Chancellor
Culture & SocietyWhat is the meaning of Chancellor in the Bible?
The title 'chancellor' (Aramaic: arba-hatar) refers to a high-ranking official in the Persian imperial administration responsible for managing state archives and correspondence. This position appears in the biblical books of Ezra (4:8, 9, 17) and 1 Esdras (2:16, 25), where it denotes the authority figures involved in administrative disputes with Judean leaders.
SIGNIFICANCE
Recognizing the chancellor as a specific Persian bureaucratic role clarifies the political hierarchy depicted in Ezra, illustrating how imperial administrative structures directly impacted local governance and religious affairs during the post-exilic period.
Bible Study Quick-Reference Guide
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Source Attribution
Built upon the 1915 International Standard Bible Encyclopedia and Easton's Bible Dictionary (1897). Entries have been modernized, checked for academic truthfulness, and shortened for clarity.