Lecture 9: Persian Jerusalem

The Persian Empire lasts from 539 BCE to 333 BCE. It is within this time period, that the Second Temple is built (539 BCE), until it is again destroyed in 70CE by the Romans. During this time, however, there are no non-Biblical texts dealing directly with Jerusalem. The Biblical Texts, on the other hand, document the events in the following books: Chronicles, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi, Ezra, Nehemiah, and 2nd Isaiah. The Book of Ezra is actually written in Aramaic, which shows the languages dominance in Judaism.

We begin our analysis of Biblical texts during this period with Ezekiel 1, where he claims that he has a vision of the Lord returning to a mobile state. His vision is reminiscent of the Ark of the Covenant (he describes winged animal that serves as a guardian, along with a box that has "wheels within wheels" for transport). His message, overall, is simply stating that God has not abandoned His people; He has returned to being mobile, and He is not only tied to the Temple. Following this vision is the idea of a more distant God, who does not physically dwell in the Temple, as was commonly believed in pre-exilic times.

The Persian presence in Jerusalem begins with King Cyrus, who (as claimed on Cyrus' Cylinder) announces the return of the Jews to their homelands. He is viewed as a "Liberator," rather than a conqueror (a tactic very different from that of the Assyrians and the Babylonians). His reasons for delivering the Jews, however, is not consistent in all the forms of evidence. In 2 Chronicles 36 and Ezra 1, it is simply stated that Cyrus will build a house in Jerusalem. But, in Isaiah 44, he is depicted as a sort of messiah, an anointed one who is doing the Hebrew God's will without knowing it. This passage can be problematic because Cyrus is a foreign king, and therefore, he's not part of the Davidic line. Furthermore, Cyrus' point of view on the Cylinder seems to claim that Marduk (God of the Babylonians) wanted him to take over Babylon.

Though the reason for Cyrus' deliverance of the Jews is different in these accounts, the result is still the same: the Babylonian Empire was ended and the Jews were free to return to Jerusalem. However, it is believed that the Persian presence at this time may have influenced Judaism as there are many similarities between Judaism and Zoroastrianism (which is the religion of Persians).

The first return occured in the late sixth century BCE during the reign of Cyrus, Cambyses II, and Darius I "the Usurper." During the first return, Zerubbabel, a Davidide, became governor (not king) of Jerusalem, as Joshua became the High Priest (who is now the new center for Jewish practice). The second Temple is built under Darius I's rule.

However, with the rebuilding of the Temple, comes the question of whether Jews need a Temple to prove that they are Jewish. In Haggai 1, it seems that a Temple is needed, but there are many who would have disagreed. Contentions of whether the second Temple should be built or not led to religious discontent.