Darius the Mede: A reappraisal.

摘要

This dissertation is an investigation of the historical problem concerning the identification in extrabiblical sources of the king called "Darius the Mede" in the book of Daniel.;Chapter 1 of this study is intended to provide basic introductory information to understand the issue of Darius the Mede and the history of interpretation of the problem. A major conclusion of this chapter is that the issue of Darius the Mede has as much to do with the nature of the accession of Cyrus as it does with Darius himself.;Chapter 2 summarizes, compares, and evaluates the two major classical historians who give an account of the accession of Cyrus, Herodotus and Xenophon. Xenophon describes a Median king, Cyaxares II, who was the actual head of government while Cyrus led the Medo-Persian armies on campaigns of conquest. Herodotus, on the other hand, claims that Cyrus overthrew the previous Median king in a coup, and he recognizes no further Median kings. A preliminary analysis finds that Xenophon's story is more credible than that of Herodotus.;Chapter 3 analyzes various proposals to identify a figure in either of the two Greek versions of the Cyrus story with Daniel's Darius the Mede. Xenophon's Cyaxares II is found to parallel Darius the Mede very closely; there are differences between the two, but not contradictions. However, each of the many attempts to identify a figure in the Herodotean story with Darius the Mede breaks down upon analysis; Herodotus and the book of Daniel are in conflict.;Chapter 4, the largest chapter in this study, analyzes the remaining extrabiblical texts of significance for the issue of Darius the Mede. This analysis reveals a basic division between texts which generally support Herodotus and texts which generally support Xenophon and Daniel. The major witnesses which support Herodotus are found to be historically problematic due to a propagandistic bias, contradictions, and implausible claims. A diverse minority of witnesses supports Xenophon and Daniel.;Chapter 5 summarizes the historical scenario proposed in this study and evaluates prospects for future research on Darius the Mede.