🐾 The straw that broke the camel's back... Let’s pin down who the king was and what the letters said, step by step.
📜 The Biblical Account — Ezra 4
After Zerubbabel and Jeshua began rebuilding the Temple in Jerusalem (around 537–520 BCE), the surrounding peoples — including “the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin” (the Samaritans and others settled by the Assyrians) — offered to help.
When their help was refused, they began to “discourage the people” and “frighten them from building”. Then they wrote letters of accusation to the Persian kings.
👑 The Kings Mentioned
| Sequence | Persian King | Approx. Reign | Mentioned in Ezra | What happened |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cyrus the Great | 559–530 BCE | Ezra 1:1–4 | Allowed Jews to return and rebuild Temple. |
| 2 | Cambyses II (not named, implied) | 530–522 BCE | Ezra 4:5 | Opposition began “all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius.” |
| 3 | Ahasuerus (Xerxes I) | 486–465 BCE | Ezra 4:6 | Enemies wrote an accusation against Jerusalem. |
| 4 | Artaxerxes I (Longimanus) | 465–424 BCE | Ezra 4:7–23 | The Samaritans wrote a detailed letter of warning accusing the Jews of rebellion. The king ordered the rebuilding to stop temporarily. |
| 5 | Darius I | 522–486 BCE | Ezra 5–6 | Later reviewed Cyrus’s decree and allowed rebuilding to resume. Temple completed 516 BCE. |
Conclusion: The specific letter of warning — the one Josephus also recounts — was written to King Artaxerxes I of Persia.
🏛 Content of the Letter (Ezra 4:11–16, paraphrased)
“To King Artaxerxes,
Let it be known that the Jews who came up from you have returned to Jerusalem; they are rebuilding the rebellious and wicked city.
If this city is rebuilt and the walls are finished, they will not pay tribute, custom, or toll — and it will damage the royal revenues!
Search the records and you will find that this city has a history of rebellion.
We are loyal to the king — we only warn you out of concern for your throne.”
Artaxerxes replied ordering the work to stop until further review.
📚 Josephus’ Account
- In Antiquities of the Jews (Book 11, ch. 2–4), Josephus gives a parallel version.
- He names Rehum and Shimshai (the same officials in Ezra 4).
- They write to Artaxerxes, warning that the Jews are rebuilding fortifications and will rebel.
- Josephus affirms that Artaxerxes ordered the building to cease.
- Later, Darius verified Cyrus’s original decree and allowed the rebuilding to proceed.
✅ Summary
The Samaritans’ letter of warning was written to King Artaxerxes I of Persia (465–424 BCE), accusing the returning Jews of planning rebellion. It successfully halted the rebuilding of Jerusalem and the Temple for a time, until Darius I confirmed Cyrus’s earlier permission and allowed the work to continue. This was the last straw of a broken relationship. There was no turning back now... or so everyone thought...
Comments