Category: People of Significance

People in history who played a key role in defining the Messiah.

What Happens When GOD Names Someone?

Posted on by K.B. Vogelman

What Happens When GOD Names Someone?

 

When God named someone the few times in Hebrew history, it was associated with greatness and long-term blessings. What does that say about Jesus of Nazareth?

According to the Book of Genesis, God may have named the first man, “Adam,” but he is not recorded as being specifically named by God. “Eve,” on the other hand, was named by Adam.[1] The first persons named by God came not until after the days of Noah.

As a 75-year old man, God instructed Abram to move with his family to the land of Canaan promising “…and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”[2] Faithfully, Abram complied and eventually settled near the city of Salem and the mounts of Moriah.

Abram and his wife, Sarai, decided that due to their old age, the only way for them to have a son was to father a child with Sarai’s servant, an Egyptian named Hagar.[3] Once Hagar became pregnant, both women despised each other placing Hagar in difficult position.

Sarai blamed Abram of creating the situation by making Hagar pregnant. Abram responded by telling telling Sarai that since Hagar was her servant, she could do with Hagar as she wished.

Consequently, Hagar was treated harshly to the point she ran away. God then sent an angel to Hagar telling her to return and obey Saria and then she would be blessed through her son whom God named Ishmael:

Gen. 16:11-13 “And the Angel of the LORD said to her: ‘Behold, you are with child, And you shall bear a son. You shall call his name Ishmael, Because the LORD has heard your affliction…Return to your mistress, and submit yourself under her hand… I will multiply your descendants exceedingly, so that they shall not be counted for multitude.’”(NKJV) [4]

Hagar had given birth to Ishmael when Abram was 86 years old and he lived as part of Abram’s family for more than 13 years until the time came for the next chapter in Abram’s life. [5] Ishmael went on to marry an Egyptian girl and was blessed with 12 sons who would become princes of their tribes.[6]

At the age of 99, God appeared to Abram confirming His promise 24 years earlier.[7] Adding to the promise, the message from God was 3-fold:

Gen. 17:5-6 “No longer shall your name be called Abram, But your name shall be Abraham; For I will make you the father of a multitude of nations.  I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make nations of you, and kings will come forth from you.” (NASB)

Gen. 17: 15-16 “…As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. I will bless her, and indeed I will give you a son by her. Then I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her.”

Gen. 17:19 “…Sarah your wife will bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; and I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him.”

Isaac married Rebekah to whom were born twins, Esau and Jacob. A famine came upon the land and God warned Isaac not to go to Egypt as his father had once done to escape a famine meanwhile assuring Isaac of His blessing:

Gen. 26:3 “Dwell in this land, and I will be with you and bless you; for to you and your descendants I give all these lands, and I will perform the oath which I swore to Abraham your father. And I will make your descendants multiply as the stars of heaven; I will give to your descendants all these lands; and in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed; because Abraham obeyed My voice and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws.”

Hiding in exile for 20 years because Esau wanted to kill Jacob for stealing his firstborn birthright blessing, Jacob decided to go back home. Before entering the land of Abraham, Jacob’s family camped at a place called Bethel.[8] That night, Jacob wrestled with a Man whom, at the end of the night, said:

Gen. 32:28 “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; for you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed.”(NKJV)[9]

Peace came unexpectedly with Esau who actually greeted Jacob with open arms and he decided to settle in the land of Canaan. God later sent Jacob back to Bethel instructing him to build an altar. Returning home, he received another reaffirming message from God:

Gen. 35: 10-12 “God said to him, “Your name is Jacob; no longer shall you be called Jacob, but Israel shall be your name.” … “I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall come from you, and kings shall spring from you. The land that I gave to Abraham and Isaac I will give to you, and I will give the land to your offspring after you.”(NRSV)

Gabriel, known in Biblical history as the archangel messenger of God, appeared to Daniel to interpret his visions. Centuries later, Gabriel appeared to Zechariah; to Mary in Luke: then to Joseph in Matthew.[10]

Zechariah was a priest serving in the Temple and was chosen to represent his “division” of priests to burn incense to God. Gabriel later appeared to Zechariah in the Temple and delivered a message from God:  Elizabeth would become pregnant and they were to name their son, “John” (later known as John the Baptist).

