Dr. Steven D. Anderson
Dr. Steven D. Anderson
Most popular
Darius the Mede:
A Reappraisal
This book is a revision of my Ph.D. dissertation by the same title. It offers a solution to one of the most vexing problems in Old Testament scholarship, which is the identity of Darius the Mede. For a summary of the thesis of the book and major supporting arguments, see this blog post. Some arguments are also summarized in this article published in Bibliotheca Sacra.
“Perhaps the most intractable problem surrounding the authenticity of Daniel has been to establish the existence of a Median king who can be positively identified as Darius the Mede. In 2014, this problem seems to have been definitively solved by Steven Anderson. . . . the cumulative force of the ancient evidence permits little doubt that the Median king Cyaxares II was Darius the Mede.”
Dr. Kirk MacGregor
Reviews
“The identification of Darius the Mede has been an age-old problem for those doing serious study in the Book of Daniel. . . . Though not the first to suggest that Darius the Mede is an alternative name (a throne name?) for Cyaxares II, Anderson's masterful work is certainly the most thorough and convincing treatment of this position to date. . . . Whether one agrees with Anderson's conclusions or not (I personally feel he is probably right), anyone wanting to explore this issue in-depth cannot afford to ignore this important contribution to Danielic scholarship. An excellent work and highly recommended!”
Dr. J. Paul Tanner
“It is hoped that researchers and writers will be open to the insights that Anderson’s research provides for understanding the book of Daniel and historical circumstances related to the end of the Neo-Babylonian Empire.”
Rodger C. Young, in a 2021 JETS article
