Глава 4

1–3. The offer by the Samaritans to participate in the construction of the church and the refusal of the Jews. 4–10. Hostile actions of the Samaritans against the Jews. 11–16. List of letters sent by Rehum and Shimshai to the Persian king. 18–22. The king's reply message. 23–24 Suspension of work in the church. 1Ezra 4:1. And the enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that those who had returned from captivity were building a church to the Lord God of Israel; 1Ezra 4:2. and they came to Zerubbabel and to the heads of the generations, and said to them: We also will build with you, because we, like you, have resorted to your God, and to Him we have offered sacrifices since the days of Asardan king of Syria, who brought us here. “And the enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard it.” From Art. 2 it is clear that the writer calls the Samaritans the enemies of Judah and Benjamin. For the origin of the Samaritans, see note. to 2 Kings 17. Having learned about the construction that had begun, the Samaritans wanted to take part in it and asked Zerubbabel and the heads of the generations to do so. The Samaritans stated that the reason for their request was that they were resorting to the God of the Jews and offering him “sacrifices from the days of Asardan, king of Syria.” According to some researchers, these were indeed the motives for the Samaritans’ request: the Samaritans wanted to serve Jehovah. However, the subsequent course of action of the Samaritans shows that the religious motives they exhibited were not sincere and main. In their complaints to the Persian king, the Samaritans do not mention religious feelings at all and clearly express their view of the Jerusalem enterprise as a political act. Probably, they themselves expressed a desire to take part in the construction of the church, mainly for political reasons; they had in mind to take advantage of the patronage that the Persian kings provided to the Jews and benefit from it. "From the days of Asardan king of Syria". Asardan in this place probably refers to the Assyrian king Assargadon (681–668), who, according to cuneiform (Schrader. Keil. Bibl. II, 215), after defeating the Sidonian king, sent colonies to the Phoenician coast. Some of the colonists could also settle in the Samaritan region, which is why the Samaritans sometimes called themselves Sidonians (Jude 12:5, 5). 1Ezra 4:3. And Zerubbabel and Joshua and the rest of the heads of the generations of Israel said to them, “Do not build you a house with us for our God; We alone will build a house for the Lord, the God of Israel, as King Cyrus of Persia commanded us. “You must not build a house for our God with us; We will build alone." Thus, the Samaritans' request was rejected. There is no reason to see in the refusal of Zerubbabel and the elders a manifestation of a spirit of timidity” (Ewald) or “Jewish arrogance” (Zeinecke). The refusal was caused rather by the desire to preserve the purity of the Jewish religion and nationality. Since the Samaritans had a mixed religion, by entering into an alliance with them, the Jews would have been in danger of becoming infected with syncretism and polytheism. Awareness of this danger prompted representatives of the Jewish people to reject the Samaritan offer, sacrificing the benefits that could come from accepting it. 1Ezra 4:4. And the people of that land began to weaken the hands of the people of Judah and hinder them in building; 1Ezra4:5. and they bribed advisers against them to destroy their enterprise, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, and until the reign of Darius king of Persia. The refusal of the Jews offended the Samaritans and again aroused the enmity that, in pre-exilic times, permeated the relations of the ten-tribe kingdom with the southern one. Through bribery and slander, the Samaritans tried to get the Persian government to officially prohibit the construction of the church. They apparently did not achieve such an official prohibition, because the biblical writers do not mention it (cf. 1 Ezra 5.7–17), and the prophet Haggai directly attributes the cessation of the construction of the church to the negligence of the Jews themselves, and not to the prohibition of the authorities (chap. I). But nevertheless, the machinations of the Samaritans weakened the energy of the Jews and, probably, by the time Darius Hystaspes (521–486) came to the throne, the construction of the church had stopped. 