LK 1:13 “But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will name him John.” (NRSV)

Six months later, Gabriel appeared to Mary with a message saying she would miraculously conceive a baby by the Holy Spirit who was to be named “Jesus,” the promised Messiah. Three months later Joseph, her betrothal, received a similar message from Gabriel telling him that Mary’s surprise pregnancy was by the Holy Spirit and the baby was to be named “Jesus”:

LK 1:26-33 “Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. And coming in, he said to her, ‘Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.’ … ‘Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God.’ And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.’” (NASB)

MT 1:20-21 “…behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. “She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” (NASB)

Separate messages from God to both Mary and Joseph instructed each of them to name their baby, “Jesus.” What does this say about the significance of God naming Jesus?

 

Updated February 18, 2023.

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REFERENCES:

[1] Genesis 2:20, 3:20. Edersheim, Alfred. The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah. 1883. Book II, Chapter 4. <http://philologos.org/__eb-lat/default.htm>
[2] Genesis 12 ; Genesis 12:3. NASB, NKJV, NRSV.
[3] Genesis 25.
[4] CR Genesis 17, 21.
[5] Genesis 16.
[6] Genesis 16, 25; I Chronicles 1. “The 12 Tribes of Ishmael.” Nabatea.net. n.d. <http://nabataea.net/12tribes.html>
[7] “Abraham.”  BBC | Religion. 2009. <http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/judaism/history/abraham_1.shtml>  “Analysis: Story of Abraham and His Relevance to Islam, Judaism and Christianity.” NPR. 2018. <https://www.npr.org/programs/totn/transcripts/2002/sep/020924.feiler.html> “Why do so many people have the same names?” Connected Isolation. photo. 2016. <https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-v9_D0TUdo2w/V8MBqiMgC1I/AAAAAAAABII/K5yN7DmpERIVf-1i-Txwkr4jkdPHgss0ACLcB/s1600/names.png> 
[8] Genesis 33, 35.
[9] CR Genesis 35.
[10] Luke 1; Daniel 8, 9. “Uriel.” Jewish Encyclopedia. 2011. <http://jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/14606-uriel>  “Gabriel (Archangel).” New World Encyclopedia. 2017. <http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Gabriel_(Archangel)>

Jacob – Connection to the Messiah

Posted on by K.B. Vogelman

Jacob – Connection to the Messiah?

 

Jacob, the grandson of Abraham, is far removed from Jesus of Nazareth having lived some 2000 years earlier. Two millennia later, there was still a strong connection of Jacob to the Messiah and the story of Jesus of Nazareth.

Knowing how God viewed Jacob is key, first demonstrated by God’s introduction of Himself. Five times in Exodus this phase is stated with a reference to God:  “the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.”[1]

Moses was hesitant about being sent to confront Pharaoh and deliver the Hebrews from the bondage of Egypt. When he ventured to ask the Voice coming from the burning bush what he should say if asked who sent him to lead Israel out of Egypt, God’s resounding response:

EX 3:14-15 “I AM WHO I AM”; and He said, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.” God, furthermore, said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’”. (NASB)

Jesus himself quoted these same words from Exodus as proof of resurrection of the dead when God spoke of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the present tense: 

MK 12:26 “…Moses showed in the burning bush passage that the dead are raised, when he called the Lord ‘the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’”(NKJV)[2]

Promises made, promises not forgotten. As the backdrop, God had promised Jacob the same blessings given to his father, Isaac, and grandfather, Abraham. Blessing Jacob, God also changed his name: [3]

Gen. 35:10-11 God said to him, “Your name is Jacob. Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel shall be your name.” And He named him Israel. And God said to him, “I am the Almighty God; be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a multitude of nations shall come into existence from you, and kings shall come forth from your loins.(CJV)

Jacob would be called Israel, in Hebrew, Yisra’el, meaning “God Prevails.”[4] As time went on, Israel’s sons would become known as the fathers of the 12 tribes Israel.[5] To this day 4000 years later, Israel is the name of the Hebrew nation.

