Persian Jerusalem

Cyrus' Cylinder

Persian Jerusalem includes the building of the second temple, 539-70 BCE. 

King Cyrus, ruler of the Persians, conquered the Babylonians, while the Judians were in exile. During this time of non-Davidic Kings, it was important to the "temporary" kings to portray themselves as liberators and not conquers. With all the change in JErusalem there consisted of three camps in Jerusalem. 1. The Jews who stayed in Jerusalem that had no skills and were poor. 2. The Jews who wanted to go back to Jerusalem. 3. Jews that wanted to stay in Babylon. This conflict between these groups made Jewish people turn against fellow Jewish. 

Biblically speaking there has to be a rationale for the break of David's Promise. In Isaiah, it states that King Cyrus was a foreign king that was anointed but was NOT a son of David. With this confusing time came the introduction of an evil counterpart as part of a rationalization for what was taking place. Satan begins to take blame for all BAD! Cyrus interpretation for his ruling was that God told him to take over...

Eventually a THIRD Temple was rebuilt between 520-515 BCE under Darius 1. Even with the temple rebuilt Judaism while in exile adapted ways to keep their faith even with the absence of the temple, through laws and holidays. Therefore was the temple even necessary? Poverty took over Jerusalem in this period and its population was small, but luckily a high priest comes and takes control and changes the understandings of Jerusalem since the first temple.