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Subject: THE DEATH OF BELSHAZZAR
Date: Mon, 13 Jun 2005 06:33:17 -0700
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SIR ROBERT ANDERSON=20
Secret Service Theologian

DANIEL IN THE CRITICS DEN=20


APPENDIX II=20
THE DEATH OF BELSHAZZAR
THE following is Professor Sayce's rendering of the concluding =
(decipherable) portion of the Annalistic tablet of Cyrus "On the =
fourteenth day of the month Sippara was taken without fighting; =
Nabonidos fled. On the sixteenth day Gobryas (Ugbaru), the Governor of =
the country of Kurdistan (Gutium), and the soldiers of Cyrus, entered =
Babylon without fighting. Afterwards Nabonidos was captured, after being =
bound in Babylon. At the end of the month Tammuz the javelin-throwers of =
the country of Kurdistan guarded the gates of E-Saggil; no cessation of =
services took place in E-Saggil and the other temples, but no special =
festival was observed. The third day of the month Marchesvan (October) =
Cyrus entered Babylon. Dissensions were allayed before him. Peace to the =
city did Cyrus establish, peace to all the province of Babylon did =
Gobryas his governor proclaim. Governors in Babylon he appointed. From =
the month Chisleu to the month Adar (November to February) the gods of =
the country of Accad, whom Nabonidos had transferred to Babylon, =
returned to their own cities. The eleventh day of the month Marchesvan, =
during the night, Gobryas was on the bank of the river.
The wife of the king died. From the twenty- seventh day of Adar to the =
third day of Nisan there was lamentation in the country of Accad; all =
the people smote their heads. On the fourth day Kambyses the son of =
Cyrus conducted the burial at the temple of the Sceptre of the world. =
The priest of the temple of the Sceptre of Nebo, who upbears the sceptre =
[of Nebo in the temple of the god], in an Elamite robe took the hands of =
Nebo, . . . the son of the king (Kambyses) [offered] free-will offerings =
in full to ten times [the usual amount]. He confined to E-Saggil the =
[image] of Nebo. Victims before Bel to ten times [the usual amount he =
sacrificed]." The reader's surprise will naturally be excited on =
learning that the tablet is so mutilated and defective that the text has =
here and there to be reconstructed, and that the above, while purporting =
to be merely a translation is, in fact, also a reconstruction. I will =
here confine myself, however, to one point of principal importance.=20
1 wish to acknowledge my obligation to the Rev. John Uquhart, the author =
of The Inspiration and Accuracy of the Holy Scriptures, for placing this =
letter at my disposal.

Mr. Theo. G. Pinches, by whom this very tablet was first brought to =
light, is perfectly clear that the reading "the wjfe of the king died" =
cannot be sustained. He writes as follows 1 (I omit the cuneiform =
characters) "Professor Sayce has adopted a suggestion of Professor =
Schrader. The characters cannot be . 'and the wife of,' but must be =
either . . . 'and '(as I read it at first) or . . . 'and the son of.' =
This last improved reading I suggested about four years ago, and the =
Rev. C. J. Ball and Dr. Hagen, who examined the text with me, adopted =
this view. Dr. Hagen wrote upon the subject in Delitzsch's Beitrage, =
vol. i. Of course, whether we read 'and the king died,' or 'and the son =
of the king died,' it comes to the same thing, as either expression =
could refer to Belshazzar, who, after his father's flight, would =
naturally be at the head of affairs."=20

The following extract is from Mr. Pinches's article "Belshazzar" in the =
new edition of Smith's Bible Dictionary

