Darius the Mede - I claim he was King Astyages

Darius the Mede by Hunter Irvine

“That very night, Belshazzar, king of the Babylonians, was slain, and Darius the Mede took over the kingdom, at the age of sixty-two (Daniel 5:31-32 NIV).

   There is a big dispute as to the identity of “Darius the Mede,” since he is not found by name in other historical sources.  Incredible as this may sound, I have learned this all boils down to a name issue.  But I start by acknowledging that many people think Darius the Mede was a ruler put in place by King Cyrus immediately after he conquered Babylon.  The evidence against this theory:

   First: Though the Persians and Medes were allies, I doubt King Cyrus would have appointed a Mede be a king with the power to appoint 120 satraps to rule throughout the kingdom, as is shown in Daniel 6:1!  I support this by noting what Herodotus said: “It will be seen that the governorship (or satrapy, as the Persians call it) of Assyria is by far the most coveted of all their provincial posts…” (Book One; 192)(1).

   Second: If Darius the Mede was simply put a ruling position in Babylon by King Cyrus around 536 B.C. (or some scholars say 539 B.C. while other scholars say 538 B.C.), then that means the incident of Darius putting Daniel in the den on lions would have taken place when Daniel was at least 85 years old, because Daniel was taken to Babylon around 605 B.C.

   So who is Darius the Mede?  The only reason I was able to detect his identity is because there was a period in the spring of 2008 when I would come home after a big day of work and read sections of The Histories by Herodotus, though I skipped over a number of sections and the end chapters since there is so much violence.  In carefully reading certain sections of that ancient history which has been studied for centuries, I was able to discern Darius the Mede was King Astyages; he fits the description.

   First, in Daniel 5:31 we learn Darius the Mede was age 62 when he took over.  And Herodotus tells us Astyages had reigned for 35 years before he was defeated by King Cyrus.  That would mean that his reign ended between 561 B.C. and 550 B.C., thus he would be older during that time period.

   Second, Astyages was portrayed by Herodotus as violent, the type of person who would throw a nice guy in a lion’s den.

   This is not my new theory or a recent theory.  I have seen one scholar propose Astyages as Darius the Mede.  That scholar was the author of a book from around the mid-1900's which I read a part of standing in a used Christian bookstore around ten years ago, the reason I got to pondering the subject myself.

   But then why do so many people dispute this?  If Asytages was Darius the Mede, and he took over Babylon in the 550's B.C., they conclude there would be no grounds for King Cyrus conquering it in 536 B.C.  Makes sense.  Yet I figured out the golden point!  King Astyages, a Mede, gained control over the resistant Babylon after “Belshazzar” was slain.  But then it would have only been a few years later, with this all happening between 561 B.C. and 550 B.C., that King Cyrus the Persian defeated King Astyages.  The golden point is that just because King Cyrus defeated King Astyages, does not mean that Cyrus immediately inherited what had been the entire Median Empire.  Many provinces, including Babylon, which was never fond of foreign rule, went back to self-rule I propose, based on information Herodotus gives.  King Cyrus had to recapture certain lost territory!

   Support of this is the fact Babylon even had a revolt later under Persian rule, and gained self rule for a short period of time!  This happened under the reign of King Darius the third Persian ruler, not the Mede.  “The revolt had been long and carefully planned; indeed, preparations for withstanding a siege had been going quietly on all through the reign of Magus and the disturbances which followed the rising of the seven against him, and somehow or other the secret never leaked out” (Book Three; 150) (2).

   Herodotus goes on tell about how King Darius (not Darius the Mede) worked to get Babylon back.  "[Babylon] could not be taken, not even when Darius, after all else failed, attempted to repeat the method which Cyrus had previously used with success.  The Babylonians were always on the watch with extraordinary vigilance, and gave the enemy no chance" (Book Three; 152) (3).

