Persia

In 550 BC Cyrus (in the Bible called Koresh) became king of the Persians, a small and unimportant people. But without much effort he conquered the much bigger state of the Medea (like Alexander the Great), and united both peoples into one empire, the empire of Medes and Persians.Herodotus tells the following story about the birth of Cyrus: Astyages, king of the Medes and Persians had one night an odd dream. He dreamt that a vine grew from his daughter that overshadowed all of Asia Minor. He asked the dream interpreters what this dream meant. They told him that Mandane, the daughter of the king who lived with the (subjected) would get a son who would rob Astyages of his kingdom. Astyages ordered to kill the child immediately after birth, but it was exposed, and was raised by shepherds. When he was an adult he heard about his descent; he killed Astyages and became king of the Medes and the Persians.Daniel sees this empire in a vision as follows (8:3-4):“Then I lifted up mine eyes, and saw, and, behold, there stood before the river a ram which had two horns: and the two horns were high; but one was higher than the other, and the higher came up last. I saw the ram pushing westward, and northward, and southward; so that no beasts might stand before him, neither was there any that could deliver out of his hand; but he did according to his will, and became great.” In 539 BC Cyrus conquered Babylon and decreed taht the Jews were free to return to their country, and to rebuild the temple. The pious Jews see the hand of God in this. (Deutero) Isaiah calls Cyrus Gods shepherd, and "His annointed". (Jes. 44:28, 45:1-8). In fact the Messiah. Cyrus was a tolerant ruler, who did not destroy Babylon, neither fulfilled: "Happy shall he be, that taketh and dasheth thy little ones against the stones" (Ps. 137:9).

A small part of the Jews of Babylon, about 50.000, went back and started rebuilding the Temple. But they got big problems, and did not finish it.

Judea was a poor country, and they were worse of than in Babylon.

Later, encouraged by the prophets Haggai and Zecharia the rebuilding was resumed. When others asked whether this was allowed a search was done in the royal archives and the following record was found: (Ezra 6:3-5:)

“In the first year of Cyrus the king the same Cyrus the king made a decree concerning the house of God at Jerusalem, Let the house be builded, the place where they offered sacrifices, and let the foundations thereof be strongly laid; the height thereof threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof threescore cubits.

With three rows of great stones, and a row of new timber: and let the expenses be given out of the king's house:

And also let the golden and silver vessels of the house of God, which In 586 BC Nebuchadnezzar took forth out of the temple which is at Jerusalem, and brought unto Babylon, be restored, and brought again unto the temple which is at Jerusalem, every one to his place, and place them in the house of God..”

So the construction could go on, and in 515 BC the temple was finished.

But Jerusalem had still no walls, and was therefore very vulnerable. Attempts to build them were sabotaged by the Samaritans.

Only when Nehemiah was in charge the walls were rebuilt, while the Samaritans still caused many problems. In 445 BC the walls were finished.

Some people think that Ezra came after him, although the order of books in the Bible suggests otherwise.

Judea developed to a theocracy, a religious state, where non-Jews were excluded. Especially the Samaritans, who considered themselves the successors of the Ten tribes state, and accept the 5 books of Moses as their holy books, did not like this. The Persian king allowed them to build their own temple on Mount Gerizim.

In this time in the proper Persia the following stories play: