The Scriptures of Harmony, Part 8
The firſt Monarch of Perſia.
Darius reigned with Cyrus 1 yeere after Xenoph. l. 8. Sleid. l. 1.Belſhazzar was ſlaine.
Of this Darius ſpeaketh Ezra, c. 6. v. 14. and Dan. c. 6. v. 1. And of their joynt-reigne, v. 28. &c. 8. v. 3. & Iſa. 21. v. 2. 9.
In reſpect of which joynt-reigne Darius is ſaid to Dan. 5 v. 30. 31 Jer. 51. v. 11. Iſa▪ 13. v. 17. Melancthon. l 2. chron. de 2. Monarch. pag. 10. Sr. W. R. Hiſt. l. 3. c. 3. Sect. 5. Dan. 9. v. 1.take the Kingdome of the Chaldeans, or Babylon; though indeed Cyrus was onelyonly in that action: and Darius was by him made King over the Realme of the Chaldeans.
Cyrus after Darius his death 15 yeeres.
The building of the Temple went forward two yeeres, but from the beginning of the third yeere Ezra 4. v. 24. Dan. 10. v. 1, 2. 4. 13.of Cyrus (accompting from Darius his death) Cambyſes withſtood it, and cauſed it to ceaſe 21. yeeres: which was, untill he himſelfe died. Allowing therefore eight yeeres unto him with Smerdis the Mage, it is plaine that he hindered the building in his fathers abſence 13. yeeres; Whereunto adding thoſe two yeeres, when it went forward, the time of Cyrus his reigne after Darius, was 15. yeeres.
Cambyſes when his father Cyrus invaded Scythia, Herodot. l. 3. Grimſton Eſtat. in the Chron. of Perſia, Sect. 1. 6was appointed King according to the cuſtome of the Perſians, which was, to leave the neareſt in bloud to rule in the Kings abſence; In which Expedition Cyrus was at length ſlaine, and then Cambyſes reigned alone 7 yeers and 5 moneths.
Ezra calleth him Artaxerxes, alias Artahſhaſhte, Ezra 4. v. 7. 11. 23.which was then a generall name unto the Kings of Perſia, as Pharaoh to the Kings of Egypt, Caeſar to the Roman Emperors, and at this day Sophi to the Perſian.Beda de 6. aetat. mundi. Conſtant. Phryg. fol. 162. Buchol. pag. 33. Iſaacſ. fol. 132. Euſeb. chr. fol. 53. D. Melancth. l. 2. Chron. de 2. Monarch. p. 3. Aelian. hiſt. l. 12. c. 43. Grimſt. l. d. Sect. 8.
Smerdis the Mage reigned 7 moneths, which time is uſually added to Cambyſes.
Darius ſonne to Hyſtaſpes King by election, ſirnamed Artaxerxes Ahaſuerus, reigned 36 yeeres.
Of whom Ezra 4. v. 5, 6. (where he is called Ahaſuerus) v. …4. &c. 5. v. 7. &c. 6. v. 14. (where he is called Artaxerxes) v. 15. 22. (where he is called King of Aſſyria) Hag. 1. v. 1. Zech. 1. v. 1. &c. 7. v. 1.
He was the husband of Queen Eſther, alias Hadaſſah. Eſth. 2. v. 7. Func Chron. fol. 65.Eſth. 1. v. 1. compared with 1 Eſdras 2. v. the laſt, and c. 3. v. 1, 2.
Xerxes ſonne to Darius, in the fifth yeere of his Of whom, Dan. 11. v. 2.reigne went with an innumerable hoſt againſt the Grecians; but after many battels, in the end of his Herodot. l. 7.15 yeere, was utterly overthrowne both at Sea and Land, and brought into ſuch contempt, that preſently Bucholz. pag. 36. 38.upon his returne into Aſia, he joyned his ſon Longimanus in the government, wholly giving himſelfe Vict Strigel. Schol hiſt. in Melancth. l. 2. Chron.unto luſt and cruelty, and ſixe yeeres after was ſlaine by his Unkle Artabanus.
His laſt ſixe yeeres are the ſame with his ſons, and therefore not to be accompted.Hiſt. x Cteſiae Perſicis. Euſeb. chr f. 56. Melancth. l d. pag 4. Chriſtoph. Helvic. fol. 17.