   You can read about how the Persians regained Babylon from there in a story which shows how the Persians even resorted to deranged measures in their effort to regain rule over Babylon.  So what Herodotus calls the second capture, I would agree was a second for Persia, yet previously, the Medes had captured Babylon sometime near the end of the reign of King Astyages, probably only a short time before Babylon went back to self rule after Astyages, Darius the Mede, was defeated by King Cyrus the Persian.

   Thus King Astyages, as called by Herodotus, was called by the Hebrew author of the book of Daniel "Darius the Mede."  And the Median rule of Babylon by him and the rule by King Cyrus, had a period of Babylonian self rule in between!  Wow.

Hunter Irvine

(1) Herodotus, The Histories, trans. Aubrey De Selincourt (New York: Penguin Books, 1954), 84.

(2) Herodotus, The Histories, trans. Aubrey De Selincourt (New York: Penguin Books, 1954), 235.

(3) Herodotus, The Histories, trans. Aubrey De Selincourt (New York: Penguin Books, 1954), 236.

Creation or evolution?

   I am a proud graduate of Virginia Tech.  Back in the 1980's, "General Education" classes, called "Core" classes at the time at Tech, included some challenging subjects for me.  For example, a quarter of Trigonometry and a quarter of Calculus were required courses for all Liberal Arts majors.

   Now another "Gen Ed." requirement at Tech was a science.  I took a year of Biology, and for the first two quarters, my professor was Dr. Patterson.  It was unusual that the Dean of the entire Biology department was teaching a "Gen ed." class.  He was the nicest guy, but consistently 'monotone' in style.  He would simply draw charts and write information which was shown on an overhead projector.  From those classes in 1986 and 1987, the main thing I learned was that calcium is used in a huge number of chemical functions in the body.

   I say with confidence, I am not a scientist of any sort.  Fortunately for me, and for others who are not science experts, we can still know God.  In fact, you will not discover God through science.  Why?  God is Spirit, as Christ revealed as recorded in John 4:24.  Being Spirit, we are only able to know God because He revealed Himself to us.  Incredibly enough, God has ultimately revealed Himself to us as the Spirit who became incarnate (in flesh).  Jesus was fully God and fully human.

   A debate persists regarding whether human beings (and all living things) were created directly, or whether they evolved.  There will always be some strife since some rely on empirical analysis, whereas others rely on God's revelations in the inspired Scriptures.

   Making only two points, I say that regarding empirical analysis, to the credit of my Biology textbook which was assigned for Dr. Patterson's class, that textbook acknowledged the "Theory of Evolution" is a theory and not fact, since it has never been fully proven.  (Ironically, I had a professor at CCU who stated to our class that we need to realize that evolution is true.)

   Secondly, Christians should not be adverse to empirical analysis.  For example, we all have a genetic make-up, which comes from our parents.  If neither a mom nor a dad have it in their genes for one of their children to be born with purple eyes, their baby cannot have purple eyes, with one exception.  (It is important not to mistake evolution with adaptation, which are changes which take place which are available within the genes.)

   Regarding that exception, the baby could have purple eyes if there was a mutation.  The theory of evolution is based on mutations.  But mutations are random, and mutations usually have a negative affect, not a positive affect.

   Thus the debating begins, which as a Virginia Tech Liberal Arts major, I completely step out of.  Yet if you have a gift for science, this may be a subject for you to pursue.

   For me, as someone who believes the Scriptures contain revelations from God, since the composition of Scriptures was inspired by God, that is my source of truth.  And within those revelations I have learned that God is purposeful in what He does.  In God's creation, there is "telos," an ultimate goal in completion.  God did not haphazardly create the universe.  Genesis shows He created it with a purpose, and with distinct order.

   Sadly, in this day and age, within the overall Christian community in the United States, us folks who believe evolution is false are in a minority.  In fact, I think some people in the Christian community look down on me because I advocate "creation."

   I am not compromising.  I totally believe that Adam and Eve were real people.  I totally believe that living beings were created directly from the work of God.  I stand by my conviction that Scriptures were inspired by God, and I stand by my interpretation of Scripture, which has involved insight from sages who love God.

