History Vs. The Bible: King Belshazzar

Initially, critics of the Bible claimed Belshazzar, the King of Babylon during the Persian Invasion according to the Bible, was a fictional character or was synonymous with Nabonadius, who was believed by archaeologist to have been king of Babylon during the invasion.

Archaeological quote dismissing the existence of Belshazzar (1829):

…this Labynethus is the same with the Belshazzar of the prophet Daniel. By other writers he is called Nabonadius or Nabonidus. He was the last king of Babylon.

Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology Earunus – Nyx (London: Taylor and Walton, 1829)p. 699

Archaeologist have since discovered the Nabonidus Chronicles. Within the Nabonidus Chronicles contains the name of Belshazzar and differentiates him from Nabonadus. The Chronicles also state Belshazzar was appointed king during his father’s absence and it was during this time Persia invaded.

Archaeological quote confirming the existence of Belshazzar (1903):

The contradiction between history and Scripture was complete. But the since-deciphered inscriptions have disclosed that Belshazzar was eldest son and heir to Nabonidus, that he was regent in Babylon during his father’s absence, and that he was killed the night the Persian army entered the inner city

Sir Robert Anderson The Bible and Modern Criticismondon: Hodder and Stoughton, 1903) p. 136, 137.

It is interesting to see how through the discovery of one ancient record after another, a name with seemed at first but a shadow, slowly become clothed with the flesh and made real. In the case of Belshazzar, whom the Book of Daniel describes as the last king of Babylonia, this process has been going on since 1854, when Rawlinson first announced the discovery of Belshazzar’s name on a Babylonian monument; and very late discoveries serve to make his personality more real to us.
The ‘critics’ claimed for a long time that the name was purely mythical, and the story of his death impossible.

Samuel Fallow, Andrew Constantinides Senos, Herbert Lockwook Willett - The popular and critical bible encyclopedia and Scriptural Dictionary: Fully Defining and Explaining All Religious Terms Including Biographical, Geographical, Historical, Archaeological and Doctrinal Themeshicago: The Howard-Severance Company, 1910) p. 260

The Nabonidus Chronicles:

“And as for me, Nabonidus, the king of Babylon, protect me from sinning against your exalted god-head, and give me graciously a long life: and in the heart of Belshazzar, my first-born son, the off-spring of my loins, set the fear of your exalted god-head, so that he may commit no sin and that he may be satisfied with the fullness of life.”"When the third year [553] was about to begin, he [Nabonidus] entrusted the ‘Camp’ to his eldest son, the firstborn, the troops every-where in the country he ordered under his command. He let everything go, entrusted the kingship to him and, himself, he started out for a long journey.”

“Seventh year (549/548): The king (Nabonidus) stayed in Tema; the crown prince (Belshazzar), his officials and his army were in Akkad. The king did not come to Babylon for the (new year) ceremonies…”

Nabonidus Chronicles

Biblical quote concerning Belshazzar:

King Belshazzar gave a great banquet for a thousand of his nobles and drank wine with them…That very night Belshazzar, king of the Babylonians, was slain…

Daniel 5:1,30