setting fire to the doors, which were covered with bitumen. Herodotus informs us, that when that part of the city which borders on the river was already in the possession of the enemy, those who dwelt farther towards the centre knew nothing of it.* Thus Babylon came under the dominion of Darius the Mede, or Cyaxares II., 539 B. C., in the forty-ninth year after the destruction of Jerusalem, and in the sixty-seventh of the captivity. Cyaxares reigned two years after this, consequently to the sixty-ninth year of the captivity. Babylon lost little or nothing of its splendour or strength by this change of masters; but the turning of the Euphrates, which was never brought back to its natural channel, caused many fens in the adjacent country; and thus a part, though not all, of the prophecy against this magnificent city was fulfilled. (Isa. xiv. 23. Jer. li. 25-38, 43-45, 57.) Cyrus brought the affairs of the empire into order, united the Median and Persian dress, and gave a great feast to his people.+ year of his reign, while on a journey to Persia, and was interred at Pasargada or Parsagada, (probably Persepolis,) in a small tomb, which seems to be the same that was discovered by Niebuhr, among the ruins of Persepolis, and is described in his travels. Herodotus, however, asserts that he was slain in a battle against the Massagetæ. On account of his justice and kindness to his subjects, he was honoured during his life, and for a long time after his death, with the title of Father of his people.* CHAPTER VII. HISTORY FROM THE RETURN OF THE HEBREWS TO THE LI. RELEASE OF THE HEBREWS. CYRUS, in the first year of his reign, (536 B. C., seventy of the captivity, fifty-two after the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple,) proclaimed throughout his empire by a herald and When Cyaxares died, Cyrus, who after his by a written order, that all the people of the God campaigns had married the only daughter of his of heaven, without exception, had liberty to uncle, inherited the whole Median empire, which return to Judea and rebuild the temple at Jeruin this manner passed from the Medes to the salem. This general permission, therefore exPersians, and was denominated from both peo- tended to the Israelites in Assyria, Halah, Gozan ple. If Cyrus, as Herodotus testifies, was obliged and Media, as well as to the Jews at Chebar and to resort to force in order to establish his authoBabylon. As Cyrus announced in his edict that rity, it was probably in consequence of the refusal Jehovah the God of heaven had given him all of the Median nobles to acknowledge his right to the kingdoms of the earth and charged him to the succession. But such disquiets he could the build a temple at Jerusalem, this proclamation more easily allay, after the Persians had adopted was not merely a permission, but rather an inthe Median dress and religion, and thus in fact vitation to all the Hebrews to return and rebuild had become one people with the Medes. It could the temple. He accordingly delivered to the not have been difficult to introduce the Zoroas-returning exiles five thousand four hundred sacred trian religion among the Persians, since, in all vessels of gold and silver which Nebuchadnezzar probability, its fundamental principles were fa- had carried from Jerusalem to Babylon, premiliar to them long before the age of Zoroaster. scribed the size of the temple, and directed that Cyrus in his youth, during his five years' resi- the expense of its erection should be defrayed dence at the court of his grandfather, had be- from the royal treasury; all which particulars come accustomed to this religion, by which the were verified by a written edict found fifteen ceremonial of that court was regulated. The years after in the archives at Ecbatana. (Ezra Persians would readily receive the religious rites i. 1-11; vi. 2-5.) introduced by the reformation of Zoroaster, as well as the Median dress, since, according to the testimony of Herodotus, they were always very much inclined to adopt foreign manners and usages. For this purpose, therefore, no coercion or strict injunction was necessary. Still it cannot be supposed that the Persians at once entirely dismissed their old religious ideas, for among their more ancient writers we find frequent departures from the Zend-Avesta. According to Xenophon, Cyrus, after the death of Cyaxares, subdued Egypt. He resided during the seven cool months of the year at Babylon, two months in the spring, at Shushan or Susa, and during three months of the hottest weather, at Ecbatana in Media; a practice which was kept up by his successors. It is said in the Cyropædia, that he died in the seventh Thus Divine Providence directed, that the temple, which had been destroyed by a foreign king, should also by a foreign king be rebuilt. But if Cyrus, being a Madejasnan (Magian) or worshipper of Ormuzd, was more favourable to the worshippers of Jehovah than any other people, on account of the similarity of the religious ideas of the Magians and the Hebrews; the same would undoubtedly have been true of Darius the Mede, for he was also a Magian. But Darius was far enough from granting the Hebrews any such liberty. Supposing Cyrus to have been generally more indulgent than Darius, and perhaps also not so much of a zealot for Ormuzd, still he must have had important reasons for building a temple to Jehovah, since the Magians did not allow the erection of temples, but only of Pyræa, or small chapels for the consecrated fire. Daniel, who, on account of his interpretation of the prophetical dreams of Nebuchadnezzar and of the Cyrop. VIII. vi. 11; vii. 1—3. 