Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Cyrus the Great - Hebrew Bible Quotes

Cyrus the Great & Cyrus Cylinder Series:
» Cyrus the Great (at Zoroastrian Heritage)
» Cyrus the Great - His Religion & Inspiration
» Cyrus the Great - Pasargadae, Capital (at Zoroastrian Heritage)
» Cyrus the Great - Information Sources
» Cyrus the Great - Xenophon's Cyropaedia (at Zoroastrian Heritage)
» Cyrus the Great - Hebrew Bible Quotes
» Cyrus Cylinder
» Cyrus Cylinder & its Discoverer Hormuzd Rassam
» Cyrus Cylinder - its Remarkable Discovery
» Cyrus Cylinder - Contents (Eduljee)
» Cyrus Cylinder - Translation (Rogers)
» Cyrus Cylinder - Translation (Finkel)
» Cyrus' Edict & the Chinese Cuneiform Bones
» Cyrus Cylinder - Talk by Neil MacGregor

The Hebrew Bible
The Hebrew or Jewish Bible, which for the main part forms the Christian Bible’s Old Testament has the following three main sections consisting of the books that are relevant to our discussion:
  1. The Torah (Instructions). The history of the Kingdom of Judah (Judea) figures prominently in the Torah. Judea was a kingdom south of the Kingdom of Israel.
  2. The Nevi'im (Prophets) includes writings ascribed to Jeremiah and Isaiah.
  3. The Ketuvim (Writings) includes those books attributed to Ezra and Daniel.
The sections noted above contain references to Cyrus II, the Great (reigned from 559-530 BCE), Darius I, the Great (reigned from 522-486) and the Medes and Persians in general (we will not limit ourselves to only those sections related to Cyrus). For instance, the Book of Ezra concerns itself with 1. the return of the Jews from Babylonian captivity in the 'first' year of Cyrus the Great (538 BCE), and 2. the completion and dedication of the new Temple in Jerusalem in the sixth year of Darius.

Prophets - Isaiah
(Based on the JPS Edition 1917)
Thus says the Lord of Cyrus: he is My anointed and I hold his right hand that he may subdue nations before him. I will loose the strength in the loins of their kings and will open before him the two leaved gates of cities so that the gates shall not be shut. (Isaiah 45.1)

Thus says the Lord of Cyrus: he is My shepherd and he will accomplish My desire by decreeing that Jerusalem be built, and of the temple, that its foundation shall be laid. (Isaiah 44.28)

Writings – the Book of Ezra
(Based on the JPS Edition 1917)

[From about the 8th century BCE until the coming of Cyrus, the kingdom of Judah was a vassal kingdom first to the Assyrians and then to the rulers of Babylon. In c. 588 BCE, a revolt by Judah was suppressed by the Babylonian armies of Nebuchadnezzar II (605-562 BCE). Jerusalem and its temple were destroyed and the King of Judah, Zedekiah, was forced to watch the execution of his own two sons, after which his own eyes were put out. Then he, his court and all but farmers and the poor of Judah were forced into exile in Babylon (2 Kings 25). The deportees were led by Sheshbazzar, also called the Prince of Judah, and Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel a descendant of King David. The Jews in Babylon never lost the affinity they had for Jerusalem as well as their faith in salvation.

While Sheshbazzar, who was likely Shenazzar, the son of Jeconiah, King of Judah (1 Chronicles 3:18), was picked by Cyrus to lead the deportees, Cyrus appointed Zerubbabel shortly afterwards as a representative of the Persian Empire in Judea (though some claim Zerubbabel and Sheshbazzar where the same person). According to the Hebrew Bible 50,000 Judeans, led by Zerubabel returned to Judah and rebuilt the temple. A second group of 5000, led by Ezra and Nehemiah, returned to Judah in 456 BCE although non-Jews wrote to Cyrus to try to prevent their return.]

Book 1
1. Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be accomplished, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying:
2. 'Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia: All the kingdoms of the earth hath the LORD, the God of heaven, given me; and He hath charged me to build Him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah.
7. Also Cyrus the king brought forth the vessels of the house of the LORD, which Nebuchadnezzar had brought forth out of Jerusalem, and had put them in the house of his gods;
8. even those did Cyrus king of Persia bring forth by the hand of Mithredath the treasurer, and numbered them unto Sheshbazzar, the prince of Judah.
9. And this is the number of them: thirty basins of gold, a thousand basins of silver, nine and twenty knives.
10. thirty bowls of gold, silver bowls of a second sort four hundred and ten, and other vessels a thousand.
11. All the vessels of gold and of silver were five thousand and four hundred. All these did Sheshbazzar bring up, when they of the captivity were brought up from Babylon unto Jerusalem.

Book 4
3. But Zerubbabel, Jeshua and the rest of the heads of the families of Israel answered, "You have no part with us in building a temple to our God. We alone will build it for the Lord, the God of Israel, as King Cyrus, the king of Persia, commanded us."

