EZRA 6 — THE DECREE FOUND, THE TEMPLE COMPLETED, AND THE PASSOVER KEPT

Chapter 6 is the climax of the first half of Ezra. It brings the Aramaic section to its close (6:18) and answers the question raised by Tattenai's letter. The discovery of Cyrus's decree in the archives at Ecbatana, the summer capital of the Median region, vindicates the Jews, and Darius, who might have been expected to be cautious, becomes their patron. The date of completion, the third of Adar in the sixth year of Darius, corresponds to about March 12, 515 BC, seventy years after the destruction of the first temple in 586 BC, which matches Jeremiah's prophecy. The chapter's last section, written again in Hebrew, describes the dedication and the Passover, which turn the building into a restored covenant community.

The discovery of Cyrus's decree in the archives is consistent with Persian practice. The Persians kept extensive records at Susa, Persepolis, and Ecbatana, and the Persepolis tablets reveal the detail of Persian administration. The decree's support for local temples matches the Cyrus Cylinder and other evidence, including Persian support for temples in Egypt and elsewhere. The Elephantine papyri show a Jewish community in Egypt requesting permission and funds to rebuild their temple, which parallels this account. The date of March 12, 515 BC, for the completion of the temple is consistent with the Persian and Babylonian calendar, and the chronology agrees with Haggai and Zechariah. The ritual details of Passover match the instructions in the Pentateuch.