   I encourage you to investigate the revelations of God in Scripture for yourself.

Hunter Irvine

A fun Colorado Christian University memory

   Posting this piece in a slot during my last semester, I reflect that one of my top tier classes at Colorado Christian University was "Evangelical Theology," with Dr. Aaron Smith.  The subject was important and interesting, and Dr. Smith is a systematic and passionate teacher.

   The third of three textbooks was The Younger Evangelicals by Robert Webber.  Each student was required to carefully read one specific chapter, and then give a class presentation on the subject of that chapter.

   After all of the countless chapters I read at CCU, maybe that sole chapter was a fun blessing from God, and I do not say this flippantly.  There were the usual number of chapters in that book, yet the one assigned for my presentation had a quote from an old friend of mine from my first “home” church, the church where I worshiped as a new Christian after turning to Christ in my early twenties.  In fact, within the chapter there were two friends who were quoted.  And I clearly understood the author’s point.

   Being utterly engaged with the chapter, my presentation preparation was a breeze.  And….I swiftly planned to do something fun!  One of the two friends quoted is named Amy, and I was quite certain I still had a picture of her in a bathing suit, with a net-like robe over her, standing with me near the Chesapeake Bay.  I dug into my old photo albums which were buried in boxes in my closet, and I found that photo.  That picture was taken at a leadership retreat for my singles group where I was extremely active for many years.  During our afternoon free time, some of us went swimming in an inlet of the Chesapeake Bay, which was next to the retreat center.  And Amy was no longer in the country to object.  She married a minister many years ago, and they moved his native country in Europe.

   Come my scheduled presentation day, I was so eager to present.  Remaining patient, when it was my turn, I went for it.  With the clicker in hand for showing my slides, I patiently rolled with the talk, building up to the quotes.  After giving the first quote in the chapter from Bill, and making a comment, I then gave the quote by Amy.  Then I hit the big note: ‘Fact is, Amy is a friend of mine from my old singles group, Salt and Light.’

   Clicking to the next slide, there was Amy in her bathing suit, next to me, up on the big screen before the class.  It was priceless looking at the surprised faces of the students in the class.  I specifically noted one young lady near the front who physically leaned forward in her desk, and was staring at the screen with her eyebrows lowered.

   It was great.

   I add that in my presentation, I disagreed with a point the author made in that chapter, which I articulated near the end of my presentation.  At the beginning of the next class, Dr. Smith made a statement that he agreed with my point.  His statement to our class meant much to me, and I think Dr. Smith, who I have here again in my last semester, is a classy professor.

   And personally, my Evangelical Theology presentation will go down as one of my most fun moments in a CCU classroom!

Hunter

Footnotes for The Holy Kiss

The Holy Kiss

by Hunter Irvine

Footnotes

(1) Fred Wight, Manners and Customs of Bible Lands (Chicago: Moody Press, 1953), 74.

(2) Justin Martyr, “The First Apology of Justin; Chapter 65” The Sage Digital Library; Volumes 1 & 2 (Albany, Oregon: Sage Software, 1996), 353.

(3) Alfred Plummer, The Church of the Early Fathers (New York: Longmans, Green and Co., 1913), 151.

http://books.google.com (accessed March 2010).

(4) William Smith and Samuel Cheetham, eds.,

A Dictionary of Christian Antiquities 

(Harford, London: J.B. Burr, 1880), 903. 

http://books.google.com (accessed March 11, 2010).

(5) John Eadie, A Commentary on the Greek Text of the Epistles of Paul to the Thessalonians, ed. William Young (London: Macmillan and Co., 1877), 220.

http://books.google.com (accessed March of 2010).

(6) F.C. Conybeare, “New Testament Notes; 3. The Kiss of Peace,” The Expositor No. LIV (1894): 462.

http://books.google.com (accessed April 2, 2010).

(7) Ibid.

(8) Warren J. Moulton, “The Samaritan Passover,” Journal of Biblical Literature, Vol. 22, No.2, 1903: 191.

http://www.jstor.org (accessed March 4, 2010).