"As is well known, Beishazzar was, according to Daniel v., killed in the =
night, and Xenophon (Cyrop., vii. 5, 3) tells us that Babylon was taken =
by Cyrus during the night, whilst the inhabitants were engaged in =
feasting and revelry, and that the king was killed. So in the Babylonian =
Chronicle, lines 22-24, we have the statement that 'On the night of the =
11th of Marchesvan, Ugbaru (Gobryas) [descended?] against [Babylon?] and =
the king died. From the 27th of Adar until the 3rd of Nisan there was =
weeping in Akkad. All the people bowed their head.' The most doubtful =
character in the above extract is that which stands for the word 'and,' =
the character in question having been regarded as the large group which =
stands for that word. A close examination of the original, however, =
shows that it is possible that there are two characters instead of =
one-namely, the small character for 'and,' and the character tur, which =
in this connection would stand for u mar, 'and the son of' in which case =
the line would read, 'and the son of the king died.' Weeping in Akkad =
for Belshazzar is just what would be expected, when we take into =
consideration that he was for many years with the army there, and that =
he must have made himself a favourite by his liberality to the Akkadian =
temples. Even supposing, however, that the old reading is the right one, =
it is nevertheless possible that the passage refers to Belshazzar; for =
Berosus relates that Nabonidos, on surrendering to Cyrus, had his life =
spared, and that a principality or estate was given to him in Carmania, =
where he died. It is therefore at least probable that Beishazzar was =
regarded even by the Babylonians as king, especially after his father's =
surrender. With this improved reading of the Babylonian text, it is =
impossible to do otherwise than identify Gobryas with Darius the Mede =
(if we suppose that the last verse of the 5th chapter of Daniel really =
belongs to that chapter, and does not form part, as in the Hebrew text, =
of chap. vi.), he being mentioned, in the Babylonian Chronicle, in =
direct connection with the death of the king's son (or the king, as the =
case may be). This identification, though not without its difficulties, =
receives a certain amount of support from Daniel vi. I, where it is =
stated that 'it pleased Darius to set over the kingdom an hundred and =
twenty princes,' &c.-an act which finds parallel in the Babylonian =
Chronicle, which states 'that, after Cyrus promised peace to Babylon, =
Gobryas, his governor, appointed governors in Babylon."=20

On this same subject I am indebted to Mr. St. Chad Boscawen for the =
following note :- "Owing to the mutilated state of the latter part of =
the tablet, it is extremely difficult to arrange the events, and also in =
some cases to clearly understand the exact meanings of the sentences. As =
far as I can see, the course of events seems to have been as follows. =
Sippara was taken on the 14th of Tammuz, and two days later Babylon. =
Nabonidos had fled, but he was still recognised as king by the majority =
of the people, especially by rich trading communities such as the Egibi =
firm, who continued to date their contracts in his regnal years. At =
Sippara the people seem to have recognised Cyrus as king earlier than at =
Babylon, as the tablets of his accession year are all, with one =
exception, the source of which is not known, from Sippara. On the 3rd of =
Marchesvan Cyrus entered Babylon and appointed Gobryas (the prefect of =
Gutium) 'prefect of the prefects' (pikhat-pikhate) of Babylon; and he =
(Gobryas) appointed the other prefects. That reading of the sentence is =
perfectly legitimate. Cyrus seems only to have occupied himself with the =
restoration of religious order, and on restoring the gods to their =
temples who had been transported to Babylon. We have then a remarkable =
passage. Sayce reads 'the wife of the king died'; but Hagen reads the =
son of the king, and I have examined this tablet, and find that although =
the tablet is here broken, the most probable reading is the son, not the =
wife."=20
"In Dan. v. we read, and 'Darius the Median took the kingdom, being =
about threescore and two years.' In a second passage, however, this is =
modified. We read, 'In the first year of Darius, the son of Ahasuerus, =
of the seed of the Medes, which was made king over the realm of the =
Chaldeans, (ix. I); and again, 'It pleased Darius to set over the =
kingdom a hundred and twenty princes' (vi. I). Here we have an exact =
parallel to the case of Gobryas. Gobryas was a Manda-among whom were =
embraced the Medes, for Astyages, an undoubted Median king, ruler of the =
Median capital of Ecbatana, is called . . . a soldier of the Manda, or =
barbarians. He is appointed on the 3rd Marchesvan B.C. 538- after taking =
the kingdom on 16th Tammuz-'prefect of the prefects'; and he appoints =
other prefects over the kingdom. His reign did not last more than one =
year, terminating in either Adar 538 or early in B.C. 537. The end is =
rendered obscure by the fractures in the tablet. .
"If, then, Gubaru or Gobryas was prefect of Gutium before his conquest =
of Babylon in B.C. 538, there is nothing whatever against his being a =
Mede; and as Astyages was deposed by a revolt, when 'he was taken by the =
hands of the rebels and given to Cyrus' (Chronicle Inscr.), it is very =
probable that Gobryas was the leader of the conspiracy. Indeed he seems =
to me to fulfil in every way the required conditions to be Darius the =
Mede. . . . The appointment of the satraps does not seem exorbitantly =
large, nor are these to be confounded with the satrapies of the Persian =
empire."=20

