Darius the Mede
Darius the Mede is a character appearing thrice in the biblical Book of Daniel. The exact identity of "Darius the Mede" remains the subject of heated debate representing "the last great hurdle to the contextually historical authenticity of book" with skeptics claiming him to be fictional and "historical harmonizers" suggesting that this is simply another name for a real historical individual.
This subject is further complicated by Josephus simply stating that Darius the Mede was the son of Astyages king of the Medes and that he was known to the Greeks by another name, without qualifying what that was. Meanwhile the broadly used "Father of History" also oft called "the Father of Lies" in his Histories dramatic recount, does not record Astyages having a son at all, but rather tells how the kingdom passed directly to Cyrus by force of arms. Yet Herodotus' account stands in direct opposition to Xenophon's far more extensive and detailed book on the subject known as the Cyropaedia (which does actually provide a natural solution to the subject). But with the only extant clay tablets seeming to support the direct passage of power to Cyrus II and the Behistun Inscription references to Cyaxares being questionable if they are Astyages father or Xenophon's claim of Cyaxares II, the academic community remains divided.
Below we shall examine each of the three instances in more detail.
Until further edits can be made, this subject is somewhat extensively covered on the related page Ahasuerus under In the Book of Daniel.
In Daniel 5
Herein Darius the Mede seizes the kingdom and rules as king at the fall of Babylon. This narrative has historically presented problems for Biblical scholars as it is an undisputed historical fact that Cyrus the Great conquered Babylon. While many positions exist on the subject, we shall examine each below in separate sections.
Arguments for Fictional
It is sufficient to say on this subject that skeptics hold the character of Darius the Mede to be purely fictional and therefore the entire chapter as fiction. This is generally presented as evidence that the entire book is not considered to be of any historical value.
Arguments for Cyaxares II
While the character of Cyaxares II is not generally accepted amidst the classical histories such as Herodotus or even on a currently available clay tablet (other than two possible references in the Behistun Inscription), Cyaxares II presents the most natural solution to the problem and is the summary position of the Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentaries. Yet Cyaxares II is extensively presented to us as a real historical figure in one of Alexander the Great's book of constant study: Xenophon's Cyropedia.
In Xenophon's historical narrative, Cyrus the Great entered into the employ of his uncle Cyaxares II as general of the army in a mutual defence pact against Assyria (Babylon). In this capacity Cyrus campaigns with Cyaxares II at the first and then by himself until his eventual conquest of Babylon. After which Cyrus the Great returns to the capital city of Ecbatana and presents Cyaxares II with a palace in Babylon as a token of victory and receives Cyaxares II's daughter as his wife with the kingdom of Media as her dowry. Xenophon's account then details Cyrus' trip home to Persia where he receives the title of King upon the death of his father Cambyses I.
This position when combined with Josephs' assertion that Astyges son was Darius the Mede who was known to the Greeks by another name, makes it only natural that:
- "Darius the Mede took the kingdom"
- Cyrus at that point was simply heir of Persia and the greatly loved General of the Coalition Army.