Artaxerxes, ſirnamed Longimanus, 40 yeeres.
Of whom Ezra 7. v. 7. Neh. 2. v. …. &c. 5. v. 14. &c. 13. v. 6.
In the end of his ſeventh yeere he gave Ezra his Func. Comment. in Chronol. l. 2. Bucholz. p. 40. Neh 2. v. 1. 8. 13 &c. 4. v. 1. 3. 7. 8. 13. to v. the laſt.Commiſſion; and then began Daniels 70. weeks.
And in his twentieth yeere he gave Nchemiah Commiſſion to repaire ſome houſes, and to build the wals of Jeruſalem; which accordingly was executed, although (as it was foretold to Daniel) the Dan. 9. v. 25.ſtreet was built againe, and the wall, even in troubleſome times.
XerxesHiſt ex Cteſiae Perſicis. Chriſt. Helvic. fol. 18. Iſaacſ. Chron. fol. 140.
ſons to Artaxerxes, reigned ſeverally 9 moneths.
Sogdian alias Secundian
Darius Nothus 19 yeeres.Sleidan. l. 1. Grimſt. l. d. Sect. 1. & 12. Bucholz. pag. 43
Artaxerxes Mnemon 40 yeeres.Euſeb. Chron. fol. 57. Melancth. l. d. pag 4.
Darius Artaxerxes ſirnamed Ochus Metaſthenes. Aelian hiſt. l. 2. c. 17. Melancth. l. d. ib. Func▪ Chr. f 73. Sleidan. l. 1. Grimſt. l. d. Sect. 1. & 13.26 yeeres.
Arſames, alias Arſaces, alias Arſes, Beda. l. d. Metaſthenes. Func. Chr. f 74. Helv. ib. Grimſt. l. d. Sect. 1. & 13.4 yeeres.
Darius, whoſe firſt name was Colomannus, Beda. l. d. Metaſthenes. Func. Chr. f. 74 Helvic ib. Grimſt. l. d. Sect. 1. 13. & 14.alias Codomannus, reigned 6 yeeres.
Of whom Neh. 12. v. 22. Joſeph. Antiqu. lib. 11. cap. 7.
This Darius was in three battels vanquiſhed 1 Mac. 1. v. 1. Joſeph. Antiqu. l. 11 c. ult. Aelian hiſt. l. 8. c. 7. & l. 12. c. 43. Juſtin. l. 11 Sleidan. l. 1. Grimſt. l. d. Sect. 14.by Alexander the Great.
An Object. One Argument Mr. Broughton brings, wherewith (as he conceives) he diſproveth al computations but his owne; and it is drawne from the ages of Zerubbabel, Jeſhua, Mordecai, Ezra, and Nehemiah; which See Broughtons conſent of Scripture.(ſaith he) muſt be ſtretched beyond all likelihood, if the Kingdome of Perſia continued above 130. yeeres.
Reſolved. As to Zerubbabel. Jeremiah tels us, That Jehoiakim, alias Jeconiah, was brought forth of priſon in Jer. 52. v. 31. 33, 34.the 37. yeere of his Captivity, which was the 26. yeere of the Captivity of Judah; and did eate continually before the King of Babylon, untill the day of his death: which admit to be two yeeres after; then were 28. yeeres of Judah's Captivity paſſed. Salathiel, alias Matth 1. v. 12. 1 Chr. 3. v. 18, 19.Shealtiel, was the ſonne of Jeconiah by ſucceſſion: Salathiel begat Pedaiah, Pedaiah begat Zerubbabel.
Now admit, that Salathiel immediately after he ſucceeded Jeconiah, begat Pedaiah, and that Pedaiah at 24. yeeres alſo begat Zerubbabel, (which probably was not ſooner) then was Zerubbabel 18. yeeres old in the firſt yeer of King Cyrus, and 48. when the Temple was finiſhed, in the reigne of Darius Hyſtaſpes.