Jacob’s role in the story of the Messiah includes a specific blessing and prophecy of his own. Before he died, Jacob blessed each of his sons and foretold their future. Specifically for Judah:[6]

Gen. 49:8-10 Judah, [as for] you, your brothers will acknowledge you. Your hand will be at the nape of your enemies, [and] your father’s sons will prostrate themselves to you. A cub [and] a grown lion is Judah. From the prey, my son, you withdrew. He crouched, rested like a lion, and like a lion, who will rouse him? The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the student of the law from between his feet, until Shiloh comes, and to him will be a gathering of peoples. (CJV)

Rabbi Rashi, one of Judaism’s most revered scriptural interpreters, identified “Shiloh” as the “King Messiah, to whom the kingdom belongs” and “the scepter” refers to the royal lineage of “David and thereafter.” [7] According to Rashi, the prophetic blessing of Judah by his father Jacob was a pretext to the establishment of the kingdom of David.

“The scepter” (also interpreted as “the staff”) reappears over 400 years later in another prophecy tied to Jacob. Moab King Balak, an enemy of Israel, sought to have a curse placed on the Hebrew nation by the prophet Balaam. Instead, the response from God through Balaam was a prophecy linked to Jacob, a Star and the Scepter:

Num 24:17 “”I see Him, but not now; I behold Him, but not near; a Star shall come out of Jacob; a Scepter shall rise out of Israel, and batter the brow of Moab, and destroy all the sons of tumult.” (NKJV)

In Balaam’s prophecy, Rashi interpreted “the scepter” referred to King David. “The Star” shooting forth from Jacob he interpreted to mean, “As the Targum [Onkelos] renders, an expression similar to ‘He has bent his bow’ (Lam. 2:4), for a star shoots out like an arrow; in old French, destent, as if to say, his good fortune shall rise [prosper].”[8]

Promises made to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were partially fulfilled when Israel conquered the land of Canaan and established a kingdom ruled by King David from the tribe of Judah.[9] Prophet Nathan prophesied to David that his kingdom would become the throne for the kingdom of God forever. [10]

Hebrew prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, Zechariah, Ezekiel, Micah and Malachi would add more specific details about the One who would come forth from Jacob.[11] They would include characteristics of the Messiah and predict the circumstances of his birth, life and death.

One more prophecy brought together the promises and predictions about the house of Jacob – Israel. It came from God’s own personal messenger, the archangel Gabriel, who announced to Mary:

LK 1:31-33 “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.”

Gabriel proclaimed, according to Luke, that the promise made to Jacob and the prophecies from the prophets would be fulfilled when Mary would give birth to the Son of God who would be given the throne of David to reign over the house of Jacob forever.

Jacob’s name is woven into the story of the Messiah from start to finish. Where would the promise of the Messiah be without a connection to Jacob?

 

Updated November 25, 2023.

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Translations:

NASB: New American Standard Bible
NET: NetBible
NIV: New International Version
NLT: New Living Translation
NKJV: New King James Version
NRSV: New Revised Standard Version

REFERENCES:

[1] Exodus 3:6, 14-16; 4:5; 33:1. NET, NIV, NASB, NLT, NRSV, NKJV.
[2] Matthew 22:31-32; Luke 20:36-38. CR Matthew 8; Luke 13.
[3] CR Genesis 50; Exodus 33; Deuteronomy 1, 9, 30; I Chronicles 16; Jeremiah 33.
[4] NetBible.org. Hebrew text. Yisra’el <03478> Lexicon-Concordance Online Bible. n.d <http://lexiconcordance.com/hebrew/3478.html>  CR Isaiah 43, 45.
[5] I Chronicles 2:1-12; 2 Kings 17.  “Twelve Tribes of Israel.” Encyclopædia Britannica. 2018. <https://www.britannica.com/topic/Twelve-Tribes-of-Israel>  Posner, Yecheskel. “12 Tribes of Israel: The Shevatim.” n.d. <https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/3798842/jewish/12-Tribes-of-Israel-The-Shevatim.htm>  “Ancient Jewish History: The Twelve Tribes of Israel.” Jewish Virtual Library. 2018. <https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/the-twelve-tribes-of-israel>
[6] Genesis 49. Lion of Judah (no title). Dahsom’s Blog. photo. 2019. <https://www.morninghope.com/genesis-49-jacob-blesses-his-sons-and-dies> 
[7] Genesis 49:10. Rashi commentary. The Compete Jewish Bible – with Rashi Commentary. <https://www.chabad.org/library/bible_cdo/aid/8244#showrashi=true> Mindel, Nissan. “Rashi (Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki).” <http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/111831/jewish/Rabbi-Shlomo-Yitzchaki-Rashi.htm>
[8] Numbers 24:17 Rashi commentary. Complete Jewish Bible with Rashi Commentary. <https://www.chabad.org/library/bible_cdo/aid/9952#showrashi=true>
[9] 2 Samuel 5; 1 Chronicles 11.  Josephus. Antiquites of the Jews. Book VII, Chapter III.2.
[10] 2 Samuel 7:12 CR I Chronicles 17.
[11] Isaiah 2, 9, 10, 11, 20, 44, 46, 49, 58, 59, 60. Jeremiah 23, 30, 31, 33; Zechariah 3, 6, 12. Ezekiel 39. Micah 5. Malachi 3.

