Cyrus (II)
| Cyrus (II) | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Birth to death | c. 585–529 BC |
| Occupation(Features) | Founder of the Achaemenid Dynasty, the ancient Persian Empire |
| Reign | 559–529 BC |
| Major achievements | Conquest of Babylon, Liberation of the captives of Judah |
Cyrus II of Persia (reigned 559–529 BC), commonly known as Cyrus the Great, was the founder of the Achaemenid Empire, the first Persian empire. Cyrus conquered a vast territory from West Asia to the Middle East and unified 23 countries with different religions, ideologies, races, and history. Xenophon, a writer of ancient Greece and a disciple of Socrates, described Cyrus as an ideal conqueror who was brave, generous, and magnanimous in his biographical novel, Cyropaedia (The Education of Cyrus).[1] His character and ruling ideology became known to the Greeks, who were enemies, and influenced even Alexander the Great.[2]
Cyrus is pronounced as Ko-re-sh in Hebrew (כּוֹרֶשׁ). In the Old Testament written in Hebrew (some Aramaic), Cyrus is described as the anointed one or the liberator of the Jews held captive in the Babylonian empire (Neo-Babylonia). Although he was the king of a Gentile country, the book of Isaiah chapters 41, 44, 45, and 46 prophesy about him in detail.
Life
Birth
Cyrus was most likely born in around 590–580 BC in Media or Persis (now Fars, Iran). Astyages, king of the Median Empire, married off his daughter, Princess Mandane, to Cambyses the ruler of Persis. Their son was Cyrus. According to the Histories written by the Greek historian Herodotus, Astyages dreamed that his daughter's son would destroy him, and so he ordered his servant to kill Cyrus. One of his servants gave the baby to a shepherd to kill him, but the shepherd secretly raised the baby by swapping with his dead child.[3]
Conquest of Media
Cyrus grew up and inherited the Median Empire around 550 BC after rebelling against his maternal grandfather Astyages. Persia inherited the territory of eastern Iran, which was owned by the Median Empire, and Cyrus conquered the west after conquering the Iranian tribes.[4]
In the Bible, it is also referred to as “Media and Persia,” or “Persia and Media,”[5][6] or “Persia.”[7] Since Persia was superior in many respects to Media and held the kingship, it is often called the Persian Empire in world history.
Conquest of Lydia
Kroisos (reigned 560?–546? BC), the king of Lydia, a great power in Asia Minor attacked Persia. However, Kroisos retreated to Sardis, the capital city of Lydia, due to Cyrus’ attack. In those days, there was no war in winter, so Kroisos disbanded his Lydian army and requested his allies, Egypt and Babylon, to send their troops in the spring. At that time, Cyrus’ camel cavalry marched toward Sardis. Kroisos hastily summoned his horsemen, but the horses were frightened by the smell of the camels, so they could not fight properly. Eventually, around 546 BC, Lydia was conquered by Cyrus. The Greek cities of the Aegean Sea, which belonged to Lydia, too, became subject to Cyrus.[8]
Conquest of Babylon (Neo-Babylonian Empire)
Cyrus also conquered Babylon around 539 BC. Babylon, the capital city of the Neo-Babylonian Empire, was the largest city in the world at that time. Cyrus took advantage of Babylon’s internal discontent and dissension due to Nabonidus, king of Babylon (556–539 BC), and he captured Babylon without much difficulty. By doing so, he conquered not only Mesopotamia but also Syria and Palestine that Babylon had ruled over, and built the largest empire unprecedented at that time.
Death
Cyrus continued his expedition to Central Asia, and was alleged to have died in battle around 529 BC somewhere near the Oxus (Amu Darya) and Jaxartes (Syr Darya) rivers. After Cyrus, Cambyses II became king. He conquered ancient Egypt around 525 BC and unified Orient.[9]
Cyrus (II) in the Bible
The Bible records the work of King Cyrus in 2 Chronicles 36:22–23 and Ezra 1. After Cyrus conquered Babylon, he freed the Jewish people from the captivity in Babylon.
"In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the LORD spoken by Jeremiah, the LORD moved the heart of Cyrus king of Persia to make a proclamation throughout his realm and to put it in writing: “This is what Cyrus king of Persia says: ‘The LORD, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and he has appointed me to build a temple for him at Jerusalem in Judah. Anyone of his people among you-may the LORD his God be with him, and let him go up.'"
