Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

CYRUS

(Heb. kôreš; O. Pers. kuruš)

Cyrus II, king of Persia 558-530 b.c.e. Though ancient sources relate varying stories regarding Cyrus’ lineage and ascent to power, it appears most likely that he was the son of a monarch who ruled nomadic tribal groups centered in the region of Pasargadae. A client-king of the Median monarchy, Cyrus was apparently solicited by Elamite nobles in 553 to revolt against their Median lord. The king of the Medes took to the field to suppress Cyrus’ revolt, only to have his army turn against him, and thus he surrendered to Cyrus. By 550 Cyrus had established Ecbatana, one of the primary cities of Media, as a Persian royal residence and had solidified his rule over both Persia and Media.

From the Medes, Cyrus adopted a number of administrative and social structures, giving the Persian Empire a grounding that would serve it well. With the forging together of the “Medes and the Persians” (Dan. 5:28; Esth. 10:2), a new force emerged in the ancient Near East that was to dominate its history for the next 200 years.

As soon as he sensed the newly combined territories were stable, Cyrus began expanding his sphere of rule. Cyrus’ first movement was towards the northwest, attacking the Lydian kingdom, ruled at the time by Croesus, whose legendary wealth was the result of shrewd control of overland trade between Asia and the Greek world. In 547 the Lydian capital of Sardis had fallen to the Persians, and a large portion of the interior of Asia Minor was now subject to Cyrus. Cyrus’ next effort at expansion was directed westward toward Babylon, an empire that had occupied much of the territory vacated by the Assyrian Empire as it collapsed. As early as 543 Nabonidus, king of Babylon, had begun preparations for war with Cyrus. In 539 Cyrus led his armies into the Diyala Plains region E of Babylon and established himself as the legitimate monarch of the region, for several months acting to improve the irrigation systems and other public resources that the Babylonian kings had allowed to fall into disrepair. During this same time Cyrus was able to strengthen forces in the capital seeking to undercut the rule of Nabonidus, and in late 539 Cyrus and his army were able to enter Babylon without a fight. Babylon was granted special privileges in keeping with its remarkable history, and Cyrus had effectively acquired rule over the entire Near East apart from Egypt.

It is presumably during the time that Cyrus had occupied the Diyala Plain that those Jews exiled in Babylon began to sense the hand of God in shaping this unexpected change in world destiny. The second part of Isaiah speaks of Cyrus as God’s “shepherd” (Isa. 44:28) and makes the audacious claim that Cyrus is God’s anointed (“messiah”; 45:1). The prophet adds that God is behind Cyrus’ remarkable military ability, though Cyrus is not a follower of Israel’s God (Isa. 45:1-4). Cyrus’ conquest of Babylon is seen as the means of Israel’s redemption from exile and the beginning of a return to Zion. This same positive evaluation of Cyrus’ role is reflected in the ending of Chronicles and the opening of Ezra, where God is said to have “stirred up” the spirit of Cyrus to decree the return of the exiles to Jerusalem and the reestablishment of the temple. While the authenticity of such a decree has been questioned, there are clear indications both in the wording of the decree itself and in the pattern of Persian imperial policy toward subjugated peoples to lend credibility to the decree. This same generally positive evaluation of Cyrus’ role in relation to the Jewish community is reflected in subsequent narratives in Ezra where Cyrus’ decree to rebuild the temple serves to protect the community from interference by surrounding peoples (Ezra 3:7; 4:3, 5; 5:13-17; 6:3, 14). Outside of these mentions, the figure of Cyrus does not play a significant role in the Bible.

Following his absorption of Babylon and its holdings, Cyrus apparently spent time attending to the infrastructure of his rule. Some of the leading capitals of the Persian Empire, such as Pasargadae, were likely founded during this time. However, there is little documentation of Cyrus’ rule following the capture of Babylon. By 530 Cyrus was moving into Central Asia, apparently intending to expand the frontiers of the empire. Prior to departing on this campaign, he named his son Cambyses as his successor to the throne, and placed him as king over Babylon. In the course of the Central Asian campaign, Cyrus was killed. Even near contemporaries such as the Greek historian Herodotus admit there were several versions of the story of his demise. Cyrus’ remains were interred in a simple but impressive mausoleum in Pasargadae, and ancient visitors reported an autobiographical inscription taking credit for founding the Persian Empire; no traces of the inscription survive.

Following his death, Cyrus became a figure of legend. Credited with political shrewdness and military ability, many in the Greek world saw Cyrus as an ideal leader. The Greek writer Xenophon authored a semi-fictional account of Cyrus’ early education, the Cyropaedia, which both praised the accomplishments of the Persian king, real and exaggerated, and outlined an ideal course of study to develop such great leaders. Several centuries later, the Jewish historian Josephus had Cyrus embarking on his formation of a world empire as the result of his readings in the prophet Isaiah. This later tradition is filled with historical improbabilities, but evidences the desire of many to see Cyrus as part of their own religious and cultural tradition.

Bibliography. J. M. Cook, The Persian Empire (New York, 1983), 25-43; M. A. Dandamaev, A Political History of the Achaemenid Empire (Leiden, 1989), 10-69; A. Kuhrt, “The Cyrus Cylinder and Achaemenid Imperial Policy,” JSOT 25 (1983): 83-97.

Kenneth G. Hoglund

Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

CYRUS

Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible (2000)