Another Bit of Evidence

Is there archaeological evidence supporting the Bible record?  In 2014 an article in the magazine Biblical Archaeological Review addressed the question: "How many people in the Hebrew Bible have been confirmed archaeologically?" The answer given: "At least 50!"  One man who did not make the list in that article was Tattenai. Who was he?  Let us review  his brief role in the Bible record. 

Jerusalem was once part of a vast Persian Empire. The city lay in an area that the Persians called Across-the-River, that is, to the west of the Euphrates. After conquering Babylonia, the Persians released Jewish captives and authorized them to rebuild Jehovah's temple in Jerusalem. (Ezra 1:1-4) Enemies of the Jews, however, opposed the project and used it as a pretext to accuse the Jews of rebelling against Persia.  (Ezra 4:4-16) During the reign of Darius I (522-486 B.C.E.), a  Persian official named Tattenai led an inquiry into the matter. The Bible calls him "the governor of the region Beyond the River." - EZRA 5:3-7.

A number of cuneiform tablets bearing the name Tattenai have survived as part of what may have been a family archive.  The tablet links one member of his family to the Bible character is a promissory note dated to the 20th year of Darius I, 502 B.C.E. It identifies a witness to the transaction as a servant of "Tattenai, governor of Across-the-River"the same Tattenai who appears in the book of Ezra. 

Next time: Conclusion of Another Bit of Evidence

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