ANN006

The exact date of the decree

The article analyzes the decree of Artaxerxes concerning Jerusalem, organizing the biblical calendar around Daniel’s seventy prophetic weeks, which are crucial for dating the life of Jesus, without historical certainties.

16 min decree Artaxerxes Ezra prophecy chronology 14 verses 7 books

Further information

You can consult:

Introduction

This study is one of the elements of our research devoted to establishing a chronology of the life of Jesus the Messiah on the basis of Daniel’s prophecy of the seventy weeks (Daniel 9.24-27). It should be understood in connection with the other studies in this series, each of which contributes complementary historical, calendrical and biblical data. Together, these works form a coherent analysis aimed at reconstructing, as precisely as possible, the sequence of events reported in the Gospels.

The chronological study of biblical prophecies, and in particular those of Daniel and Ezra, holds a central place in understanding the history of salvation. The prophet Daniel indeed announces that “seventy weeks have been determined” for the people and for the holy city (Daniel 9.24), a period of 490 years leading up to the coming and the cutting off of the Messiah (Daniel 9.26).

Identifying the exact starting point of this prophetic count is therefore essential for any serious attempt to reconstruct the chronology of the life of Jesus Christ. Among the various hypotheses proposed, the decree attributed to King Artaxerxes, recorded in Ezra 7.8-9, appears to be one of the most plausible candidates for marking the beginning of the seventy weeks.

This study sets out to examine precisely the textual, historical and calendrical data connected with this episode. It seeks to determine the exact date of the 1st of Nisan of the seventh year of Artaxerxes, the date on which Ezra left Babylon after receiving the king’s authorization. This approach requires taking into account the constraints of the ancient Hebrew calendar, the limits of modern astronomical reconstructions, and the historical nuances of the reigns of the Persian rulers.

We pursue this analysis with the conviction expressed by Scripture that God directs the course of history and establishes the times according to his purpose:

Daniel 2.21 (King James Version) :
And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding:
King James Version (1769), domaine public — texte : eBible.org

It is in this perspective that we consider the events recorded by Ezra and Daniel: not as mere historical data, but as the elements of a meticulously arranged divine plan, whose dates bear the mark of a sovereign intention.

I. The historical sources and the chronological framework

The book of Ezra records that Ezra the priest received from King Artaxerxes official authorization to return to Jerusalem and to teach the Law of God there:

Ezra 7.8-9 (King James Version) :
And he came to Jerusalem in the fifth month, which was in the seventh year of the king.For upon the first day of the first month began he to go up from Babylon, and on the first day of the fifth month came he to Jerusalem, according to the good hand of his God upon him.
King James Version (1769), domaine public — texte : eBible.org

Persian documents and administrative practice confirm that regnal years were counted from 1 Nisan, the date of the official New Year. Since Artaxerxes acceded to the throne in 465 BC, his seventh year corresponds to 458 BC in the Julian calendar.

Ezra states:

Ezra 7.9 (King James Version) :
For upon the first day of the first month began he to go up from Babylon, and on the first day of the fifth month came he to Jerusalem, according to the good hand of his God upon him.
King James Version (1769), domaine public — texte : eBible.org

This day thus marked both the royal decree (its promulgation) and Ezra’s departure, underscoring the link between decision and execution.

II. The decree and the preparation for the departure

An expedition of such magnitude requires considerable logistical preparation. This raises the question: does 1 Nisan of the year 458 BC mark the beginning of the journey or that of the royal decree? Ezra indeed specifies that he left Babylon on the first day of the first month.

The text of Ezra indicates that the departure took place on 1 Nisan, but does not explicitly state the date on which the decree was promulgated. However, the organization of an expedition involving several thousand people presupposes significant prior preparation.

It is therefore plausible that the royal authorization was granted before that date, verbally, and that the official decree was drawn up and handed over at the time of departure. In this perspective, 1 Nisan can be regarded, from a functional point of view, as the effective date of the decree, insofar as it became operative from that moment.

This interpretation, although plausible, must be regarded as a reasonable hypothesis rather than a documentary certainty.

