Cyrus the Great in the Bible

He is noted for his role in conquering the Neo-Babylonian Empire and thereafter liberating the Jewish people from the Babylonian captivity, which had begun after the fall of the Kingdom of Judah in 587 BCE.

Moreover, he showed his interest in the project by sending back with them the sacred vessels that had been taken from Solomon's Temple during the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem, along with a considerable sum of money with which to buy building materials.

The historicity of Cyrus' decree has been debated among scholars, as has the impact that it may have had on the nascent Jewish diaspora if the events of the Hebrew Bible did indeed take place as they are described.

It is likely that, after the Persian conquest of the Neo-Babylonian Empire, he had commenced his relationship with exilic Jewish leaders,[1] and the Book of Isaiah says that he was anointed by God.

A chronicle drawn up just after the conquest of Babylonia by Cyrus gives the history of the reign of Nabonidus ("Nabu-na'id"), the last king of Babylon, and of the fall of the Neo-Babylonian Empire.

Meanwhile, Nabonidus, who had concealed himself, was captured, but treated honourably; and when his wife died, Cyrus' son Cambyses II conducted his funeral.

One argument is that Cyrus was a Zoroastrian—a follower of the religion that defined and played a dominant role in Persian society until the rise of Islam—and would have felt a kindred spirit with the people of Judaism.

This Babylonian document has been interpreted as referring to the return to their homelands of several displaced cultural groups, one of which could have been the Jews: From [Babylon] to Aššur and (from) Susa, Agade, Ešnunna, Zamban, Me-Turnu, Der, as far as the region of Gutium, the sacred centres on the other side of the Tigris, whose sanctuaries had been abandoned for a long time, I returned the images of the gods, who had resided there, to their places and I let them dwell in eternal abodes.

I will give you the hidden treasures, the secret hoards, that you may know that I am the LORD.Among the classical Jewish sources, besides the biblical account, Josephus mentions that Cyrus freed the Jews from captivity and helped rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem.

I have also sent my treasurer Mithridates, and Zorobabel, the governor of the Jews, that they may lay the foundations of the Temple, and may build it sixty cubits high, and of the same latitude, making three edifices of polished stones, and one of the wood of the country, and the same order extends to the altar whereon they offer sacrifices to God.

Through these decrees, Cyrus, like earlier rulers, was attempting to gain support from those who might be strategically important, particularly of those who were close to Egypt, which he wished to conquer.

She also wrote that "appeals to Marduk in the Cylinder and to Yahweh in the biblical decree demonstrate the Persian tendency to co-opt local religious and political traditions in the interest of imperial control.