Book 5
13. But in the first year of Cyrus king of (Persia and) Babylon, Cyrus the king made a decree to build this house of God.
14. The gold and silver vessels of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple of Jerusalem to the temple of Babylon – those did Cyrus the king removed from the temple of Babylon and delivered to the custody of Sheshbazzar, whom he had named as governor (of Judah).
15. And Cyrus said to Sheshbazzar, “Take these vessels and go, restore them to the temple of Jerusalem, and let the house of God be built in its place.
16. Then Sheshbazzar went to Jerusalem and laid the foundations of the house of God which till now has is still being built and remains incomplete.
17. Now therefore, if it seems proper to the king (Darius), let a search be made in the king's treasury in Babylon, so, that the decree made by Cyrus the king to build this house of God at Jerusalem be located and fulfilled, and let the king (Darius) send his response to us in this matter.

Book 6
1. As a result, Darius the king commanded that a search to be conducted in the (Persian Administration’s) house of archives.
2. There in the palace of Ahmetha (Achmetha, Ecbatana) in the province of Media, a roll was found titled, A Record (and which read:)
3. In the first year of Cyrus the king, Cyrus the king made a decree concerning the house of God at Jerusalem: “Let the house be built, the place where they offer sacrifices, and let its foundations be strongly laid. Its height and breadth shall be sixty cubits each,
4. “…with three rows of great stones, and a row of new timber. And let the expenses be given out of the king's house.
5. “Furthermore, let the gold and silver vessels of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took from the temple at Jerusalem and carried to Babylon, be restored and taken back to the temple at Jerusalem, every one to its place, and you shall place them in the house of God.”
(Upon reading the decree Darius issued his own decree that read:)
6. “Now therefore, Tattenai, governor beyond the River Shethar-Bozenai (Euphrates), and your companions the apharesachites (counsellors, associates, officials) who are beyond the River, stay away from there.
7. “Leave this work on this house of God alone. Let the governor of the Jews and the elders of the Jews build this house of God on its site.
8. “I make a further decree concerning what you are to do to assist the elders of the Jews in the rebuilding of the house of God: the full cost is to be paid to them from the royal treasury and from the taxes of the provinces beyond the River. Moreover, without delay,
9. “Whatever is needed as requested by the priests in Jerusalem, be it young bulls, rams, lambs for a burnt offering to the God of heaven, wheat, salt, wine and anointing oil, are to be given to them daily and without fail,
10. “…so that they may offer appropriate sacrifices to the God of heaven and pray for the life of the king and his sons.
11. “I (Darius) decree that should anyone who violates this edict, he be impaled on a post of timber removed from his house, and his house be made a refuse heap.
12. May God whose name dwells there overthrow any king or people who raise a hand to destroy the house of God in Jerusalem. I, Darius, have issued this decree. Let it be carried out with all diligence.”
13. Upon receiving Darius’ command, Tattenai, governor (of the satrapy) beyond the River Shethar-Bozenai (Euphrates) and his counsellors, diligently complied with the edict.
14. Thereafter the elders of the Jews successfully went about building (the temple) as prophesied by Haggai the prophet and by Zechariah, the son of Iddo. And they finished building (the temple) in accordance with the command of the God of Israel and the decrees of Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes, kings of Persia.
15. This temple was completed on the third day of the month Adar in the sixth year of the reign of King Darius (II?).

Prophets – Jeremiah (the 70 year Exile)
1.1. The words of Jeremiah son of Hilkiah, one of the priests at Anathoth in the territory of Benjamin.
25.12 "But when the seventy years are fulfilled, I will punish the King of Babylon and his nation, the land of the Babylonians, for their guilt," declares the Lord, "and will make it desolate forever.
29.10 This is what the Lord says: "When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfil my gracious promise to bring you back to this place.

Cyrus the Great & Cyrus Cylinder Series:
» Cyrus the Great (at Zoroastrian Heritage)
Cyrus the Great & Cyrus Cylinder Series:
» Cyrus the Great (at Zoroastrian Heritage)
» Cyrus the Great - His Religion & Inspiration
» Cyrus the Great - Pasargadae, Capital (at Zoroastrian Heritage)
» Cyrus the Great - Information Sources
» Cyrus the Great - Xenophon's Cyropaedia (at Zoroastrian Heritage)
» Cyrus the Great - Hebrew Bible Quotes
» Cyrus Cylinder
» Cyrus Cylinder & its Discoverer Hormuzd Rassam
» Cyrus Cylinder - its Remarkable Discovery
» Cyrus Cylinder - Contents (Eduljee)
» Cyrus Cylinder - Translation (Rogers)
» Cyrus Cylinder - Translation (Finkel)
» Cyrus' Edict & the Chinese Cuneiform Bones
» Cyrus Cylinder - Talk by Neil MacGregor
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