III. Astronomical analysis and conversion of dates

Taking into account the correspondences between the ancient Jewish calendar and civil calendars, astronomical calculations place 1 Nisan of the year 458 BC around the beginning of March, that is, approximately 4 March -458 in the proleptic Gregorian calendar (or around 6 March in the Julian calendar).

This estimate is based on the moment of the astronomical new moon, adjusted for the time needed for the actual observation of the first visible crescent, a decisive element in fixing the beginning of the month (Genesis 1.5).

However, since the people were then in exile in Babylon, it seems more likely that this observation was made there rather than in Jerusalem.

However, two hypotheses must be considered.

In a first approach, if this early-March lunation is taken as the starting point, 14 Nisan would fall before the spring equinox. Such a configuration appears hardly compatible with the agricultural and religious requirements of ancient Judaism, which imply that Passover be celebrated in the spring (Exodus 12.6).

In a second approach, it is therefore possible, and even plausible, that the religious authorities chose to postpone the beginning of the year by one lunation, by adding an intercalary month (Adar II). This practice, attested in the working of the Hebrew lunisolar calendar, made it possible to realign the feasts with the cycle of the seasons. In that case, 1 Nisan would be shifted to the beginning of April, resulting in a Passover celebrated after the equinox, in keeping with traditional practice.

Thus, the determination of 1 Nisan for the year 458 BC depends on the choice between these two models:

  • either a strictly astronomical dating, placing the beginning of Nisan in early March;
  • or a dating adjusted by intercalation, pushing the calendar back by one lunation in order to preserve the seasonal coherence of the feasts.

It is this second hypothesis that is adopted in the present study, inasmuch as it offers better coherence with the scriptural data and the practices of ancient Judaism.

The determination of the starting point, situated at the beginning of April 458 BC, remains subject to an uncertainty inherent in the methods of reconstructing the ancient Jewish calendar, which are based on the observation of the first lunar crescent.

Under these conditions, the projection of the seventy weeks leads not to a date that is rigorously certain to the day, but to a remarkable chronological convergence around the first days of April AD 33.

This precision, on the order of a few days, nonetheless appears significant in light of the margins of uncertainty usually accepted for calendar reconstructions of this period.

IV. Calculating the seventy weeks

The prophet Daniel announces:

Daniel 9.25 (King James Version) :
Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.
King James Version (1769), domaine public — texte : eBible.org

By adding the 490 prophetic years (that is, 70 × 7 years) to the date of the decree of Artaxerxes, that is, early April 458 BC, we arrive at the period of early April of AD 33, the date traditionally associated with the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

This result agrees with other data from the Gospels: Jesus, “about thirty years old” at his baptism (Luke 3.23), would have begun his public ministry around AD 29, in accordance with the chronology derived from the decree. Three and a half years later—a length of time corresponding symbolically to the “seventieth week”—the crucifixion took place, which “put an end to sacrifice and offering” (Daniel 9.27).

V. Theological significance

The link between the decree of Ezra and the resurrection of Christ underscores the internal coherence of biblical revelation. Daniel’s prophecy directly connects the restoration of Jerusalem after the Babylonian exile with the redemptive work of the Messiah:

John 3.16 (King James Version) :
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
King James Version (1769), domaine public — texte : eBible.org

This chronological thread, stretched over nearly five centuries, shows that the death and resurrection of Jesus is not an isolated event, but the culmination of a divine purpose extending from the captivity of Israel to universal redemption.

Conclusion

Examination of the texts of Ezra and Daniel reveals an exact concordance between the historical data and the prophetic announcements. The decree of Artaxerxes, dated to the beginning of April 458 BC, marks the beginning of the seventy weeks announced to Daniel. By adding the 490 years determined, we reach the date of the beginning of April AD 33, corresponding, according to our analyses, to the exact period of the rejection, crucifixion and resurrection of the Messiah Jesus.

Thus, biblical chronology testifies to an unchanging divine plan:

Galatians 4.4 (King James Version) :
But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,
King James Version (1769), domaine public — texte : eBible.org

Previous study ANN004: The date of Jesus’ birth.

Next study ANN045: The debate over the date of Jesus’ death.