Did Esther Nehemiah and Daniel live at the same time?

Answer 1

Daniel probably died shortly after Darius took the throne in 521 BC (he would have already been well over 90 years old at this point). The book of Nehemiah begins in 444 BC, so they probably missed each other by at least 50 years. Esther was a teenager in 482 BC, so Daniel had likely been dead for about 25 years at this point. Esther would have been in her early to mid 60's when the book of Nehemiah began, although her husband, King Xerxes was assassinated 20 years earlier (he was probably bout 20-25 years older than her (do the math a 37 year old king marrying a 14 year old or so, Esther...yuck...that's not what they showed in the movie). Anyway, there's no record of whether Esther was assassinated with her husband (which was likely), or if she was assumed in to the next King's harem (also possible...although a Persian King would have probably not been interested in a 35 year old, non-virgin wife. We just don't know.

So, we know that Daniel was dead long before Esther was born and I'm going to guess that Esther probably died with her husband in 464 BC. Since Nehemiah was a leading figure in Jerusalem by 432 BC, I'm going to guess that he was born before 464 BC, so yes they probably lived at the same time. Nehemiah probably knew of Queen Esther before she died (I'm guessing she died in 464 BC) and maybe even met her a few times when He was a young boy. That being said, Esther probably didn't live to see the events of the book of Nehemiah, unless she survived the assassination, in which case she and Nehemiah may have known each other personally. I'm also guessing that Nehemiah was probably not around when the events of Esther took place or at the very least was too young to remember them clearly.

Answer 2

The Books of Daniel and Esther are now known to have been second-century novels, and their principal characters were entirely fictional. There is no historical record of Daniel in either the extensive Babylon records or the Persian records of the period that followed, although he supposedly rose to become second-in-command of both empires. According to the Book of Esther, Esther was chosen by King Xerxes to replace his first wife, Vashti, whom he divorced in the third year of his reign, yet the real queen, Queen Amestris, is accepted by historians as Xerxes' only wife for the first several years of his reign.

On the historical evidence, Nehemiah was the only one of the three persons who actually lived. Daniel is portrayed as living for perhaps a hundred years, from just before the Babylonian Exile, although the chronology is a little confused. Esther is portrayed as living some time later, during the reign of King Xerxes. If Daniel and Esther had been real, historical people, they would have lived at different times. Nehemiah is known to have lived about 440 BCE, so this was after the story of Daniel and probably before the story of Queen Esther, although once again the chronology of the Book of Esther is very confused.

Answer 3

Oh, what a lovely question. Esther, Nehemiah, and Daniel did not all live at the same time. Esther lived during the reign of King Xerxes in Persia, Nehemiah served as cupbearer to King Artaxerxes, and Daniel lived during the time of King Nebuchadnezzar in Babylon. Each of these individuals played important roles in different periods of history, showcasing the beauty of diversity and the unique contributions we can make in our own time.

Answer 4

Esther, Nehemiah, and Daniel did not live at the same time. Esther lived during the Persian Empire in the 5th century BCE, while Nehemiah lived during the 5th century BCE as well but focused on the rebuilding of Jerusalem. Daniel, on the other hand, lived during the Babylonian Empire in the 6th century BCE. Their timelines overlap slightly, but they did not live at the same time.

Answer 5

Oh, dude, Esther and Nehemiah were like in the 5th century BCE, dealing with their own drama in Persia and Jerusalem, while Daniel was chilling in Babylon in the 6th century BCE. So, technically, they were all alive around the same time, but it's not like they were hitting up the same parties or anything.

Answer 6

Yes, that is what tradition states. Others at that time included Mordecai, Ezra, Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi. See also:

Refuting Bible-criticism

More about Esther

More about Nehemiah

More about Daniel

Answer 7

Yes, Esther, Nehemiah, and Daniel lived during the same general timeframe in ancient Persia. Esther lived during the reign of King Xerxes (486-465 BC), Nehemiah served as cupbearer to King Artaxerxes I (465-424 BC), and Daniel served in the courts of various Babylonian and Persian kings, including during the time of Cyrus the Great and Darius the Mede.