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Nehemiahנחמיה
445 BCE – 415 BCE · Persia/JerusalemSecond Temple
Description
Nehemiah is the central figure of the Book of Nehemiah, which describes his work in rebuilding Jerusalem during the Second Temple period as the governor of Yehud Medinata, the autonomous province of Judea within the Achaemenid Empire, under Artaxerxes I.
Facts
| Born | c. 473 BC, Judea, Persian Empire |
| Died | c. 403 BC (aged 70), Judea, Persian Empire |
| Honored in | Eastern Orthodox Church |
| Feast | 13 July (Catholic), Sunday of the Holy Forefathers (Orthodox) |
Life & work in brief
Summarised by section — one row per topic, for fast reading.
| Topic | Summary |
|---|---|
| Book of Nehemiah narrative | In the 20th year (445 or 444 BC) of the reign of Artaxerxes I, the Achaemenid emperor, Nehemiah was cup-bearer to the king. |
| Book of Maccabees | The 2 Maccabees states that Nehemiah is the one who brought the holy fire for the altar back from the diaspora to Jerusalem and founded a library of the Holy Scriptures, just as Judas Maccabeus did. |
| Book of Sirach | The hymn in praise of the forefathers in the Book of Sirach mentions only Nehemiah (not Ezra) after Zerubbabel and Joshua, and praises him for his building activities in Sirach 49:13. |
| In rabbinic literature | One rabbinic text, or aggadah, identifies Nehemiah as Zerubbabel, with the latter being considered an epithet and indicating that he was born in Babylon. |
| Veneration | Nehemias is venerated in the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church: |
Prophecies
Key prophetic utterances and visions attributed to Nehemiah, with sources.
| Prophecy / vision | Source |
|---|---|
| If you return to me and keep my commandments … I will gather you there | Neh 1:8-9 |
| They read from the Book of the Law of God, making it clear, giving the meaning so the people understood what was read | Neh 8:8 |