The Chronology of the Medo-Persian Empire - A Radical Re-Appraisal: A Reconciliation with the Messianic Prophecy of Daniel 9 and the Bible Books of Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther and Daniel

The Chronology of the Medo-Persian Empire.A Radical Re-appraisal Presented.The conclusion drawn is that the existing chronology for the period of the Medo-Persian Empire is seriously flawed. It is not intended as an attack on the challenging work of scholars who have translated cuneiform tablets and done their best to fit fragmentary evidence into some sort of cohesive framework.However, the author’s research in this area for other purposes uncovered serious issues with the assumptions and solutions provided by scholars, both secular and religious. This book is the result of that research by the author and the ensuing search for more satisfying answers without a preconceived required result. How well that has been achieved is left to your opinion.The book pays particular attention to trying to reconcile the Medo-Persian Chronology with the Messianic prophecy of Daniel 9 and the Bible books of Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther & Daniel.This book also is fully referenced and contains a comprehensive index and Bibliography to assist readers to check the information provided for themselves.Key findings and conclusions include:A reason and solution for the split of the prophecy of Daniel 9:24-27 into portions of 7, 62, and 1 week (split into 2 parts), in particular the 7 x 7’s portion, for which the author is not aware of any current explanation. A missing solution had always bothered the author. The solution was found by pure chance as a result of realignment caused by the conclusion that the Artaxerxes of Ezra 7 onwards must be referring to the king we know as Darius [I].Misidentification of the “going forth of the word to restore and rebuild Jerusalem”.The normally accepted chronology of the Medo-Persian Chronology is based on extremely limited and non-contemporary records, with many assumptions made.Workable solutions to the ages of key characters of the period in the Bible text such as Daniel, Mordecai, Esther, Ezra, Nehemiah, and the Jewish high priests during the Medo-Persian Empire.The normally accepted chronology of the Medo-Persian Chronology is based on extremely limited and non-contemporary records, with many assumptions made.Assignment and Interpretation of cuneiform astronomical tablets to particular astronomical events are based on an attempted ancient calendar reconstruction using a framework that did not exist until Seleucid times at the earliest.Evidence of issues with the length of the solar year and major changes in the various calendar systems of Egypt, Babylon, Rome, and Greece, over the period in question are ignored, with no allowances for changes in the length of a solar year in days.The author, Mark Pocklington has had a lifelong serious interest in the history of the Ancient Near East, which resulted in visits to many ancient sites in Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Turkey, Greece, Italy, etc, in pursuit of this interest. These led to a deep respect for the accuracy of the Bible record. This respect was deepened by half a decade of intense study of the Neo-Babylonian Empire as it relates to the Jewish Exile in Babylon. This study also highlighted issues with common interpretation of the books of Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, and Daniel, and set the author on the quest that resulted in the findings recorded in this book. Read more