Righteous
Righteous Nehemiah
V в. до Р.Х.
Also known as: Неемия, вождь иудейский
Righteous Nehemiah — the biblical governor of Judea under the Persian king Artaxerxes I, who rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem, traditionally the author of the Old Testament book bearing his name.
HONEST NOTE ON THE DATE: Nehemiah has no fixed calendar feast day — he is commemorated only as part of the movable Sunday of the Holy Fathers before the Nativity of Christ (alongside Daniel, the Three Youths, and other Old Testament righteous), which falls on a different day each year; the date field has been left empty rather than filled with an arbitrary fixed date.
Righteous Nehemiah served as cupbearer to the Persian king Artaxerxes I. On learning of the ruined state of Jerusalem's walls, he obtained the king's permission and resources to travel there as governor (c. 445 BC). He organized the rapid rebuilding of the city walls despite opposition from Sanballat, Tobiah, and other hostile neighbors, completing the work in 52 days. He then carried out social reforms (debt forgiveness, restoration of Sabbath observance, opposition to intermarriage with pagans) and worked alongside the scribe Ezra on the religious restoration of the community that had returned from exile. His memoirs form the narrative core of the biblical Book of Nehemiah.