Daniel, Chief of Wise Men – a Hebrew Magi?

Posted on by K.B. Vogelman

Daniel, Chief of Wise Men – a Hebrew Magi?

 

Magi from the East, known by a name that is the root word for “magic,” seems at complete odds with a Jewish Messiah account about Jesus of Nazareth. Perhaps surprisingly, there is a Jewish connection with these mystics from the East.

King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had wiped out Jerusalem, raided the Temple, and ended the House of David’s succession of sitting kings. Treasures taken as spoils of war included Hebrew people with particular desired qualities.[1]

As a captured Hebrew lad, Daniel and three other Hebrew boys were chosen to be educated in the school for Chaldeans to serve King Nebuchadnezzar. They would join an eclectic group of royal wise men known as the chakkiym, a cabal that included “the magicians, the astrologers, the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans.”[2]

Chakkiym literally means “wise men” or simply “wise.”[3] Two other words, Aramaic kisday and Hebrew Kisdiy, each having the same meaning of “Clod-breakers,” are both specifically translated as “Chaldean.”[4] Kisday appears in the Bible only in the first five chapters of the Book of Daniel.

One day Nebuchadnezzar challenged the chakkiym to interpret his dream.[5] Gladly they agreed … of course, once Nebuchadnezzar revealed his dream.

Suspicious, the king said to the chakkiym that if they truly had mystical powers, they should be able to know the dream itself as well as its interpretation. Under the threat of death and destruction, the chakkiym were commanded to reveal both the dream and its interpretation.

Realizing they were backed into a corner, the Chaldeans informed the King that his request was impossible because no one could do what he was asking. In a fit of rage, Nebuchadnezzar ordered all the chakkiym to be executed.

All this was unknown to Daniel until Arioch, captain of the King’s guard, came to arrest and execute him as one of the kingdom’s chakkiym. Surprised by this nasty, unexpected turn of events, Daniel asked Arioch for details and then convinced him to be allowed to approach the King.

Nebuchadnezzar granted a days’ reprieve and that night Daniel with his friends prayed for the revelation of the dream. Next day Daniel said to King Nebuchadnezzar, “The secret which the king has demanded, the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, and the soothsayers cannot declare to the king. But there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets…”[6]

Daniel then revealed both the King’s dream and its interpretation. Completely humbled, Nebuchadnezzar was in awe and the King bowed down to Daniel, then rewarded him with riches and authority.

Nebuchadnezzar made Daniel head of all the kingdom’s chakkiym.[7] According to the prophet Jeremiah, the name for this chief position of the wise men in Babylon was called Rab-mag.[8]

Hebrew Word Study defines the word Rab-mag as “a foreign word for Magian.” Strong’s definition is “a foreign word for a Magian; chief Magian; Rab-Mag, a Babylonian official.”[9]

Handwriting on the palace wall appeared during Babylonian ruler Belshazzar’s drunken party. At the urging of Belshazzar’s wife, Daniel was summoned to interpret the message.

Daniel’s interpretation of the message foretold the Babylonian kingdom would be overthrown – it happened that very night.[10] It is the last time the word chakkiym appears in the Bible.[11]

Chaldeans did not disappear with the takeover by the Persians. Over the 500 years before the birth of Jesus of Nazareth, abilities and skills of the Chaldeans were recognized by the Persians, the Greeks and the Romans.

