The Mission of Udjahorresnet and the Mission of Ezra: The Reason for Their Sending by the Persian King

Abstract

Udjahorresnet was an important Egyptian priest and scribe from the city of Sais in the Nile Delta. After the conquest of Egypt by the Persians, Udjahorresnet was taken to Persia to serve King Darius I. However, due to religious conflicts that arose in the Nile Delta, Udjahorresnet was sent back to his city by the king, with the mission of restoring order and peace. The purpose of this essay is to compare Udjahorresnet's mission with that of the Judahite priest and scribe Ezra. It is suspected that, like the Egyptian priest, Ezra was also sent by the Persian king to resolve the conflict occurring among priestly groups in Jerusalem, which was on the verge of spreading to other Yahwist communities. The methodology will be comparative, between the writings on the Naophoros statue's attire and the exegetical analysis of biblical texts from the books of Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi and Ezra.

Keywords: Udjahorresnet. Sais. Ezra. Jerusalem. Religious Conflict.