Last week, in this glimpse at the over five hundred year period between Cyrus The Great and The Coming Messiah, – prophesied in Daniel 11 – Berenice, The Daughter of Ptolemy II and his first wife, Arsinoe I, was murdered by the supporters of Laodice, The Divorced Wife of Antiochus II. Not only was Berenice assassinated, but her son – the one who was to bring peace between The Ptolemaic and The Seleucid Empires, the five-year old Antiochus III, – was killed.

Berenice’s full brother, Ptolemy III determined to avenge his sister and nephew. The avenging of his sister and nephew’s deaths was not Ptolemy III’s sole motive. At the marriage of Antiochus II and Berenice, which had taken place in 252 B.C.E. Ptolemy II had presented large indemnity payments to the Seleucids as the dowry connected to this wedding. (Berenice’s dowry was so large that she was known as Phernephorus [The Dowerbringer].) Upon Berenice’s marriage to Antiochus II, Berenice also had taken the name Syra, named after Syria, the stronghold of The Seleucid Monarchy in honour of her husband, The Seleucid King, Antiochus II. Syria was ultimately the most important province in The Seleucid Empire.

DANIEL 11: 7 ‘But out of A Branch of Her [Berenice, Wife of Antiochus II] roots, shall One [Ptolemy III, her brother]:

• stand in His Estate [Ptolemy became king of Egypt in 246 B.C.E. and ruled until 222 B.C.E.], which shall come with an army [Ptolemy III began The Third Syrian War against Laodice and her son Seleucus II Callinicus in the year 246 B.C.E.]
• enter into The Fortress of The King of The North [Antioch in Syria]
• deal against Them and shall prevail [Ptolemy III defeated the Seleucid king and invaded the Seleucid Empire as far as Babylon]’

DANIEL 11: 8 ‘Ptolemy shall also:

• carry away captives into Egypt their gods, with their princes, and with their precious vessels of silver and of gold [carry their gods into Egypt with their moulded images and their precious vessels of silver and gold]. After his return to Egypt, Ptolemy had himself proclaimed Ptolemy Euergetes [Benefactor] to commemorate his bringing back of the Egyptian gods from Babylon.
• continue more years than The King of The North [Seleucus II Callinicus 246 B.C.E. – 225 B.C.E]. Ptolemy III Euergetes died in 222 B.C.E. three years after Seleucus II Callinicus.

N.B. Under the Persian king Cambyses II, the gods of Egypt had been carried back to Babylon, although Cambyses II (530 B.C.E. – 522 B.C.E) himself, had died mysteriously on the way home.

N.B. Some scholars today believe that Laodice did not murder her husband, but as Co-Co, The Chimpanzee Schoolmaster, used to caution us, a murderer is not going to leave evidence of the deed for future historians to find. In the same way, ancient kings – such as The Mighty Neo-Assyrian Empire’s King Sennacherib (Isaiah 37:36) – did not commemorate their defeats in battle.

Co-Co also used to warn his chimpanzee students to appreciate the objectives of writers of ancient history, although he was not as dismissive of ancient scholars as some modern scholars are. There are some ancient historians who endeavoured to chronicle the truth – as there are many modern historians who strive to do also.

This is what is so reassuring about THE HOLY SCRIPTURES. These books are THE TRUTH inspired by THE GOD OF TRUTH (Deuteronomy 32:4b)

‘THE TRUTH OF THE LORD ENDURETH FOR EVER’ (PSALM 117:2B)

Next Week: Daniel 11: 9 & 10a. Laodice’s Two Warring Sons and The Fracturing of The Seleucid Empire.