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Was Darius in the Book of Daniel historical?

Updated: 12/10/2022
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Merganser

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Yes, Darius was a historical person, but he was not the person who conquered Babylon and freed the Jews, as stated in the Book of Daniel. He was also not the son of Xerxes, rather the father of Xerxes.

Cyrus the Great, who ruled the Persian Empire from c. 560-530 BCE, was the conqueror of Babylon and the great king who allowed the Jews to return to Judah if they wished. Darius ruled the Persian Empire 522 - 486 BCE.

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Q: Was Darius in the Book of Daniel historical?
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What book of the Bible is King Darius in?

There are references to Darius in the Old Testament books of Ezra, Nehemiah, Daniel, Haggai, and Zechariah.


How old was Darius when he threw Daniel into the lion's den?

The Book of Daniel does not say how old Darius was when he threw Daniel into the lion's den. It seems to have happened soon after Darius conquered Babylon, so presumably in this story, Darius was still a reasonably young man.The story should not be confused with history, so we can not look to the history books for an answer: the Book of Daniel only loosely corresponds to the history of the period. In history, it was not Darius who conquered Babylon, but Cyrus, and in history no one called Daniel ever held the powerful posts in both the Babylonian Empire and the Persian, as portrayed in Daniel. In other words, the Book of Daniel was a second-century-BCE novel and questions about its characters must be answered from what can be gleaned within the book.


What biblical Babylonian king cast Daniel into the den of lions?

DariusKing Darius, Found in the book of Daniel chapter 6 verse 16


How did the prophet Daniel live under God's will?

A:The Book of Daniel says that Daniel was steadfast in his worship of God, regardless ofthe dangers placed in his way. He became the second most important person in the Babylonian empire of Nebuchadnezzar, although Nebuchadnezzar's son and successor seems not to have known about him. On the same evidence, he subsequently became the second most important person in the Persian empire, after Darius conquered the Babylonians. However, biblical scholars say that the Book of Daniel was a second-century-BCE novel, written long after the Babylonian Exile that was the setting for the book. Just one of the many historical errors is that it was Cyrus the Great who conquered Babylon, not Darius. From a historical perspective, there never was a Daniel, so he never really lived under God's will.


What did Cyrus and Darius have in common?

Cyrus was king of Persia (560/559 - 530BCE). Darius was king of Persia (522 - 486BCE). Cyrus was credited (correctly) in the Book of Isaiah with conquering the Babylonian Empire and freeing the Jews. Darius was credited in the Book of Daniel with conquering the Babylonian Empire and freeing the Jews.


How old was Daniel when thrown in lions den?

The Book of Daniel says that Daniel was captured in the 3rd year of the reign of Jehoiakim. On this evidence, Daniel must have been in captivity 70 years by the time the Persians defeated the Babylonians. Daniel would probably have been in his late seventies or early eighties by the time the Book says that he was thrown in the lion's den.However, the Book of Daniel says that the Persian king, who defeated the Babylonians and later attempted to sacrifice Daniel to the lions, was Darius. But historians say that Cyrus was the Persian king who defeated the Babylonians, and that Darius was a successor. If the author really intended to place this event during the actual reign of Darius, then Daniel would have been at least ninety and possibly more than 100 years old at the time.


Are Darius and 'Darius the Great' the same?

There is a Biblical Darius, "Darius the Mede", who assumes the throne of Belshazzar after Daniel deciphers the predictions of Belshazzar's demise. (Book of Daniel) * This is one source for the English idiom "reading the handwriting on the wall", which means seeing a future consequence. Three kings of Persia were named Darius, the first being "Darius the Great" (549-486 BC) and the other two later successors, Darius II (aka Ochus, king 423-404 BC) and Darius III (aka Artashata 380-330 BC).


Where in the bible was a king referred to medes?

Darius was king of the medes, you will find that written in the book of Daniel. Daniel chapter 9 reads: "in the first year of Darius the son of Ahasurerus, of the seed of the Medes, which was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans" Its important for you to understand who the Medes are


What was Daniel's punishment for continuing to pray to God when Darius commanded no one should pray to any one except him?

The Book of Daniel states that Babylon was captured from King Belshazzar by Darius, a Median king. It says that Darius proclaimed that no one could ask anything of any god or any man except himself. For breaking this royal decree, Daniel was thrown into a den of lions.However, we know that Nabonidus was really the last king of Babylonia, and that he was defeated by Cyrus the Great of Persia (The Cambridge Ancient History Volume IV), whom Daniel described as a successor of Darius. It was Darius who was a later successor.So, not only did the author of Daniel get his history wrong, he had a king who did not yet exist punish Daniel for praying to his God. And the decree does not make sense in the culture of ancient Persia. The author implies that 'Darius' regarded himself as an equal to the gods, but no Persian king could even contemplate placing himself as an equal to a god for fear of punishment by the Persian god, Ahura Mazda, whom they regarded as the one true god.When we look at what really happened in history, Cyrus ordered the Jerusalem temple to be rebuilt with Persian state funds and Darius subsequently honoured that commitment. This is absolutely contrary to the suggestion in the Book of Daniel that either king would kill Daniel for worshipping the God of Jerusalem.So, from a biblical perspective, Daniel was thrown into a den of lions for praying to his God instead of to Darius, but from a historical perspective, no such punishment occurred.


Who is darius in The Bible?

Darius the Mede is known in The Bible record in connection to two famous incidents involving the prophet Daniel. Darius came to power when Belshazzar was deposed after the famous Writing On The Wall incident, and Daniel In The Lion's Den occurred during Darius's reign.


Is Darius the mede the same as Darius of Marathon war fame?

I think not. Darius Mede may not be in the line of Darius I, II, III. it's just a 'Darius" in Daniel who ordered Daniel to be put in the lion's den. He could be coexisting with Cyrus II to oversee Babylon while Cyrus II is King of Persia.


Where was Daniel imprisoned in the bible?

Daniel was imprisoned in Babylon, specifically in the king's palace, after being captured along with other Israelites. He was later thrown into the lions' den for defying the king's order not to pray to God, but he was miraculously saved.