Smerdis Imposter Bardiya or Gaumata 521 B.C.E. (13 ноя 521 г. до нашей эры – 11 июл 521 г. до нашей эры)

Описание:

Ezra 4: 7-23
WATCHTOWER: ARTAXERXES

The Persian ruler who caused the building of Jehovah’s temple at Jerusalem to be stopped. (Ezr 4:7-24) Between the reigns of Cyrus the Great, who allowed the Jews to return to Jerusalem (537 B.C.E.), and of Darius the Great, who in 520 B.C.E. removed the ban imposed on the temple construction, possibly three kings ruled: Cambyses II, his brother Bardiya (or possibly a Magian known as Gaumata who is said to have pretended to be Bardiya and ruled for seven months), and Nidintu-Bel (who was defeated and killed by Darius after just two months). Cambyses is evidently represented by the “Ahasuerus” mentioned at Ezra 4:6 to whom the first protest was made by the opposers of the temple reconstruction. Therefore, beginning with Ezra 4:7, the ruler referred to as “Artaxerxes” is either Bardiya or Gaumata, whose rule lasted but seven months (522 B.C.E.).

The people of the cities of Samaria wrote a letter against the Jews to this Persian king. (Ezr 4:7) This was while the Jews were busy building the temple. (Ezr 4:1-3) In order to achieve their goal, the adversaries of the Jews resorted to lies, stating that the Jews were then rebuilding the city of Jerusalem, including its walls. (Ezr 4:11-16) As a result of these false accusations, “the work on the house of God” came to a halt.​—Ezr 4:24.

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SECULAR HISTORY

Pseudo Smerdis, the imposter, ruled for several months. He gained a large following by remitting taxes for three years throughout the empire. However, Darius kept the loyalty of the Persian army and eventually captured and killed Pseudo Smerdis.

The circumstances involving the end of Cambyses’ rule are confused. One account, set forth by Darius the Great in his Behistun Inscription, and recounted by Herodotus and others with certain variations, is that Cambyses had his brother Bardiya (called Smerdis by Herodotus) secretly put to death. Then, during Cambyses’ absence in Egypt, a Magian named Gaumata (also called Smerdis by Herodotus), posing as Bardiya (Smerdis), usurped the throne and was able to gain recognition as king. While returning from Egypt, Cambyses died, and thus the usurper became secure on the throne. (Herodotus, III, 61-67) The other version, favored by some historians, is that Bardiya had not been killed and that he, not some impostor, usurped the throne during Cambyses’ absence.

Whatever the case, the reign of Cambyses ended in 522 B.C.E., and the rule that followed lasted seven months, ending also in 522 B.C.E. with the assassination of the usurper (either Bardiya or Gaumata the pseudo Smerdis). Yet during this brief rule apparently a second charge against the Jews was directed to the Persian throne, the king then being designated in the Bible as “Artaxerxes” (perhaps a throne name or title), and this time the accusations were successful in producing a royal ban against further construction on the temple. (Ezr 4:7-23) The temple work then lay idle “until the second year of the reign of Darius the king of Persia.”​—Ezr 4:24.

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