As to Jeſhua. He was the ſonne of Jozadak, alias Ezra 3. v. 2. 1 Chr. 6. v. 14, 15. 2 K▪ 25 v. 18. 21Jehozadak, the ſonne of Seraiah, the chiefe Prieſt, who was ſlaine by Nebuchadnezzar. Now admit that Jehozadak was ten yeeres old when he was carried into Captivity, and that 30. yeeres after he begat Jeſhua; then was Jeſhua 40. yeeres old in the firſt yeere of Cyrus, and 70. when the Temple was finiſhed.
As to Mordecai. Admit that he was five yeeres Eſth. 2. v. 6.old when he was carried away Captive with Jeconiah, then was he 122. yeeres old in the 12. yeere C. 3. v. 7.of Ahaſuerus, when the two daies of Purim were by the Decree of Queene Eſther made feaſtivall; after C. 9. v. 1. 32.which ſhould he live eight yeeres, he then died at the age of 130. which was not unlikely in thoſe 2 Chr. 24. v. 15times.
As to Ezra. Admit that he was five yeeres old when his father Seraiah the chiefe Prieſt was ſlaine, then was he 170. yeeres old in the 20. of Artaxerxes Longimanus, when he read and inſtructed the people in Neh. 2. v. 1 &c. 8. v. 3. 13.the words of the Law: after which, ſhould he live ten yeers (though peradventure he lived not one yeer) he then died at the age of Iſaac 180. yeers old. And what unlikelihood is there but that God for the good of Gen. 35. v. 28.his Church might as well preſerve Ezra unto this age, as he did Phinehas the ſonne of Eleazar to a far Moſes Aegyptius in ſuo Miſna, ut citatur l. 2. chr. Genebr.greater, whom the Jewes affirme to have lived 300. yeeres?
Nor will it further extend the age of Ezra to ſhew, that Ezra went into the Chamber of Johanan, and that he wrote the Books of the Chronicles in Johanan's time. For Johanan, alias Ionathan, was the ſonne of Iehoiada, the ſonne of Eliaſhib, the ſonne of Ioiakim, Neh. 12 v. v. 10 11.the ſonne of Ieſhua. Now admit each of theſe to be begotten in the thirtieth yeere of their fathers age, (obſerving what we ſpake before concerning Ieſhua) then was Iohanan borne in the fifth yeere of Artaxerxes Longimanus; and ſo Ezra might very well in the beginning of Artaxerxes his eighth yeere go into the chamber of Iohanan, who was then about Ezra 10. v. 6.three yeeres old. And what hinders but that he might write the ſonnes of Levi, the chief of the fathers, Neh. 12. v. 23.in the Booke of the Chronicles, even untill the dayes of Iohanan, ſeeing he lived in the 20. of Artaxerxes, at which time Iohanan was 15. yeeres old?
But if Mr. Broughton may prevaile, the ſaid Prieſts ſhall be much more forward in procreation. For he will allow but 87. yeeres from the Captivity of Zedekiah See Broughtons conſent of Scripture.unto the 7. of Artaxerxes. Whence it follows, that though ten yeeres be granted to Iehozadak at the time of Captivity, yet every one of them muſt begin to beget children before 19. yeeres old, otherwiſe Iohanan could not be borne when Ezra came to Ieruſalem.
True it is, Nehemiah ſaith, that the Levites and Prieſts were recorded unto the reigne of Darius, but by Neh. 12. v. 22.whom this was done, he tels not; it is plaine, not by Ezra, for he wrote but untill the dayes of Iohanan. 1 Chr. 9. compared with Neh. 11.And though Nehemiah concludes, theſe were in the daies of Joiakim, and in the dayes of Nehemiah the Governour, and of Ezra the Prieſt, the Scribe; yet it C. 12. v. 26.cannot be underſtood, that they were all of them in every one of their daies, for that is impoſſible: but that all of them were in all their daies; ſome in the daies of Joiakim, ſome in the dayes of Ezra, ſome in the daies of Nehemiah.
As to the age of Nehemiah. Admit that he was 25. yeeres old when he came to Jeruſalem, and lived unto the end of the Perſian Monarchy, he was then Neh. 2. v. 11.130. yeeres old when he died, which is nothing unlikely.Func. fol 74.
Thus we have the continuance of the Perſian Kingdome unto 210. yeeres, and probably the ages of Zerubbabel, Ieſhua, Mordecai, Ezra, and Nehemiah; without the diminution of the one, or ſtretching of the other beyond reaſon.