Arsames Correspondence (Bodleian Aramaic Letters)
Leather letters of a Persian satrap of Egypt written in the same official Aramaic as Ezra
Found 1932 — Surfaced in Berlin in the 1930s (associated with Ludwig Borchardt) and acquired by the Bodleian Library, Oxford, during the Second World War; published by G. R. Driver in 1954
Where Egypt (probably Memphis region) (Egypt)
Dates from c. 410–407 BCE (later 5th century) · Achaemenid Persian · Generation after Nehemiah; the Aramaic letters of Ezra 4–7
Now at Bodleian Library, University of Oxford (Pell. Aram. I–XIII)
How Arsames Correspondence (Bodleian Aramaic Letters) was found
Leather letters (14 well preserved and 12 very fragmentary items) with clay sealings and pieces of two leather bags, apparently from the papers of Nakhthor, steward of the satrap Arshama's Egyptian estates. Exact findspot unknown.
What it is
Thirteen letters in Imperial Aramaic written on leather, sent by Arsames (Arshama), the Persian prince who governed Egypt, to his stewards about estates, slaves, sculptors and travel rations. Clay bullae bear Arsames' seal.
Why it matters for the Bible
These are the best-preserved official letters of a Persian satrap and they use the same formulas, titles and Aramaic style found in the royal correspondence quoted in Ezra 4–7 and in Nehemiah's letters of passage. Arsames also appears in the Elephantine papyri as the absent governor to whom the Jews complained. The letters show that Ezra's Aramaic documents fit the language and bureaucracy of the 5th century BCE.
The Hebrew word: nish-te-VAHN
נִשְׁתְּוָן
נִשְׁתְּוָן is pronounced nish-te-VAHN and means official letter or decree (a Persian loanword used in Ezra 4:7 and 7:11) (Strong's H5406).
People this discovery connects to
- Artaxerxes — אַרְתַּחְשַׁסְתְּא (ar-tach-SHAHST) — Persian Artakhshacha, 'whose reign is through truth'
Places
- Egypt — מִצְרַיִם (mits-RAH-yim) — Egypt
Events
Persian provincial correspondence · Royal letters authorizing Ezra and Nehemiah
Arsames Correspondence (Bodleian Aramaic Letters) in Scripture
Ezra 4:7-8 Ezra quotes an Aramaic letter to Artaxerxes; the Arsames letters show the real form of such Persian-era Aramaic correspondence. (First mention of Artaxerxes.)
Ezra 7:12 The opening formula of Artaxerxes' letter to Ezra matches the style of Persian official letters.
Nehemiah 2:7-8 Nehemiah requests letters to governors 'beyond the River' and to the keeper of the king's forest; Arsames writes similar travel and supply orders.
Questions people ask
What is Arsames Correspondence (Bodleian Aramaic Letters)?
Thirteen letters in Imperial Aramaic written on leather, sent by Arsames (Arshama), the Persian prince who governed Egypt, to his stewards about estates, slaves, sculptors and travel rations. Clay bullae bear Arsames' seal.
When was Arsames Correspondence (Bodleian Aramaic Letters) discovered?
It was found in 1932 by Surfaced in Berlin in the 1930s (associated with Ludwig Borchardt) and acquired by the Bodleian Library, Oxford, during the Second World War; published by G. R. Driver in 1954, at Egypt (probably Memphis region).
Where is Arsames Correspondence (Bodleian Aramaic Letters) today?
Bodleian Library, University of Oxford (Pell. Aram. I–XIII).
Which Bible verses does Arsames Correspondence (Bodleian Aramaic Letters) relate to?
Ezra 4:7-8, Ezra 7:12, Nehemiah 2:7-8.
Related discoveries
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- מָשִׁיחַMagdalen Papyrus P64 (with P67)Three scraps of Matthew 26 once claimed to be 'eyewitness-era' — the claim did not hold
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- בֵּית דָּוִדTel Dan SteleAramean victory inscription naming the 'House of David'
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Sources
- Driver, Aramaic Documents of the Fifth Century B.C. (1954; rev. 1965)
- Tuplin and Ma (eds.), Aršāma and his World: The Bodleian Letters in Context (2020)
- Ma, 'The Arshama Letters from the Bodleian Library, Vol. 1: Introduction' (Bodleian, 2013)
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