1Ezra 4:6–23. In Art. 6–23, the writer talks about the machinations of the Samaritans against the Jews during the reign of Achashverosh and Artakhshashta. What kings does the writer of 1 Rides mean by these names? Due to the fact that in the first chapters of 1 book. Ezra talks about the events of the time of Cyrus, and at the end of Chapter IV. the time of Darius Hystaspes is mentioned (v. 24), many researchers attribute section art. 6–23 to the period of the successors of Cyrus and the predecessors of Darius Hystaspes, kings Cambyses and False Smerdis. By the name of Ahasuerus they mean Cambyses, and by the name of Artakhshashta they mean False Smerdis. But at present we cannot agree with this opinion. Heb. Ahasuerus corresponds to the Persian Ksajarsa or Khschyarscha and should mean Xerxes. The name Artashashta, corresponding to the Persians. Artakhsarta or Artakschathra, called in 7th century. Artaxerxes. Thus, in Art. 6–23, the writer deviates from the chronological flow of the story and talks about events that occurred later than those described in chapter. V-VI, precisely under Ezra. There is no need to assume, like some researchers, that this happened due to a misunderstanding on the part of the writer, who mistakenly attributed the document he had in hand to the time between Cyrus and Darius Hystaspes and at the same time did not notice that the document deals with the obstacles to the construction of the walls of the city, and not the construction of the church, as described in Chapter IV. Having begun to talk about the Samaritans’ opposition to the construction of the church, the writer, obviously, in addition to this and to illustrate his speech, points out later facts of the Samaritans’ opposition to the Jews, opposition to the construction of walls (for more details, see Christ. Reading 1904, No. 12, p. 833, etc.). 1Ezra4:6. And during the reign of Ahasuerus, at the beginning of his reign, they wrote an accusation against the inhabitants of Judea and Jerusalem. “They wrote an accusation.” The writer does not indicate the content of this accusation. 1Ezra4:7. And in the days of Artaxerxes wrote Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel and their other companions to Artaxerxes king of Persia. The letter was written in Syriac letters and in the Syriac language. “And in the days of Artaxerxes wrote Bishlam, Miphredath, Tabeel and the rest of their companions” (cf. 2 Ezra 2.16). Apparently, the second letter was sent by the named persons belonging to the Samaritan people. 1Ezra4:8. Rehum the advisor and Shimshai the scribe wrote one letter against Jerusalem to King Artaxerxes as follows: “Rehum the counselor and Shimshai the scribe wrote one letter.” Apparently, this is the third letter from the Samaritans. Its author, Rehum the advisor, and Shimshai the scribe were officials under the Persian governor in Samaria. 1Ezra 4:9. Then. Rehum the advisor and Shimshai the scribe and their other companions, the Dineans and the Afarsafheites, the Tarpelians, the Aparsians, the Arekhians, the Babylonians, the Susanians, the Dagi, the Elamites, The letter was written not only on behalf of Rehum and Shimshai, but also on behalf of their comrades, or, better said, allies. In their names given below (Denei, Afarsafiei, etc.) one should see not the names of officials of different classes, as some researchers suggest (Bertolet), but the names of tribes, which, however, are little known. The Dinaeans are a tribe that, judging by the wedge-shaped inscriptions, lived on the borders of Cilicia and Cappadocia in the western part of Armenia. The Afarsafhei may be residents of the Median cities of Partakka and Partukka mentioned in the inscriptions of Asargadon (Delitzsch, Wo lag das Paradies, S. 327). Tarpelei - or mentioned by Ptolemy, Ταπουροι, who lived east of Elymais, or Tuplai of Assyrian inscriptions. Aparsi - according to Delitzsch, inhabitants of the Median country of Parsua. The Arekhians were probably residents of the city of Erech, named in Gen. 10.10, which lay on the site of present-day Varka, on the left bank of the lower Euphrates, southeast of Babylon. Dagi is probably Δάοι of Herodotus (I, 125). Other named art. 9 tribes are well known from history. 1Ezra 4:10. and other nations whom the great and glorious Asnafar [Sennacherib] deported and settled in the cities of Samaria and in other cities beyond the river, and so on. “And the other nations whom the great and glorious Asnaphar deported.” Under the name of Asnafar in v. 10 researchers (contrary to our Russian language) understand the Assyrian king Assurbanipal (663–626), who conquered Susa and penetrated deep into Elam. “Great and glorious” was a common title for Assyrian kings, and was especially suitable for Assurbanipal. “And in other cities beyond the river,” i.e. beyond the Euphrates River, to the west of it, in Syria and Phenicia. 