
Persia 86
The Ptolemies 87
The Seleucids 88
Section Summary 89
The Dates in Haggai and Zechariah 1–8 90
The Year Dates 91
Zechariah 7.1-7 91
The Seventy-Year Figure in Zechariah 7.4 92
The Date of the Destruction of the Temple by Nebuchadnezzar 95
Preliminary Considerations 95
Year 18 or 19 of Nebuchadnezzar? 99
Year 1 of Darius 99
The Seventy-Year Tradition Revisited 103
Why Year 2 of Darius and Not Year 1? 104
Section Summary 106
Month and Day Elements in the Date Formulae in Haggai and Zechariah 1–8 107
The Agricultural Cycles in Babylonia and Yehud 108
The Iqqur Ipush Almanac 109
Day and Month Elements in the Book of Haggai 112
Day 1, Month 6 (Haggai 1.1) 112
Day 24, Month 6 (Haggai 1.15) 116
Day 21, Month 7 (Haggai 2.1) 116
Contents ix
Day 24, Month 9 (Haggai 2.10, 18) 118
Section Summary 123
Day and Month Elements in Zechariah 1–8 123
Month 8 (Zechariah 1.1) 123
Day 24, Month 11 (Zechariah 1.7) 124
Day 4, Month 9 (Zechariah 7.1) 126
Section Summary 130
The Internal Organization of Haggai and Zechariah 1–8
as Temple-Building Accounts 131
Haggai as an Independent Account of Temple-Building 132
Zechariah 1–8 as an Independent Account of Temple-Building 134
Haggai–Zechariah 8 as a Single Account of Temple- Building 138
Chapter Summary and Conclusion 140
Endnotes 147

Chapter 3
IT’S ALL IN THE SOURCES: THE HISTORICITY OF THE
ACCOUNT OF TEMPLE-REBUILDING IN EZRA 1–6 151
Introduction 151
Summary of Ezra 1–6 and Some Historical Problems It Raises 152
Summary 152
Historical Problems 154
Ezra 1–6 as an Account of Temple-Building 159
Sources Used to Compose Ezra 1–6 162
2 Isaiah (Isaiah 40–55) 163
Cyrus as the Temple’s Rebuilder 163
Cyrus’ Return of the Temple Vessels 165
The Books of Chronicles 166
Jeremiah 167
The End of Captivity and Return to Yehud 167
The Date for the Completion of the Temple 167
Haggai–Zechariah 8 172
Dissatisfaction with the New Temple 172
The Delay in the Completion of the Temple 172
The Date of the Completion of the Temple 174
Nehemiah 175
The List of Returnees 175
The Identity of the Adversaries as Samarians 177
The Charge of Sedition in 4.8-22 177
Artaxerxes’ Future Decree in 4.21 177
Ezekiel 40–48 178
Sheshbazzar the Nasi’ 178
The Dimensions of the Second Temple 179