Know therefore and understand from the command to restore and rebuild Jerusalem. That was Cyrus. The wall would be rebuilt after that command. Not only Does Daniel 11:2 not recognize the later kings of Persia, Josephus has no history for them and not enough high priests to cover that time period.
OT Prophecy is notoriously vague and difficult to interpret correctly. There is ample evidence and multiple witnesses that all twelve of the Achaemenid kings from Cyrus to Darius III existed and reigned the length of time recorded in Ptolemy's Canon as well as Manetho. They left inscriptions, and others left contracts dated to their reigns. We also have era dates such as the Kali Yuga that cross over the Achaemenid Period, confirming that Nebuchadnezzar's Neo-Babylonian Empire truly dates to 626-539 BC. The Greek Parian Marble gives dates for the Persian interactions with Greece that agree with the Mughal, Babylonian, and Egyptian witnesses. Insisting that your interpretation of Daniel 9 is the only possible one against the weight of multiple historical witnesses is folly. As a revisionist, I am much more open-minded to such possibilities than most. If Scripture said, "Know from the command of Cyrus to restore and rebuild," then you would have a rock-solid case. But it doesn't say that.
Furthermore, Josephus gives the number of years from the First and Second Temples to the destruction of the Second Temple in AD 70. Ironically, he added 57 years to both numbers as a result of trying to make the Daniel 9 prophecy point to Judas Maccabeus. See Goodenow (link below) pages 353-358.
I have not found any scholar attempting to relate the Achaemenid period. It seems clear to me that the 70 week (490 year) period is intended to begin with the decree of Cyrus (conventionally dated 538 BCE) and end with the appearance of the Messiah (usually dated between 26-30 CE. The evidence supporting the later kings of Persia seems scant and I suspect much confusion has come about entangling the Ataxerxes’ and Darius’ histories. I suspect Cyrus should be dated about 80-some years later to fit not just the 490 time period, but also the narrative of Daniel 11:2. What are your thoughts on this?
Regarding the 70 weeks of Daniel's prophecy, the greatest difficulty is accurately assessing the intended termini of the prophecy. There are three or four decrees recorded in Scripture. In my view, the 70 weeks began with the last one, the decree in Year 20 of Artaxerxes. However, Xerxes had a 10-year co-regency with Darius, which Ptolemy's Canon lists as two full reigns. That shifted the actual date of the accession of Artaxerxes down by 10 years.
Correcting that error, Year 20 of Artaxerxes was 455 BC, and year 483 of Daniel's prophecy was the Jubilee year from September of AD 28 to September of AD 29, during which year Christ was baptized, and He cleansed the Temple the first time.
However, there is an interesting connection between the Decree of Cyrus and the conception of Artaxerxes I. The decree of Cyrus was in 536 BC. 49 years later, Esterh/Amestris, married to Xerxes I, while he was co-regent with Darius, conceived her second son, Artaxerxes I in 487 BC. Exactly 69 "sevens" after the conception of Artaxerxes, the Angel Gabriel announced the conception of Christ to Mary in 4 BC.
Exactly 69 "sevens" after the 20th year of Artaxerxes I (455 BC), Christ was baptized. Thus, His ministry began after 69 weeks from the decree of Artaxerxes.
This is true. But neither Isaiah 44 nor 45 mentions the city walls, while the decree of Artaxerxes I in his 20th year certainly does.
“If it pleases the king, let letters be given to me for the governors of the region beyond [c]the River, that they must permit me to pass through till I come to Judah, 8 and a letter to Asaph the keeper of the king’s forest, that he must give me timber to make beams for the gates of the [d]citadel which pertains to the [e]temple, for the city wall, and for the house that I will occupy.” (Nehemiah 2:7)
The decrees of Darius and Artaxerxes were continuations of the Decree of Cyrus.
Daniel's prophecy associates the rebuilding of the wall with the decree that started the clock:
Know therefore and understand,
That from the going forth of the command
To restore and build Jerusalem
Until Messiah the Prince,
There shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks;
The street shall be built again, and the wall,
Even in troublesome times.
The seven weeks had a double fulfillment, because Artaxerxes I was conceived 49 years after the Decree of Cyrus in 536 BC. But there was a second 7 weeks from the Decree of Artaxerxes in 455 BC to the completion of the ministry of the Post-Exile prophets in the reign of "Darius the Persian" (Darius II Ochus) (Nehemiah 12:22), who died circa 405 BC.
Know therefore and understand from the command to restore and rebuild Jerusalem. That was Cyrus. The wall would be rebuilt after that command. Not only Does Daniel 11:2 not recognize the later kings of Persia, Josephus has no history for them and not enough high priests to cover that time period.