1Ezra4:11. And here is a list from the letter that was sent to him: To King Artaxerxes - your servants, the people living beyond the river, and so on. Ezra began his activities in Jerusalem by prohibiting mixed marriages and commanding the release of foreign wives (1Ezra 9.12). Such severity irritated the neighboring peoples, and this irritation was increased by those who, not wanting to obey the orders of Ezra, left Judea. The fear of attack from neighbors was the motivation to begin fortifying Jerusalem. But, if the construction of the church was already hated by the Samaritans, then even more so the construction of walls near Jerusalem. Therefore, the Samaritans made every effort to stop the construction and, for this purpose, sent a complaint, the contents of which are conveyed in Art. 12–16. 1Ezra4:12. Let it be known to the king that the Jews who left you have come to us in Jerusalem, are building this rebellious and worthless city, and are making walls, and their foundations have already been repaired. 1Ezra 4:13. Let it be known to the king that if this city is built and the walls are restored, then no tax, no tax, no duty will be given, and damage will be done to the royal treasury. Wanting to arouse the king’s suspicion against the Jewish enterprise, the Samaritans pretend that Jerusalem is a “rebellious and worthless” city (Art. 12) and that with the restoration of the walls the Jews will not give taxes, fees, or taxes, thereby causing damage to the royal treasury. 1Ezra 4:14. Since we eat salt from the royal palace, and we cannot see the damage to the king, therefore we send a report to the king: "Since we eat salt from the royal palace". The expression is salt, as used in the Syriac and Persian languages, means, firstly, to be the guest of another, and secondly, to be in his service. In Art. 14, the expression in question has the latter meaning. Thus, the Samaritans cover up their slander with the duty of royal service. 1Ezra4:15. let them search in the memorial book of your fathers, and you will find it in the memorial book, and you will know that this city is a rebellious city and harmful to kings and regions, and that there have been apostasies in it from ancient times, for which this city was devastated. 1Ezra4:16. Therefore, we notify the king that if this city is completed and its walls are completed, then after that you will not have possession beyond the river. Pointing to the experience of previous history, the Samaritans confront the king with the possibility of losing, thanks to the Jews, all possessions west of the Euphrates. "In the book of remembrance of your fathers". The existence of court chronicles of the Persian kings is mentioned in 1Ezra 6.2; Esther 6.1 and Diodorus Siculus (II.32). “There have been apostasies in it for a long time, for which this city was devastated.” Obviously, we are talking about the time preceding the Persian rule, namely the time of Nebuchadnezzar. 1Ezra4:17. The king sent an answer to Rehum the counselor and Shimshai the scribe and their other comrades who live in Samaria and other cities beyond the river: Peace... and so on. 1Ezra 4:18. The letter you sent us was clearly read before me; 1Ezra 4:19. and a command was given from me - and they searched, and found that this city had long rebelled against the kings, and there had been riots and unrest in it, 1Ezra4:20. and that there were powerful kings in Jerusalem who owned the entire district, and they were given tribute, taxes and duties. 1Ezra 4:21. So give an order that these people stop working, and that this city is not built until a command is given from me. The decree of Artaxerxes given to Rehum and Shimshai regarding their complaint. In his memorial books, Artaxerxes actually found that the Jews’ suspicion of rebellious plans had a basis in the past history of this people and therefore sent an order to his governor in Samaria to prevent the construction of the walls of Jerusalem. This attitude towards the Jews of Artaxerxes does not contradict what is known about this from other places (1Ezra 7 and Nehemiah 2). According to ancient reports, Artaxerxes seems to be a man who was subject to the influence of his wives and his favorites and one who could easily change his orders (Nöldeke Aufsätze zur Pers. Geschichte s. 56). 1Ezra4:23. As soon as this letter from King Artaxerxes was read before Rehum and Shimshai by the scribe and their comrades, they immediately went to Jerusalem to the Jews, and with a strong armed hand stopped their work. Rehum and Shimshai immediately stopped the construction with a strong armed hand (according to LXX ἐν ίπποις καὶ δυνάμει, Peshito: cum magno exercitu). As seen in Nehemiah 1.2–3, at this time the city wall was destroyed in some places and the gates were burned. 1Ezra4:24. Then the work stopped at the house of God, which is in Jerusalem, and this stop continued until the second year of the reign of Darius, king of Persia. The writer returns to the interrupted article. 6–23 to the story of the construction of the church and notes the duration of the suspension of this construction. However, the writer does not indicate exactly when construction stopped. You might be interested in: