Bible & Christianity › Exile & the Second Temple › Return from exile
Cyrus the Great of Persia
took Babylon 539 BC; Cyrus Cylinder· Person· People
Historical recordConfirmed by archaeology, outside sources or contemporary records.
Cyrus the Great founded the Persian Empire, took Babylon in 539 BC, and let the Judean exiles go home.
See it on the Bible & Christianity map →What it is
Cyrus II rose from a small Persian kingdom to conquer the Medes, Lydia and, in 539 BC, Babylon, which fell almost without a fight. Rather than keep conquered peoples in exile, he let deportees and their gods return home. Ezra 1 quotes his decree allowing Jews to rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem. He died in 530 BC, by most accounts in battle, and is buried at Pasargadae in Iran.
Why it matters
The only non-Israelite the Bible calls God's 'anointed' (Isaiah 45:1), he made the return from exile and the Second Temple possible.
Life, legacy and sources
The Cyrus Cylinder (British Museum), in Babylonian cuneiform, describes his peaceful entry and the return of deported peoples and gods. It never mentions Jews; scholars debate how accurately Ezra quotes his decree.
Questions and debates
Was his tolerance generosity or smart imperial policy? Some call the Cylinder an early human-rights charter, a claim most historians reject.
Connections (2)
▸Cyrus the Great of Persia allowed Return from exileHistorical record
The connection
Ezra 1:2–4 quotes Cyrus declaring that 'the Lord, the God of heaven' charged him to build God a house in Jerusalem, and that Jews may go up and rebuild it. He returned the Temple vessels Nebuchadnezzar had taken. Isaiah 45:1 even calls Cyrus God's 'anointed', the only non-Israelite so named.
When and where
Babylon, 538 BC, Cyrus' first year as its ruler; the first returnees were led by Sheshbazzar.
Historical evidence
The Cyrus Cylinder (found 1879) describes his returning displaced peoples and gods to their sanctuaries. It does not mention Jews, but fits the biblical account.
Questions and debates
The decree's wording in Ezra may be a Jewish version of a general Persian policy; scholars debate how much Persia actually funded the Temple.
▸Cyrus the Great of Persia is named God's 'anointed' in Isaiah the prophet and the Book of IsaiahMostly agreed by scholars
The connection
Isaiah 44:28 calls Cyrus God's 'shepherd' who will order the Temple rebuilt, and 45:1 calls him God's 'anointed', the Hebrew word messiah. A foreign king becomes God's instrument to free the exiles, 'though you do not know me' (45:4).
When and where
Isaiah 44–45, written around 545–539 BC as Cyrus advanced on Babylon, by most scholars' dating.
How do we know?
Cyrus is named in the text. That he is named about 150 years after Isaiah of Jerusalem is a main reason most scholars date chapters 40–55 to the exile.
Questions and debates
Traditional readers see a genuine prophecy naming Cyrus in advance (Josephus says Cyrus read it); critical scholars see a contemporary author. The answer depends on method.