OT Prophecy is notoriously vague and difficult to interpret correctly. There is ample evidence and multiple witnesses that all twelve of the Achaemenid kings from Cyrus to Darius III existed and reigned the length of time recorded in Ptolemy's Canon as well as Manetho. They left inscriptions, and others left contracts dated to their reigns. We also have era dates such as the Kali Yuga that cross over the Achaemenid Period, confirming that Nebuchadnezzar's Neo-Babylonian Empire truly dates to 626-539 BC. The Greek Parian Marble gives dates for the Persian interactions with Greece that agree with the Mughal, Babylonian, and Egyptian witnesses. Insisting that your interpretation of Daniel 9 is the only possible one against the weight of multiple historical witnesses is folly. As a revisionist, I am much more open-minded to such possibilities than most. If Scripture said, "Know from the command of Cyrus to restore and rebuild," then you would have a rock-solid case. But it doesn't say that.
Furthermore, Josephus gives the number of years from the First and Second Temples to the destruction of the Second Temple in AD 70. Ironically, he added 57 years to both numbers as a result of trying to make the Daniel 9 prophecy point to Judas Maccabeus. See Goodenow (link below) pages 353-358.
https://www.google.com/books/edition/Bible_Chronology/zxFVAAAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1
I appreciate your honest reply.
I have not found any scholar attempting to relate the Achaemenid period. It seems clear to me that the 70 week (490 year) period is intended to begin with the decree of Cyrus (conventionally dated 538 BCE) and end with the appearance of the Messiah (usually dated between 26-30 CE. The evidence supporting the later kings of Persia seems scant and I suspect much confusion has come about entangling the Ataxerxes’ and Darius’ histories. I suspect Cyrus should be dated about 80-some years later to fit not just the 490 time period, but also the narrative of Daniel 11:2. What are your thoughts on this?
Thanks for your comment, Jon. I addressed the Achaemenid Period in this paper:
https://www.academia.edu/44719659/Challenges_to_the_Accepted_Chronology_of_Achaemenid_Persian_Empire
Regarding the 70 weeks of Daniel's prophecy, the greatest difficulty is accurately assessing the intended termini of the prophecy. There are three or four decrees recorded in Scripture. In my view, the 70 weeks began with the last one, the decree in Year 20 of Artaxerxes. However, Xerxes had a 10-year co-regency with Darius, which Ptolemy's Canon lists as two full reigns. That shifted the actual date of the accession of Artaxerxes down by 10 years.
Correcting that error, Year 20 of Artaxerxes was 455 BC, and year 483 of Daniel's prophecy was the Jubilee year from September of AD 28 to September of AD 29, during which year Christ was baptized, and He cleansed the Temple the first time.
However, there is an interesting connection between the Decree of Cyrus and the conception of Artaxerxes I. The decree of Cyrus was in 536 BC. 49 years later, Esterh/Amestris, married to Xerxes I, while he was co-regent with Darius, conceived her second son, Artaxerxes I in 487 BC. Exactly 69 "sevens" after the conception of Artaxerxes, the Angel Gabriel announced the conception of Christ to Mary in 4 BC.
Exactly 69 "sevens" after the 20th year of Artaxerxes I (455 BC), Christ was baptized. Thus, His ministry began after 69 weeks from the decree of Artaxerxes.
Isaiah 44 and 45 make it clear that Cyrus was the one who made the decree to rebuild not just the temple but the city as well.
This is true. But neither Isaiah 44 nor 45 mentions the city walls, while the decree of Artaxerxes I in his 20th year certainly does.
“If it pleases the king, let letters be given to me for the governors of the region beyond [c]the River, that they must permit me to pass through till I come to Judah, 8 and a letter to Asaph the keeper of the king’s forest, that he must give me timber to make beams for the gates of the [d]citadel which pertains to the [e]temple, for the city wall, and for the house that I will occupy.” (Nehemiah 2:7)
The decrees of Darius and Artaxerxes were continuations of the Decree of Cyrus.
Daniel's prophecy associates the rebuilding of the wall with the decree that started the clock:
Know therefore and understand,
That from the going forth of the command
To restore and build Jerusalem
Until Messiah the Prince,
There shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks;
The street shall be built again, and the wall,
Even in troublesome times.
The seven weeks had a double fulfillment, because Artaxerxes I was conceived 49 years after the Decree of Cyrus in 536 BC. But there was a second 7 weeks from the Decree of Artaxerxes in 455 BC to the completion of the ministry of the Post-Exile prophets in the reign of "Darius the Persian" (Darius II Ochus) (Nehemiah 12:22), who died circa 405 BC.