Cyrus ordered the return of the Jews and the building of the temple in Jerusalem, which was destroyed during the invasion of Babylon. Cyrus returned the articles that Nebuchadnezzar II (reigned c. 630–562 BC; hereinafter Nebuchadnezzar), king of Babylon, had taken to Jerusalem, and provided all things necessary for their return and construction of the temple.[10]
Conquest of Babylon
When Cyrus attacked Babylon, Nabonidus was the king of Babylon. Nabonidus had his son Belshazzar (reigned 550–539 BC) act as regent in the capital city, Babylon, and he went to the battlefield. In Daniel 5, it says the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote, “Mene, Mene, Tekel, Parsin,” at the banquet held by Belshazzar. The letters meant that Babylon would be destroyed by Media and Persia. That night, Belshazzar died and Babylon was taken over by Persia.[11] According to history, Belshazzar boastfully said at the banquet, “No matter how strong they are, this city of Babylon cannot be destroyed,” while the city was surrounded by Cyrus’ army.[12]
In fact, Babylon was an impregnable city at that time. It was founded by Nebuchadnezzar the second king of Babylon and it was the largest city in the ancient world with an area of 100,000㎡. To the west of the Ishtar Gate, one of the eight great gates, was a palace with a fortress covering an area of 16,200 ㎢. The deep and wide Euphrates River flowed around the castle like a moat[13], which became a natural defense line, and the walls were double-layered and strong. Herodotus, an ancient Greek historian, wrote in his book, History, that the walls of Babylon were 25 meter thick and 90 meter high.[14] Moreover, on the east side, a threefold outer wall, stretching 17,702 meters, was placed. It was presumed to be very beautiful and decorative, and the Hanging Gardens, one of the seven wonders of the world, was located there.[15][16]
Even Cyrus found it difficult to defeat Babylon only by military power. While Belshazzar was enjoying the banquet, Cyrus marched toward the fortress by changing the direction of the stream of the Euphrates River according to one theory. One thing is clear that Cyrus entered Babylon without losing any lives or shedding blood, and he eventually conquered Babylon.[4] Cyrus captured the city of Babylon and appointed Darius the Mede to rule the region of Babylon.[17]
Liberation of the Captives of Judah
Judah was under Babylonian rule in the sixth century BC. Around 586 BC, in the days of Zedekiah the king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon burned Jerusalem and destroyed it thoroughly, and he took the gold and silver articles of the Jerusalem temple and the precious sacred offerings to Babylon. Many Jews died, and hundreds of thousands of the Jews were taken captive.[18][19] The prophet Jeremiah said that the destruction of Judah was the result of their disobedience to God’s word.[20] He also prophesied that in due time the Jews would be released from Babylonian captivity, and that Babylon would be desolate.[21]
As he had prophesied, Babylon was destroyed by Cyrus the king of Persia. Cyrus conquered Babylon and issued a decree to free the Jews who had been captive there and to return to their homeland, Jerusalem. After ordering the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem, which Nebuchadnezzar had destroyed, Cyrus even gave offerings to rebuild the temple.
"In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the LORD spoken by Jeremiah, the LORD moved the heart of Cyrus king of Persia to make a proclamation throughout his realm and to put it in writing: “This is what Cyrus king of Persia says: “ ‘The LORD, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and he has appointed me to build a temple for him at Jerusalem in Judah. Anyone of his people among you-may his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem in Judah and build the temple of the LORD, the God of Israel, the God who is in Jerusalem.'"
When the decree of Cyrus was issued, the tribe leaders, priests, and Levites arose to rebuild the temple, and the people around them too helped with various offerings. Cyrus took out all the utensils and vessels of the LORD’s temple that Nebuchadnezzar had seized from Jerusalem and put in the temple of his god, and brought them out to return to Jerusalem.[22]
Biblical Prophecy About Cyrus
Cyrus was the king of a Gentile nation who did not believe in God, but the Bible prophesied about Cyrus in detail. In the book of Isaiah, which was written about 170 years before Cyrus conquered Babylon, the name Cyrus and the work he would do were prophesied.
Conquer the Nations
Cyrus conquered all the great powers of the time, including Media, Lydia, and Babylon. In particular, Babylon was captured with almost no resistance to the attack of Cyrus. By conquering Babylon, Cyrus occupied not only the Babylonian city but also all the regions that Babylon had conquered, including Assyria, Syria, Lebanon, and Israel. Moreover, under King Cyrus’ reign, Persia became the great nation that conquered the most regions of South West Asia, Central Asia, and even India.[23]
The book of Isaiah prophesied that God would make the nations surrender before Cyrus and make his path smooth.
“This is what the LORD says to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I take hold of to subdue nations before him and to strip kings of their armor, to open doors before him so that gates will not be shut: I will go before you and will level the mountains; I will break down gates of bronze and cut through bars of iron. I will give you the treasures of darkness, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the LORD, the God of Israel, who summons you by name.”
