Nabonidus

Life

Nabonidus came to the throne during a period of brief successive reigns that followed the death of Nebuchadnezzar II. He is believed to have become king in 556 BC, after the young king Labashi-Marduk was removed in a palace coup. He appears not to have been of royal lineage. Inscriptions record that his mother, Adad-guppi, was a devoted worshiper of Sin, the moon god of Harran.

In the middle of his reign he resided for about ten years at Tayma, an oasis city in northwestern Arabia. During that time his son Belshazzar governed the capital, Babylon. The empire fell in 539 BC when Cyrus of Persia captured Babylon. What became of Nabonidus afterward is unclear. The Babylonian priest Berossus reports that Cyrus spared his life and sent him to the region of Carmania.

Work and Achievements

Nabonidus gave special honor to the moon god Sin. In restoring a number of ancient temples, including the rebuilding of the temple at Harran, he searched for and recorded old foundation stones and inscriptions. For this reason he is sometimes called "the first archaeologist."

On the other hand, during his long absence the New Year festival of Marduk, the chief god of Babylon, could not be held. This aroused the resentment of the Babylonian priesthood. The Cyrus Cylinder, a text produced by Cyrus's side, portrays him as a king who neglected the gods. Many scholars, however, regard this text as largely a conqueror's propaganda.

Influence on the Korean Church

Nabonidus is mentioned chiefly in discussions of the historicity of the Book of Daniel rather than in the biblical text itself. Before the nineteenth century, the name Belshazzar had not been attested in any extrabiblical record, and critics therefore argued that the Belshazzar of Daniel 5 was not a historical figure. Later, the Nabonidus Cylinder inscription discovered at Ur was found to name his eldest son Belshazzar, and other documents showed that Belshazzar had ruled Babylon in his father's place.

On this basis, conservative interpreters explain the passages in Daniel 5:7 and 5:29 in which Belshazzar promises Daniel the position of "third ruler" in the kingdom: Nabonidus was first and Belshazzar second. This explanation is commonly presented in Korean church expositions of Daniel and in works of biblical apologetics.

Assessment

Scholarly assessments are divided. Conservative scholars regard the discovery of inscriptions relating to Nabonidus as evidence supporting the accuracy of the Book of Daniel.

Critical scholars focus on other points: the Book of Daniel does not mention Nabonidus, and it calls Belshazzar "king" and the son of Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 5:2). On this basis they conclude that the Book of Daniel was written at a later date. Conservatives respond that "father" may be an expression referring to a predecessor on the throne or an ancestor.

A fragment among the Dead Sea Scrolls known as the "Prayer of Nabonidus" is also a subject of discussion. This fragment relates that the king suffered from an illness for seven years at Tayma and was healed with the help of a Jewish man. Some scholars see this tradition as related to the account of Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 4, though others disagree.