10. Niebuhr's Travels, vol. ii. p. 159. Strabo, p. 730. Plutarch, Alexander. Arrian, iii. 18. Herodot. iii. 89, comp. Cyrop. VIII. í 1; ii. 6. places of their exile, we must allow that they had increased very rapidly during their captivity; though while under their last kings in Palestine, their numbers had been continually diminishing. Daniel, at this time nearly ninety years old, remained at the court, where he could be of greater service to his nation than he could in Palestine. mysterious writing in the banqueting hall of Belshazzar, was as much esteemed by the Persian monarchs as Jeremiah had been by Nebuchadnezzar, seems indeed to have contributed most to this favourable disposition of Cyrus. But he had probably spoken on the same subject with Darius the Mede, by whom he was regarded with such veneration, especially after his preser- Those who were to return, assembled at an vation in the lions' den, that that monarch in a appointed place, according to the usual mode of public decree, enjoined it on all his subjects to collecting a caravan, and furnished themselves worship the God of Daniel. That Daniel would with provisions and other things necessary for not have failed in zealous application to Darius, their journey. Their camels, horses, and beasts cannot be doubted, since he looked with such of burden amounted to eight thousand one hunanxious solicitude for the termination of the cap- dred and thirty-six. Zerubbabel, the director of tivity, and having computed its duration by the the caravan, received the sacred utensils which prophecy of Jeremiah, in the first year of this had been restored, and the donations towards the Median monarch, earnestly entreated God, with building of the temple, made by those who remourning and fasting, to put a period to the exile. mained behind. He was appointed, not only (Dan. vi. 26-29; ix. 1, 2.) From this disposi- | leader of the caravan, but also governor of Judea, tion of Daniel, we may safely conclude that he as he is styled by the prophets Haggai and Zechwould neglect neither opportunity to entreat, ariah, and fifteen years later, by Darius Hystaspis. nor means to persuade Darius to grant the re- The names Sheshbazzar and Tirshatha, are perlease of the Hebrews. But still during the two haps Persian denominations of the same office. years' reign of this monarch, he was unable to Several months were consumed in preparation for obtain that which Cyrus, immediately after his the journey. Encumbered as they were with bagaccession to the throne, granted so freely, that gage and small children, they were obliged to travel he seems even to have gone beyond the requests slowly, and their journey took up four months. of Daniel. It is, therefore, by no means a vain (Ezrai. 8, 11; ii. 63-67; vi. 7; vii. 9.) Accordingly tradition nor an arbitrary conjecture on which the caravan could not have arrived in Judea before Josephus relies, when he tells us that Daniel the close of the first year of Cyrus. Thus the showed to Cyrus the prophecies of Isaiah refer- Jews returned precisely at the termination of the ring to him, and that it was the manifest super- seventieth year of the captivity, the fifty-second natural foreknowledge evinced by these predic- year after the destruction of the temple. They tions which were pronounced long before his birth, were now in their own country, could be governthat induced this monarch to bestow more than ed by their own laws, and form a distinct comDarius had refused. This can scarcely be doubted monwealth. The Persian sovereignty afforded by a reflecting mind, after a comparison of these protection and security to the weak colony, and prophecies with the expressions in the edict of this was far more advantageous to the Hebrews Cyrus: "Jehovah, the God of heaven, hath given than complete independence, which they could to me all the kingdoms of the earth, and hath not demand. charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem which is in Judah." How could Cyrus have said this, if he had never read the prophecy of Isaiah ?* LII. FIRST CARAVAN OF THE HEBREWS TO Thus were the mountains laid low and the valleys filled up for the return of the Hebrews to Palestine; that is, all obstacles were removed. Zerubbabel, grandson of king Jehoiachin, and Jeshua, a grandson of the high priest Jozadak, and ten of the principal elders, prepared themselves for the journey. To these were joined forty-two thousand three hundred and sixty people, whose servants amounted to seven thousand three hundred and thirty-seven, so that the whole number was nearly fifty thousand. (Ezra ii. 2, 64, comp. Neh. vii. 7.) If this number is exclusive of women and children, as in other computations, according to Michaelis it would not exceed four times the number of those who were carried into captivity. Eleven thousand six hundred men were taken from Judea, and they, with their wives, children, and servants, probably amounted to forty or fifty thousand persons. But as many of the Hebrews remained in the • Josephus, Antiq. xi. 1, 2. Isa. xliv. 28; xlv. 1. com. Jer. 1. 