Illustration created for this project.

Cyrus — the Great

The Persian king who conquered Babylon and decreed that the exiles could return and rebuild the Temple.

Role: King of Persia

Lived: c. 6th century BC

Born: Susa

What we know — and how we know it

Bible — stated in scripture (with verse) · 2 Archaeology — physical evidence · 1 Ancient writers — non-biblical testimony · 1

Life, role & deeds

BibleHe conquered Babylon and decreed that the exiles could return and rebuild the Temple.

Ezra 1:1–2

↳ Babylon

Photograph by Mike Peel (www.mikepeel.net). — CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons) ArchaeologyThe Cyrus Cylinder records his policy of returning deported peoples and restoring their temples — the very policy the Bible describes.

Cyrus Cylinder (BM 90920), British Museum; excavated by Hormuzd Rassam at Babylon, 1879; lines 30–36 record the return of deported peoples and restoration of their sanctuaries; ed. Irving Finkel, The Cyrus Cylinder (I.B. Tauris, 2013)

Livioandronico2013 — CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons) Ancient writersGreek writers tell his story at length — Herodotus his rise and fall, and Xenophon a whole idealised life, the Cyropaedia.

Herodotus, Histories 1.107–130 (rise) and 1.201–214 (death among the Massagetae); Xenophon, Cyropaedia (idealised biography, 8 books)

Prophecy & fulfilment

BibleIsaiah names Cyrus as God's 'anointed' who would let the exiles go — long before his birth.

Isaiah 45:1

Where in scripture

2 Chronicles Ezra Isaiah Daniel

2 Chronicles 36:22 2 Chronicles 36:23 Ezra 1:1 Ezra 1:2 Ezra 1:7 Ezra 1:8 Ezra 3:7 Ezra 4:3 Ezra 4:5 Ezra 5:13 Ezra 5:14 Ezra 5:17 Ezra 6:3 Ezra 6:14 Isaiah 44:28 Isaiah 45:1 Daniel 1:21 Daniel 6:28 Daniel 10:1

In their own words — 3 recorded sayings

“Cyrus, king of Persia, has said, All the kingdoms of the earth have been given to me by the Lord, the God of heaven; and he has made me responsible for building a house for him in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whoever there is among you of all his people, may the Lord his God be with him and let him go up.” — 2 Chronicles 36:23

“These are the words of Cyrus, king of Persia: The Lord God of heaven has given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and he has made me responsible for building a house for him in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whoever there is among you of his people, may his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and take in hand the building of the house of the Lord, the God of Israel; he is the God who is in Jerusalem. And whoever there may be of the rest of Israel, living in any place, let the men of that place give him help with offerings of silver and gold and goods and beasts,…” — Ezra 1:2-4

“In the first year of Cyrus the king, Cyrus the king made an order: In connection with the house of God at Jerusalem, let the house be put up, the place where they make offerings, and let the earth for the bases be put in place; let it be sixty cubits high and sixty cubits wide; With three lines of great stones and one line of new wood supports; and let the necessary money be given out of the king's store-house; And let the gold and silver vessels from the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took from the Temple at Jerusalem to Babylon, be given back and taken again to the Temple at Jerusalem,…” — Ezra 6:3-5

Speaker attribution: Clear Bible MACULA (CC BY 4.0). Wording: Bible in Basic English (public domain).