(9) Shirley Coles, “Grandma Rachel’s Passover Pounce and Pinch,” The Jewish Magazine,

April 2006: 2. http://jewishmag.co.il/101/passoverrachel/passoverrachel.htm.

(10) John E. Toews, Believers Church Bible Commentary: Romans (Scottdale, Pennsylvania: Herald Press, 2004), 360.

(11) James Stifler, The Epistle to the Romans (Chicago: Moody Press, 1960), 248.

(12) D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Studies in the Sermon on the Mount (Grand Rapids: WM. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1959), 29.

(13) Ibid., 21.

(14) Ibid., 29.

(15) Michael Gorman, Elements of Biblical Exegesis (Peabody: Hendrickson, 2001), 8.

Bibliography

Coles, Shirley. “Grandma Rachel’s Passover Pounce and Pinch.”

The Jewish Magazine, April 2006.

http://jewishmag.co.il/101mag/passoverrachel/passoverrachel.htm

(accessed March 6, 2010).

Conybeare, F.C. “New Testament Notes

1.The Holy Spirit as a Dove. 2.The Seamless Coat. 3.The "Kiss of Peace.”

The Expositor. London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1884.

http://books.google.com (accessed April 2, 2010).

Eadie, John. A Commentary on the Greek Text of the Epistles of Paul to the Thessalonians.

Edited by William Young. London: Macmillan and Company, 1877.

http://books.google.com (accessed March of 2010).

Fotheringham, T.F. “The Offering.”

The American Journal of Theology, April 1905.

http://www.jstor.org (accessed March 4, 2010).

Freeman, James. Manners and Customs of the Bible. (no date).

Reprint, Plainfield, New Jersey: Logos International, 1972.

Gorman, Michael. Elements of Biblical Exegesis; A Basic Guide for Students and Ministers.

Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson Publishers, 2001.

Guy, Laurie. Introducing Early Christianity; A Topical Survey of Its Life, Beliefs and Practices.

Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2004.

Holy Bible. “The New International Version.” Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1973.

Johnstone, Robert. The First Epistle of Peter: Revised Text, with Introduction and Commentary.

Edinburgh: T. and T. Clark, 1888.

Lenski, R.C.H. The Interpretation of St. Paul’s Epistle to the Romans.

Minneapolis: Augsburg Publishing House, 1936.

Lloyd-Jones, D. Martyn. Studies in the Sermon on the Mount.

Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1959.

Masterman, E.W.G. “Social Customs in Palestine.” The Biblical World, April 1900.

http://jstor.org (accessed March 4, 2010).

Masterman, E.W.G. “Dress and Personal Adornment in Modern Palestine.” The Biblical World, October 1901.

http://www.jstor.org (accessed March 4, 2010).

Moulton, Warren. “The Samaritan Passover.” Journal of Biblical Literature, Vol. 22, No. 2 1903.

http://www.jstor.org (accessed March 4, 2010).

Murray, John. The New International Commentary on the New Testament: The Epistle to the Romans.

Edited by F.F. Bruce. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1968.

Plummer, Alfred. The Church of the Early Fathers; External History.

New York: Longmans, Green and Company, 1913.

http://books.google.com (accessed March of 2010).

Smith, William, and Samuel Cheetham, eds. A Dictionary of Christian Antiquities.

Hartford: The J.B. Burr Publishing Company, 1880.

http://books.google.com (accessed March 11, 2010).

Stifler, James. The Epistle to the Romans; A Commentary Logical and Historical.

Chicago: Moody Press, 1960.

The SAGE Digital Library; Volumes 1 and 2. Albany, Oregon: Sage Software, 1996.

Toews, John. Believers Church Bible Commentary; Romans.

Scottdale, Pennsylvania: Herald Press, 2004.

Wight, Fred H. Manners and Customs of Bible Lands.

Chicago: Moody Press, 1953.

Yaconelli, Michael. Messy Spirituality. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002.