And finally, in his Book of Daniel (p. xxx) Professor Driver, in citing =
the foregoing extract from the tablet, reads the crucial sentence thus =
:-" On the 11th day of Marchesvan, during the night, Gubaru made an =
assault and slew the king's son." And at pp. 60, 6i he writes: "After =
Gubaru and Cyrus had entered Babylon he (Belshazzar) is said (according =
to the most probable reading) to have been slain by Gubaru 'during the =
night,' i.e. (apparently) in some assault made by night upon the =
fortress or palace to which he had withdrawn."=20
I will only add that, in view of the testimony of these witnesses, so =
thoroughly competent and impartial, it is not easy to restrain a feeling =
of indignation at the effrontery (not to use a stronger word) of =
Professor Sayce's language in pp. 525, 526 of his book.=20
Go to Appendix 3=20


Literature | Photos | Links | Home

This is where it all started. I was stunned to see this linkage. Also =
see =
http://www.google.com/search?q=3DGobryas+manda&sourceid=3Dopera&num=3D0&i=
e=3Dutf-8&oe=3Dutf-8

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<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>SIR ROBERT ANDERSON <BR>Secret Service=20
Theologian</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2><BR>DANIEL IN THE CRITICS DEN =
<BR></DIV>
<DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV>APPENDIX II <BR>THE DEATH OF BELSHAZZAR<BR>THE following is =
Professor=20
Sayce's rendering of the concluding (decipherable) portion of the =
Annalistic=20
tablet of Cyrus "On the fourteenth day of the month Sippara was taken =
without=20
fighting; Nabonidos fled. <FONT color=3D#ff0000><STRONG><U>On the =
sixteenth day=20
Gobryas (Ugbaru), the Governor of the country of Kurdistan (Gutium), and =
the=20
soldiers of Cyrus, </U></STRONG></FONT>entered Babylon without fighting. =

Afterwards Nabonidos was captured, after being bound in Babylon. At the =
end of=20
the month Tammuz the <FONT color=3D#ff0000>javelin-throwers of the =
country of=20
Kurdistan</FONT> guarded the gates of E-Saggil; no cessation of services =
took=20
place in E-Saggil and the other temples, but no special festival was =
observed.=20
The third day of the month Marchesvan (October) Cyrus entered Babylon.=20
Dissensions were allayed before him. Peace to the city did Cyrus =
establish,=20
peace to all the province of Babylon did Gobryas his governor proclaim.=20
Governors in Babylon he appointed. From the month Chisleu to the month =
Adar=20
(November to February) the gods of the country of Accad, whom Nabonidos =
had=20
transferred to Babylon, returned to their own cities. The eleventh day =
of the=20
month Marchesvan, during the night, Gobryas was on the bank of the =
river.<BR>The=20
wife of the king died. From the twenty- seventh day of Adar to the third =
day of=20
Nisan there was lamentation in the country of Accad; all the people =
smote their=20
heads. On the fourth day Kambyses the son of Cyrus conducted the burial =
at the=20
temple of the Sceptre of the world. The priest of the temple of the =
Sceptre of=20
Nebo, who upbears the sceptre [of Nebo in the temple of the god], in an =
Elamite=20
robe took the hands of Nebo, . . . the son of the king (Kambyses) =
[offered]=20
free-will offerings in full to ten times [the usual amount]. He confined =
to=20
E-Saggil the [image] of Nebo. Victims before Bel to ten times [the usual =
amount=20
he sacrificed]." The reader=92s surprise will naturally be excited on =
learning=20
that the tablet is so mutilated and defective that the text has here and =
there=20
to be reconstructed, and that the above, while purporting to be merely a =