Wise men Chaldeans and Persians sages meshed well with their mystical reputations. Daniel’s reputation in Babylon landed him in a position as a top leader in the Persian kingdom ruled by King Cyrus, foretold by prophet Isaiah.[12]

Cyrus, aka Cyrus II or Cyrus the Great (580 – c. 529), King of the Persian Empire, espoused Zoroastrianism as the main religion.[13] Zoroastrian priests known as Magi, like the chakkiym, were viewed as wise men and considered to have great royal influence in political affairs.[14]

Pythagoras (c. 570-499 BC), a Greek philosopher and mathematician said he “journeyed among the Chaldaeans and Magi” to learn their ways.[15] Xenophon (c. 430-350 BC), a Greek intellect, wrote of Cyrus’s rule, “Influences of the Magi, continued in force with each successive king even to this day.”[16]

Herodotus (c. 484-420 BC), a Greek historian, gave an account corroborated by historian Flavius Josephus of a Magus who attempted a silent coup through trickery. It paved the way to Darius ultimately to become a Persian ruler.[17]

Darius, aka Darius I or Darius the Great (522-486 BC), assigned Daniel as one of the three top government positions over the satraps (province governors and chiefs) with the intention to place Daniel as administrator over all of them.[18] His two jealous counterparts conspired to have Daniel eliminated setting the stage for the famed story of Daniel in the lion’s den.

Other noted Hellenistic era Greeks provided additional insights to these mysterious wise men of Babylon and Persia.[19] Accounts of Chaldeans and Magi reveal striking similarities between them.[20]

Plato (circa 428-347 BC), the famed Greek philosopher, called the Magi “king-makers.” He also wrote that a king’s son at the age of 14 is taught “the magian lore of Zoroaster.”[21]

Cicero (106-43 BC), the famed Roman orator and lawyer, identified Magi as Persians.[22] Roman Historian Diodorus (c. 75-20 BC) wrote, “the Chaldeans in Babylon and the other astrologers succeed in making accurate prophecies.”[23]

Coexisting with the Roman Empire at the end of the millennium was the Parthian Empire. Considered by some to be the second Persian Empire, the Parthians also treated wise men and Magi with high regard.[24]

Renowned Greek historian, Strabo (c. 64 BC – 21 AD) lived in the same era as Jesus of Nazareth. He referenced Poseidonius, a Greek philosopher, saying “the Council of the Parthians, according to Poseidonius, consists of two groups, one that of kinsmen, and the other that of wise men and Magi, from both of which groups the kings were appointed.”[26]

“And the priests of the Egyptians, the Chaldeans, and Magi, distinguished for their wisdom above those around them, obtained from our predecessors honour and authority…” – Strabo [27]

Throughout the centuries, Magi and Chaldean wise men had a reputation for their ability to forecast the future, as king-makers, and their astronomy abilities. When the Magi came to the Jerusalem palace of Herod, without hesitation the King granted them immediate access and did not question their request.

MT 2:2 “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews?” the Magi asked, because they had “seen his star and came to worship him.” (NASB, NKJV)

Daniel was the head of the Babylonian wise men, a Rab-mag, then in the succeeding Persian Empire, he was a top official that included the Magi. Can the conclusion be drawn that Daniel was a Hebrew Magi?

 

Updated January 6, 2024.

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

REFERENCES:

