Nehemiah
Nehemiah | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Prophet and Leader of the Israelites | |
| 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) |
Nehemiah (/ˌniːəˈmaɪə/; Biblical Hebrew: נְחֶמְיָה, romanized: Nəḥemyā, lit. 'Yahweh comforts') 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 (465–424 BC).
The historicity of Nehemiah, his mission, and the Nehemiah Memoir have recently become controversial in academic scholarship, with maximalists viewing it as a historical account and minimalists doubting whether Nehemiah existed. He is considered a saint in the Eastern Orthodox Church, where he is commemorated on the Sunday of the Holy Forefathers.