translation is, in fact, also a reconstruction. I will here confine =
myself,=20
however, to one point of principal importance. <BR>1 wish to acknowledge =
my=20
obligation to the Rev. John Uquhart, the author of The Inspiration and =
Accuracy=20
of the Holy Scriptures, for placing this letter at my disposal.</DIV>
<DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV>Mr. Theo. G. Pinches, by whom this very tablet was first brought to =
light,=20
is perfectly clear that the reading "the wjfe of the king died" cannot =
be=20
sustained. He writes as follows 1 (I omit the cuneiform characters) =
"Professor=20
Sayce has adopted a suggestion of Professor Schrader. The characters =
cannot be .=20
=91and the wife of,=92 but must be either . . . =91and =91(as I read it =
at first) or . .=20
. =91and the son of.=92 This last improved reading I suggested about =
four years ago,=20
and the Rev. C. J. Ball and Dr. Hagen, who examined the text with me, =
adopted=20
this view. Dr. Hagen wrote upon the subject in Delitzsch=92s Beitrage, =
vol. i. Of=20
course, whether we read =91and the king died,=92 or =91and the son of =
the king died,=92=20
it comes to the same thing, as either expression could refer to =
Belshazzar, who,=20
after his father=92s flight, would naturally be at the head of affairs." =
</DIV>
<DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV>The following extract is from Mr. Pinches=92s article "Belshazzar" =
in the new=20
edition of Smith=92s Bible Dictionary</DIV>
<DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV>"As is well known, Beishazzar was, according to Daniel v., killed =
in the=20
night, and Xenophon (Cyrop., vii. 5, 3) tells us that Babylon was taken =
by Cyrus=20
during the night, whilst the inhabitants were engaged in feasting and =
revelry,=20
and that the king was killed. So in the Babylonian Chronicle, lines =
22=9724, we=20
have the statement that =91On the night of the 11th of Marchesvan, =
Ugbaru=20
(Gobryas) [descended?] against [Babylon?] and the king died. From the =
27th of=20
Adar until the 3rd of Nisan there was weeping in Akkad. All the people =
bowed=20
their head.=92 The most doubtful character in the above extract is that =
which=20
stands for the word =91and,=92 the character in question having been =
regarded as the=20
large group which stands for that word. A close examination of the =
original,=20
however, shows that it is possible that there are two characters instead =
of=20
one=97namely, the small character for =91and,=92 and the character tur, =
which in this=20
connection would stand for u mar, =91and the son of=92 in which case the =
line would=20
read, =91and the son of the king died.=92 Weeping in Akkad for =
Belshazzar is just=20
what would be expected, when we take into consideration that he was for =
many=20
years with the army there, and that he must have made himself a =
favourite by his=20
liberality to the Akkadian temples. Even supposing, however, that the =
old=20
reading is the right one, it is nevertheless possible that the passage =
refers to=20
Belshazzar; for Berosus relates that Nabonidos, on surrendering to =
Cyrus, had=20
his life spared, and that a principality or estate was given to him in =
Carmania,=20
where he died. It is therefore at least probable that Beishazzar was =
regarded=20
even by the Babylonians as king, especially after his father=92s =
surrender. With=20
this improved reading of the Babylonian text, <STRONG><FONT =
color=3D#ff0000><U>it=20
is impossible to do otherwise than identify Gobryas with Darius the=20
Mede</U></FONT></STRONG> (if we suppose that the last verse of the 5th =
chapter=20
of Daniel really belongs to that chapter, and does not form part, as in =
the=20
Hebrew text, of chap. vi.), he being mentioned, in the Babylonian =
Chronicle, in=20
direct connection with the death of the king=92s son (or the king, as =
the case may=20
be). This identification, though not without its difficulties, receives =
a=20
certain amount of support from Daniel vi. I, where it is stated that =
=91it pleased=20
Darius to set over the kingdom an hundred and twenty princes,=92 =
&amp;c.=97an act=20
which finds parallel in the Babylonian Chronicle, which states =91that, =
after=20
Cyrus promised peace to Babylon, Gobryas, his governor, appointed =
governors in=20
Babylon." </DIV>
<DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV>On this same subject I am indebted to Mr. St. Chad Boscawen for the =

following note :=97 "Owing to the mutilated state of the latter part of =
the=20
tablet, it is extremely difficult to arrange the events, and also in =
some cases=20
to clearly understand the exact meanings of the sentences. As far as I =
can see,=20
the course of events seems to have been as follows. Sippara was taken on =
the=20
14th of Tammuz, and two days later Babylon. Nabonidos had fled, but he =
was still=20
recognised as king by the majority of the people, especially by rich =
trading=20
communities such as the Egibi firm, who continued to date their =
contracts in his=20
regnal years. At Sippara the people seem to have recognised Cyrus as =
king=20
earlier than at Babylon, as the tablets of his accession year are all, =
with one=20
exception, the source of which is not known, from Sippara. On the 3rd of =

