Mithredath

Mithredath (a Persian name meaning given by Mithra, the sun deity, equivalent to the Greek Mithridates) is the name of two Persian officials mentioned in the book of Ezra. The first was the treasurer of King Cyrus who, by royal command, counted out and delivered to Sheshbazzar the prince of Judah the gold and silver vessels that Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the Jerusalem temple (Ezra 1:8). The second Mithredath was a Persian officer stationed in Samaria who, together with Bishlam and Tabeel, wrote a letter of complaint to King Artaxerxes opposing the rebuilding of Jerusalem (Ezra 4:7). The two men represent contrasting postures toward the Jewish restoration: the first a servant of Cyrus's benevolent decree, the second an active opponent of the returned exiles' building program.