[1] Daniel 1. CR Jeremiah 22:25; Habakkuk 1:6.
[2] Daniel 2:2. NKJV. “How Accurate is the Calendar at this Website?” Church of God Study Forum.n.d. <http://www.cgsf.org/dbeattie/calendar/about>  Cohen, Stephen. Calligraphy. “Daniel.” photo. 2016. <https://images.search.yahoo.com/yhs/search;_ylt=AwrEePCFCi5jwWoAmwcPxQt.;_ylu=Y29sbwNiZjEEcG9zAzEEdnRpZAMEc2VjA3BpdnM->?p=hebrew+Daniel+images&type=sdff_9527_FFW_ZZ&hsimp=yhs-3&hspart=iba&grd=1&ei=UTF-8&fr=yhs-iba-3#id=1&iurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.judaicalligraphy.com%2FDaniel.jpg&action=click> 
[3] Daniel 2:12. Net.bible.org. Hebrew text. “chakkiym 02445.”  2445. LexiConcordance.c0m.
[4] Daniel 1:4. Net.bible.org. Hebrew text. kasdiy <03778>  Daniel 2:12. Net.bible.org. Hebrew text. “kasday <3779>” 3778. LexiConcordance.c0m.  3779 LexiConcordance.c0m.   Guisepi, Robert. “The Chaldeans, The Chaldeans (Neo-Babylonian) Empire.” International World History Project. Ed. Robert A. Guisepi. 2007. <http://history-world.org/chaldeans.htm> “Chaldea.” Encyclopædia Britannica. 2018. <https://www.britannica.com/place/Chaldea>
[5] Daniel 2.
[6] Daniel 2:27. NKJV.
[7] Daniel 2:46-48.
[8] Jeremiah 39:3, 13.
[9] RabMag H72348. Hebrew Bible Lexicon. http://lexiconcordance.com/search6.asp?sw=7248&sm=0&x=29&y=12>
[10] Daniel 5.  CR Isaiah 13; Jeremiah 25:12.  Herodotus. The Histories. 1.191-193; 4.1. <http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0126%3Abook%3D1%3Achapter%3D1>
[11] Daniel 5:15.
[12] Isaiah 45:1; Daniel 6. CR Daniel 9, 10.
[13] Hooker, Richard. “Mesopotamia: The Persians.” Washington State University. 1996. <http://web.archive.org/web/20110514001358/http://www.wsu.edu/~dee/MESO/PERSIANS.HTM> CYRUS ii. Cyrus I.  Encyclopædia Iranica. 2021. <https://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/cyrus-ii>  Cyrus. JewishEncyclopedia.com. <https://jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/4828-cyrus>  Cyrus the Great. Encyclopedia Britannica. 2021. <https://www.britannica.com/biography/Cyrus-the-Great> “Zoroastrianism.”  ReligionFacts.com. 2018. <http://www.religionfacts.com/zoroastrianism/index.htm> “Zoroastrianism.” PersianEmpire.info. 2007. <http://persianempire.info/zoro.htm>  Hooker, Richard. “Mesopotamia: The Persians.” Washington State University. 1996. <http://web.archive.org/web/20110514001358/http://www.wsu.edu/~dee/MESO/PERSIANS.HTM> “Zoroaster.” Encyclopædia.com. 2016. <https://www.encyclopedia.com/people/philosophy-and-religion/ancient-religion-biographies/zoroaster> Gascoigne, Bamber.  “History of Zoroastrianism.”  HistoryWorld.net. n.d. <http://www.historyworld.net/wrldhis/PlainTextHistories.asp?historyid=ab71>  “Zoroastrianism.”  BBC|The British Broadcasting Corporation. 2009. <http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/zoroastrian> Eduljee, K. E. “Greek Perceptions of Zoroaster, Zoroastrianism & the Magi.” Zoroastrian Heritage. 2011. <http://zoroastrianheritage.blogspot.com/2011/04/greek-perceptions-of-zoroaster.html>  “Zoroastrianism.” BBC|The British Broadcasting Corporation. 2009. “The Archaemenian.”<http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/zoroastrian> Jafarey, Ali Akbar.  “The Achaemenians, Zoroastrians in Transition.”  CAIS|The Circle of Ancient Iranian Studies. 1998.  <http://www.cais-soas.com/CAIS/Religions/iranian/Zarathushtrian/achaemenian_zarathushtrian.htm> Soules, Jeremiah. “For the Glory of Ahuramazda:  The Political Effects of Zoroastrianism on Early Achaemenid Persia.” University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire. 2010. pp. 18-21. <http://minds.wisconsin.edu/handle/1793/60912?show=full>
[14] Herodotus, The Histories. Book 3, Chapters 30, 60-79. <http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0126:book=3:chapter=30&highlight=smerdis >  Plato. Republic.  Book 9, section 572e. <http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0168:book=9:section=572e&highlight=magi>
[15] Laertius, Diogenes. Lives of Eminent Philosophers. 8.1; 9/7. <http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0258:book=9:chapter=7&highlight=Magians%2C> “Pythagoras.” Encyclopædia Britannica. 2018. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Pythagoras>  “Cyrus takes Babylon.” Livius.org. Ed. Jona Lendering. 2018. <http://www.livius.org/sources/content/herodotus/cyrus-takes-babylon>
[16] Xenophon. Cyropaedia. Walter Miller, Ed. c.370 BC. 4.5; .8.1. <http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Xen.+Cyrop.+1.1&fromdoc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0204>“Xenophon.” Encyclopædia Britannica. 2018. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Xenophon>
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