Marchesvan Cyrus entered Babylon and appointed <STRONG><U><FONT=20
color=3D#ff0000>Gobryas (the prefect of Gutium)</FONT></U></STRONG> =
=91prefect of=20
the prefects=92 (pikhat-pikhate) of Babylon; and he (Gobryas) appointed =
the other=20
prefects. That reading of the sentence is perfectly legitimate. Cyrus =
seems only=20
to have occupied himself with the restoration of religious order, and on =

restoring the gods to their temples who had been transported to Babylon. =
We have=20
then a remarkable passage. Sayce reads =91the wife of the king died=92; =
but Hagen=20
reads the son of the king, and I have examined this tablet, and find =
that=20
although the tablet is here broken, the most probable reading is the =
son, not=20
the wife." <BR>"In Dan. v. we read, and =91Darius the Median took the =
kingdom,=20
being about threescore and two years.=92 In a second passage, however, =
this is=20
modified. We read, =91In the first year of Darius, the son of Ahasuerus, =
of the=20
seed of the Medes, which was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans, =
(ix. I);=20
and again, =91It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom a hundred and =
twenty=20
princes=92 (vi. I). Here we have an exact parallel to the case of =
Gobryas. Gobryas=20
was a Manda=97among whom were embraced the Medes, for Astyages, an =
undoubted=20
Median king, ruler of the Median capital of Ecbatana, is called . . . a =
soldier=20
of the Manda, or barbarians. He is appointed on the 3rd Marchesvan B.C. =
538=97=20
after taking the kingdom on 16th Tammuz=97'prefect of the prefects=92; =
and he=20
appoints other prefects over the kingdom. His reign did not last more =
than one=20
year, terminating in either Adar 538 or early in B.C. 537. The end is =
rendered=20
obscure by the fractures in the tablet. .<BR><STRONG><U><FONT =
color=3D#ff0000>"If,=20
then, Gubaru or Gobryas was prefect of Gutium before his conquest of =
Babylon in=20
B.C. 538, there is nothing whatever against his being a Mede; and as =
Astyages=20
was deposed by a revolt, when =91he was taken by the hands of the rebels =
and given=20
to Cyrus=92 (Chronicle Inscr.), it is very probable that Gobryas was the =
leader of=20
the conspiracy. Indeed he seems to me to fulfil in every way the =
required=20
conditions to be Darius the Mede.</FONT></U></STRONG> . . . The =
appointment of=20
the satraps does not seem exorbitantly large, nor are these to be =
confounded=20
with the satrapies of the Persian empire." </DIV>
<DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV>And finally, in his Book of Daniel (p. xxx) Professor Driver, in =
citing the=20
foregoing extract from the tablet, reads the crucial sentence thus :=97" =
On the=20
11th day of Marchesvan, during the night, Gubaru made an assault and =
slew the=20
king=92s son." And at pp. 60, 6i he writes: "After Gubaru and Cyrus had =
entered=20
Babylon he (Belshazzar) is said (according to the most probable reading) =
to have=20
been slain by Gubaru =91during the night,=92 i.e. (apparently) in some =
assault made=20
by night upon the fortress or palace to which he had withdrawn." <BR>I =
will only=20
add that, in view of the testimony of these witnesses, so thoroughly =
competent=20
and impartial, it is not easy to restrain a feeling of indignation at =
the=20
effrontery (not to use a stronger word) of Professor Sayce=92s language =
in pp.=20
525, 526 of his book. <BR>Go to Appendix 3 </DIV>
<DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV><BR>Literature | Photos | Links | Home</DIV>
<DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>This is where it all started. I was =
stunned to see=20
this linkage. Also see <A=20
href=3D"http://www.google.com/search?q=3DGobryas+manda&amp;sourceid=3Dope=
ra&amp;num=3D0&amp;ie=3Dutf-8&amp;oe=3Dutf-8">http://www.google.com/searc=
h?q=3DGobryas+manda&amp;sourceid=3Dopera&amp;num=3D0&amp;ie=3Dutf-8&amp;o=
e=3Dutf-8</A></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial =
size=3D2></FONT>&nbsp;</DIV></FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>

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