Who is the Artaxerxes from Ezra 4 that stopped the building of the temple? on the Artaxerxes of Ezra 4, and Who is the Artaxerxes of Ezra 7? on the Artaxerxes of Ezra 7 are helpful, but should not be considered duplicates as they do not address the question of a smooth chronology of the Achaemenid Emperors or do not consider both Artaxerxes' being included. The list of relevant monarchs is as follows:
| Regnal Name (source) | Date |
|---|---|
| Cyrus II | 559-530 BC |
| Cambyses II | 530-522 BC |
| Darius I | 522-486 BC |
| Xerxes | 485-465 BC |
| Artaxerxes I | 465-424 BC |
| Darius II | 424-404 BC |
| Artaxerxes II | 404-358 BC |
It seems to me that Ezra smoothly transitions to each successive monarch:
Clearly the Cyrus of 2 Chronicles 36:22 and Ezra 1:1 must be Cyrus II, as Babylon was not yet conquered under Cyrus I. Next:
Ezra 4:5-7 NASB
Then ... all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia. Now in the reign of [Xerxes], in the beginning of his reign, ... . And in the days of Artaxerxes, ... .
This Artaxerxes orders construction on the Temple to be halted (Ezra 4:21),
Ezra 4:24b
...and it was stopped until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.
This Darius allows reconstruction to continue (Ezra 6:7), and it is completed during his reign (Ezra 6:15) Then:
Ezra 7:1
Now after these things, in the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia...
This Artaxerxes goes on to support worship at the Temple (Ezra 7:17-18). This Artaxerxes does not mention allowing reconstruction of the Temple, only worship at it, which could point to the Temple already being completed, meaning he must follow a Darius who completed it.
At first glance, Ezra 1-7 seems to go through each Achaemenid monarch in order (excluding Cambyses II). However, the idea that the Artaxerxes in Ezra 7 is Artaxerxes II seems to be the significant minority, and a footnote in my print Bible claims that it is indeed Artaxerxes I.
TLDR, Question:
In Ezra 7, why is it that this is most commonly taken to be Artaxerxes I and not Artaxerxes II? Additionally, how is it that this passage is connected to the completion of the Temple under Darius by "Now after these things..." when the Temple was still uncompleted under Artaxerxes I and he did not follow Darius?