Liberation of the Captives of Judah and Restoration of Jerusalem
After the conquest of Babylon, Cyrus issued a decree allowing the Jews, who were captives of Babylon, to return to Jerusalem. As a conqueror, it was very unusual to repatriate the captives of an occupied country with asking anything from them in return. In addition, Cyrus, the king of a great power, praised Jehovah as a “true god,” which a weaker nation believed in, and ordered the Jews to go back to Jerusalem to build the temple of Jehovah and provided materials for the construction of the temple.[24]
“[W]ho says of Cyrus, ‘He is my shepherd and will accomplish all that I please; he will say of Jerusalem, “Let it be rebuilt,” and of the temple, “Let its foundations be laid.” ’ ”
“I will raise up Cyrus in my righteousness: I will make all his ways straight. He will rebuild my city and set my exiles free, but not for a price or reward, says the LORD Almighty.”
Cyrus glorified God who gave him all the nations of the world, and according to the prophecy of Isaiah, he freed the Jews and issued a decree of the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem.[25]
The Anointed One
In Isaiah 45, Cyrus was prophesied to be called, “God’s anointed.”
“This is what the LORD says to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I take hold of to subdue nations before him and to strip kings of their armor, to open doors before him so that gates will not be shut. . . . I will raise up Cyrus in my righteousness: I will make all his ways straight. He will rebuild my city and set my exiles free, but not for a price or reward, says the LORD Almighty.”
In the Old Testament times, “to be anointed” meant someone was called as a special person to carry out the special work of God; priests,[26][27] kings,[28][29] and prophets were anointed.[30] Cyrus was the king of a Gentile empire, but he was given the special mission from God to free the Jews who were held captive in Babylon.
An Eagle From the East, a Man From the East
Following Isaiah 45, the name of Cyrus is not mentioned in Isaiah 46, but there is no disagreement that the prophecy is about Cyrus. At the beginning of chapter 46, the prophet Isaiah prophesied that Bel and Nebo would bow down and stoop low.[31] Bel and Nebo were idols that were worshiped in Babylon, and the Babylonians believed their gods would protect them. However, because of Cyrus’ appearance, Babylon fell and their gods fell, too.[32] On the other hand, liberation and salvation came to the Jews who were captive in Babylon. Concerning this, verse 13 prophesied that God would grant salvation to Zion and splendor to Israel.[33] Isaiah 46 was a prophecy that God would fulfill the plan of salvation through Cyrus, who would come from a far-off land in the east.
“From the east I summon a bird of prey; from a far-off land, a man to fulfill my purpose. What I have said, that will I bring about; what I have planned, that will I do.”
The above prophecy is related to a man from the east in Isaiah 41.
“Who has stirred up one from the east, calling him in righteousness to his service? He hands nations over to him and subdues kings before him. He turns them to dust with his sword, to windblown chaff with his bow. He pursues them and moves on unscathed, by a path his feet have not traveled before. Who has done this and carried it through, calling forth the generations from the beginning? I, the LORD-with the first of them and with the last-I am he.”
Persia was a country located to the east of Israel at that time. King Cyrus, who rose from the east, conquered not only Babylon but also many nations, and many kings surrendered to him, as prophesied in the Bible.
Cyrus and Second Coming Christ
God Comes From the East
In Isaiah 41 and 46, a person who would appear from a far-off land in the east was Cyrus (II) and he fulfilled the prophecy for the first time. However, this prophecy is finally fulfilled through the Christ who will come again from the east.
“The poor and needy search for water, but there is none; their tongues are parched with thirst. But I the LORD will answer them; I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them. I will make rivers flow on barren heights, and springs within the valleys. I will turn the desert into pools of water, and the parched ground into springs.”
The prophecy recorded in the latter part of Isaiah 41 is what will happen when God raises up a man from the east. It records that when a man appears from the east, he will make rivers flow on barren heights and will turn the desert into pools of water, and the parched ground into springs, and idolaters will fear and tremble, so they will gather together.[34] All of these events didn’t take place when Cyrus appeared. These events will take place when God, who is the source of the living water, comes into the world.
“Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you.” . . . Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert. The burning sand will become a pool, the thirsty ground bubbling springs. In the haunts where jackals once lay, grass and reeds and papyrus will grow.
The prophet Amos described the state where humankind lost the truth as a ”famine of not hearing God’s word.”[35] God is the only One who can give the water of life to the souls in a famine and to a land that is dry because of the lack of truth.[36] The prophet Isaiah prophesied that this would happen when a man from the east came into the world.[37] Isaiah 41 is not just a prophecy about Cyrus, but about Christ who comes from the east with the water of life.
The bird of prey (eagle) in Isaiah 46, too, has a special meaning. Concerning His emancipating the Israelites from Egypt, God said He carried them on eagles’ wings and brought them to Him.[38] Concerning His protecting the Israelites and leading them to Canaan, He said He did just like an eagle protecting its young.[39] This implies that the prophecy of Isaiah 46, too, showed that God would appear from the east and carry out the work of salvation.
