Page "Zerubbabel" Paragraph 42

Regarding Sheshbazzar, he was appointed governor of Judah by the Persian King Cyrus in the year 538 BCE, and was given gold and told to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the Temple.

According to a letter from Tattenai ( the governor of the province Beyond the River ) to King Darius I, Sheshbazzar started the Temple, but it lay under construction for a long time.

It seems as though Zerubbabel picked up construction shortly afterwards, in the 2nd year of Darius ’ rule ( August 29, 520 BCE ) ( see Zerubbabel in Haggai ).

This is a contradiction, however, as Zerubbabel was said in to have laid the foundations of the new Temple, while Tattenai ’ s letter to Darius says that Sheshbazzar laid the foundations of the Temple ().