I. Name

The name of the Indo-Iranian deity Mithra occurs as a theophoric element in the Iranian proper name Mithredath, Heb. מתרדת, Ezra 1.8; Ezra 4.7, Gk. Μιθριδάτης, 1 Esdr. 2.8 and Μιθραδάτης, 1 Esdr. 2.12. The different orthography points to two different persons. The first one was treasurer of the Achaemenid king Cyrus II (559–530 bce), who ordered the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem. The second was a high functionary (a satrap?) in the Persian administration in Juda du…