End of History and the Last King

<p>This book examines community identity in the post-exilic temple community in Ezra-Nehemiah and explores the possible influences that the Achaemenids the ruling Persian dynasty might have had on its construction. In the book David Janzen reads Ezra-Nehemiah in dialogue with the Achaemenids' Old Persian inscriptions as well as with other media the dynasty used such as reliefs seals coins architecture and imperial parks. In addition he discusses the cultural and religious background of Achaemenid thought especially its intersections with Zoroastrian beliefs.</p>