Herodotus, the Bible and Persia

Herodotus, the Bible and Persia

by Wayne Jackson

Herodotus was a Greek historian of the 5th century B.C. It is believed that he lived approximately 484-425 B.C. For a number of years he traveled throughout the Persian empire, Egypt, and Scythia observing the culture of these ancient peoples. In his later life, Herodotus lived in Athens, finally settling in Italy where he spent the remainder of his days refining his masterpiece, The Persian Wars.

As a consequence of this work, Cicero dubbed him “the father of history.” His literary efforts consisted of nine books dealing with the Greek-Persian wars (500-479 B.C.), together with a history of the customs and geography of these combatants.

In his effort to accomplish this feat, he went further and sought to give, as an introduction to the story, the whole history of the antique world as it was then known. This material occupies the first six of his nine books.

He is generally viewed as the first writer to so unify the record of facts as to raise historical narrative to the level of literature. It should be noted, however, that his history was written in an age that lacked an abundance of solid factual documentation; his work is grounded, therefore, largely in oral tradition.

Bust of Herodotus

In numerous instances, the narratives of the Old Testament, and those of Herodotus, cross trails. Do the writings of this Greek historian have any bearing on the text of the Bible? Indeed they do.

Liberal writers have long claimed that many of the Old Testament records do not actually possess the antiquity they claim. Some of them are alleged to have come from a much later period than they claim. What shall be said in response to these charges? What does the evidence actually indicate?

The documents of the Old Testament frequently appeal to cultural elements and ancient events. These should be consistent with the eras from which they purport to come. These thus are “checkable” matters.

Do the biblical writings bear those marks of accuracy which one has a right to expect if they are genuine historical records reflecting the background of the Hebrew people within a given time-frame? We confidentially affirm that they do, and the writings of Herodotus become an important source of information in this controversy.

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The Bible, Herodotus, and Persia

After the fall of Babylon, the Hebrews were under Persian control for two centuries. Cyrus, a benevolent Persian monarch, had issued a decree that allowed the Jews to return to their homeland to rebuild their temple. A start in the construction project was initiated but it eventually fell into disarray. Finally, after more than 15 years, the work was resumed. There was, however, at first, mild opposition.

Did the Jews have regal authority for the project? A search was made for Cyrus’ original decree of authorization. When the document was located, oddly, it was not found in Babylon or Susa, as might be expected since this was where the Persian kings usually resided, but in Achmetha (Ecbatana) in the province of the Medes (Ezra 6:2).

There is a passage in Herodotus, however, which appears to indicate that, contrary to the usual custom, Cyrus held his court in Ecbatana, hence, kept his archives there (i.153). As Professor George Rawlinson of Oxford University observed, “this is one of those little points of agreement between the sacred and the profane which are important because their very minuteness is an indication that they are purely casual and unintentional” (1873, 196).

When the original document of Cyrus was located, Darius, the then-reigning monarch, issued a decree authorizing the resumption of work on the temple, even providing expense money from “tribute” collected in the provinces “beyond the [Euphrates] river” (Ezra 6:8). According to Herodotus, Darius was the first Persian king to extract such “tribute” money (iii.89). Moreover, the king warned that if any should alter his decree, “let a beam be pulled out from his house, and let him be lifted up and fastened thereon” (Ezra 6:11). This was no idle threat, for, as Herodotus records, at the second conquest of Babylon, Darius crucified about 3,000 citizens of the city (iii.159).

In the book of Esther one learns that the maidens of the royal harem could only go unto the king when their “turn” came (Esth. 1:12), and any violation of this procedure could incur the death penalty (4:11). Herodotus says: “In Persia a man’s wives sleep with him in their turns” (iii.69), and invasion of the king’s privacy was punishable by death (iii.72, 77).

Mordecai, Esther’s cousin, had foiled a plot against the life of king Ahasuerus (Esth. 2:21-22), and an account of that act of patriotism had been written in “the book of records” (Esth. 6:1). In Persia, a list of “the king’s benefactors” was maintained with a view of returning such kindnesses (Herodotus viii.85).

Examples like those of the foregoing paragraphs could be multiplied many times over. Truly, Herodotus provides unwitting testimony to the accuracy of the Old Testament. The precision of the ancient Scriptures is utterly amazing. The Bible passes every test of credibility. Let us honor it as the Word of the living God.

URL: http://www.christiancourier.com/archives/herodotusBible.htm