Darius

2 definitions found

From Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary [easton]:

  Darius
     the holder or supporter, the name of several Persian kings. (1.)
     Darius the Mede (Dan. 11:1), "the son of Ahasuerus, of the seed
     of the Medes" (9:1). On the death of Belshazzar the Chaldean he
     "received the kingdom" of Babylon as viceroy from Cyrus. During
     his brief reign (B.C. 538-536) Daniel was promoted to the


     highest dignity (Dan. 6:1, 2); but on account of the malice of
     his enemies he was cast into the den of lions. After his
     miraculous escape, a decree was issued by Darius enjoining
     "reverence for the God of Daniel" (6:26). This king was probably
     the "Astyages" of the Greek historians. Nothing can, however, be
     with certainty affirmed regarding him. Some are of opinion that
     the name "Darius" is simply a name of office, equivalent to
     "governor," and that the "Gobryas" of the inscriptions was the
     person intended by the name.
     
       (2.) Darius, king of Persia, was the son of Hystaspes, of the
     royal family of the Achaemenidae. He did not immediately succeed
     Cyrus on the throne. There were two intermediate kings, viz.,
     Cambyses (the Ahasuerus of Ezra), the son of Cyrus, who reigned
     from B.C. 529-522, and was succeeded by a usurper named Smerdis,
     who occupied the throne only ten months, and was succeeded by
     this Darius (B.C. 521-486). Smerdis was a Margian, and therefore
     had no sympathy with Cyrus and Cambyses in the manner in which
     they had treated the Jews. He issued a decree prohibiting the
     restoration of the temple and of Jerusalem (Ezra 4:17-22). But
     soon after his death and the accession of Darius, the Jews
     resumed their work, thinking that the edict of Smerdis would be
     now null and void, as Darius was in known harmony with the
     religious policy of Cyrus. The enemies of the Jews lost no time
     in bringing the matter under the notice of Darius, who caused
     search to be made for the decree of Cyrus (q.v.). It was not
     found at Babylon, but at Achmetha (Ezra 6:2); and Darius
     forthwith issued a new decree, giving the Jews full liberty to
     prosecute their work, at the same time requiring the Syrian
     satrap and his subordinates to give them all needed help. It was
     with the army of this king that the Greeks fought the famous
     battle of Marathon (B.C. 490). During his reign the Jews enjoyed
     much peace and prosperity. He was succeeded by Ahasuerus, known
     to the Greeks as Xerxes, who reigned for twenty-one years.
     
       (3.) Darius the Persian (Neh. 12:22) was probably the Darius
     II. (Ochus or Nothus) of profane history, the son of Artaxerxes
     Longimanus, who was the son and successor of Ahasuerus (Xerxes).
     There are some, however, who think that the king here meant was
     Darius III. (Codomannus), the antagonist of Alexander the Great
     (B.C. 336-331).
     

From Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary (late 1800's) [hitchcock]:

  Darius, he that informs himself