Two thousand years ago, God came into this world in the name of Jesus. However, Jesus Christ was born in Israel, not in a far-off land in the east which Isaiah saw through revelation. The One who will rise up from a far-off land in the east and save God’s people refers to the Christ who will come a second time in the last days.
Judgment Against Spiritual Babylon
Cyrus conquered Babylon and freed the Israelites from captivity in Babylon. Christ, who comes a second time into this world as spiritual Cyrus, saves God’s people from the spiritual Babylon. In the book of Revelation, the spiritual Babylon is described as a great city that opposes God and commits spiritual prostitution. In order to judge the great city of Babylon, God told His people to come out of it quickly; because God’s people are still being held captive to the spiritual Babylon.
“Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great! She has become a home for demons and a haunt for every evil spirit, a haunt for every unclean and detestable bird. For all the nations have drunk the maddening wine of her adulteries. The kings of the earth committed adultery with her, and the merchants of the earth grew rich from her excessive luxuries.” Then I heard another voice from heaven say: “Come out of her, my people, so that you will not share in her sins, so that you will not receive any of her plagues.”
Two thousand years ago, Jesus Christ established the truth of life for the salvation of humankind such as the New Covenant Passover and the Sabbath. However, after the Apostolic Age, all the truths disappeared through the Dark Ages. Those who have faith to be able to receive salvation disappeared from the world,[40] and all human beings again became slaves to sin and death,[41] and also became captives to the spiritual Babylon.
In the world where there is no truth, a liberator, the spiritual Cyrus, must appear for those who have become captives of the spiritual Babylon. The Second Coming Christ is the spiritual Cyrus. He is to be born in a far-off land in the east, preach the truth of life, and save God’s people from spiritual Babylon.
Related videos
- The Parable of the ‘Bird of Prey in the East’
See also
External links
References
- ↑ CYRUS iiia. Cyrus II as Portrayed by Xenophon and Herodotus, Encyclopaedia Iranica
- ↑ The story behind the Cyrus Cylinder, Kimberly Halkett, ALJAZEERA, April 25, 2013
- ↑ Cyrus the Great and His Empire: His Triumph of Liberty and Freedom, The Birth of Cyrus, F.G. Ghamsari, January 25, 2021
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Cyrus the Great, World History Encyclopedia, February 21, 2018
- ↑ "Esther 1:3".
- ↑ "Esther 10:2".
- ↑ "2 Chronicles 36:20".
- ↑ Who was Cyrus the Great?, Culture, National Geographic, May 7, 2019
- ↑ Orient, Dictionary.com
- ↑ "Ezra 1:4–11".
- ↑ "Daniel 5:22–28".
- ↑ Cyrus King Laughed and Cried in the Weather, The Science Times, Ban Ki-sung, a researcher at Yonsei University's Global Environment Research Institute, August 26, 2010
- ↑ moat, Dictionary.com
- ↑ Herodotus Vol. I, Book I: chapters 178‑216, Loeb Classical Library edition, 1920
- ↑ Nebuchadrezzar: the builder king of Babylon, HISTORY MAGAZINE, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC, December 5, 2018
- ↑ The Mystery of the Hanging Garden of Babylon: An Elusive World Wonder Traced, Stephanie Dalley, OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS, 2013
- ↑ "Daniel 5:30–31".
- ↑ "Nebuchadnezzar II". World History Encyclopedia. November 7, 2018.
- ↑ "2 Kings 25:8–17".
- ↑ "Jeremiah 25:8–9".
- ↑ "Jeremiah 25:12–14".
- ↑ "Ezra 1:5–11".
- ↑ How Cyrus the Great Turned Ancient Persia Into a Superpower, History.com, July 14, 2022
- ↑ What if Cyrus had not freed the Jews?, JEWISH JOURNAL, September 24, 2013
- ↑ "Ezra 1:2–4".
- ↑ "Exodus 40:15".
- ↑ "Leviticus 16:32".
- ↑ "2 Samuel 3:39".
- ↑ "1 Kings 5:1".
- ↑ "1 Kings 19:16".
- ↑ "Isaiah 46:1–2".
- ↑ "Isaiah 47:1".
- ↑ "Isaiah 46:13".
- ↑ "Isaiah 41:5–7".
- ↑ "Amos 8:11–13".
- ↑ "Revelation 21:6".
- ↑ "Isaiah 41:17–18".
- ↑ "Exodus 19:4".
- ↑ "Deuteronomy 32:10–12".
- ↑ "Luke 18:8".
- ↑ "Romans 6:17–18".