44. LIII. RETURN OF THE TEN TRIBES. As the invitation of Cyrus to build the temple at Jerusalem was directed to all the people of Jehovah, and proclaimed throughout the Persian empire, undoubtedly not a few of the ten tribes returned to Palestine. Those who supposed they could improve their condition by removing, would attach themselves here and there to a caravan of merchants, and proceed to the land of their fathers. But as they arrived one after another, and in small companies, their return is not particularly noticed in a history so concise. There might have been many Israelites in the great caravan of Zerubbabel already described, although it is not necessary to suppose that the ten elders with Zerubbabel and Jeshua, were the twelve princes of the different tribes, (Ezra iii. 2, comp. Neh. vii. 7,) or that the twelve thousand five hundred and forty-two, the excess of the grand total given by Ezra ii. 64, above the actual sum of the several numbers mentioned in verses 3-63, were all Israelites. However this may be, it is highly probable that most of the Israelites returned early, when they heard of the prosperity of their brethren in Palestine. But whether their return was early or late, it is yet certain that they did actually return, for the history of later periods mentions Israelites as settled in E + Galilee and Perea, long before the time of Christ. | directed. (Ezra iii. 12, 13, comp. Haggai ii. (Macc. v. 9-24.) But connecting themselves 1-10. Ezra vi. 3, comp. 1 Kings vi. 2.) with the tribe of Judah, they finally lost the name of Israelites, and all Hebrews were called Jews. But since many of the tribe of Judah chose to remain in the land of exile, it is reasonable to suppose that still greater numbers of the Israelites who had lived in those countries two hundred years longer, would have little inclination to exchange the happiness they there enjoyed, for the prospect of an uncertain good in Palestine. But as the jealousy between Judah and Israel had now ceased, according to the predictions of the prophets, those Israelites also who remained in exile, joined themselves to the tribe of Judah, which was in possession of the temple, and consequently, they too received the denomination of Jews. All questions, therefore, and investigations, for the purpose of ascertaining what has become of the ten tribes, and whether it is likely they will ever be discovered, are superfluous and idle. LIV. BUILDING OF THE TEMPLE. That the Persian rulers of Palestine might not hinder the new colony from settling in the country and building the temple, it was necessary that Cyrus should issue a special order to this effect. But as this was sent directly to the Persian magistrates of the province, and was not received by the Jews, it is passed over by Ezra, though mentioned by Josephus.* Indeed, the succeeding history renders the supposition of such an order necessary; for numerous caravans took possession of the country, built towns and villages, raised a city upon the ruins of their ancient capital; in the next month, (Tishri,) the whole colony assembled at Jerusalem to the feast of Tabernacles, erected an altar among the rubbish of their ancient temple, and resumed their customary sacrifices; and in the second month of the second year after their return, they, by voluntary contributions, laid the foundation of the house of God with great solemnity; and for all this not a Persian officer pretended to call them to account. Joyful as this occasion was to the younger colonists, and loud as their shouts of exultation were in this tumult of joy, the elder people, who had seen the temple of Solomon in its glory, were heard weeping as loudly; for they perceived from the very commencement of the work that this edifice could neither be so large, so magnificent, nor so highly ornamented as the former. It is true, as appears from a record found in the palace at Ecbatana during the reign of Darius Hystaspis, that Cyrus had directed a sanctuary to be built of twice the dimensions of Solomon's temple, and the expense to be defrayed from the royal treasury; but either the treasurer had neglected to execute these orders, or the Jews, out of modesty, chose not to avail themselves of the favour of the monarch to its full extent, and were satisfied with what was granted without reluctance, lest they should awaken the envy of the worshippers of Ormuzd, and expose themselves to their persecutions. Accordingly, they did not build the temple so large as Cyrus had Antiq. xi. i. comp, 3 Esd. vi. 29, 30. There was no opposition to this undertaking, except from the colonists of the Assyrian kings in Samaria, who had intermarried with the Israelites, and now formed one people with them, under the name of Samaritans. As they placed Jehovah, represented by the golden calves, among their gods, they imagined that they had some right in the temple at Jerusalem, and demanded to be associated with the Jews in the building of it. Certainly a most dangerous request to the Jews, for they were then scarcely cured of their propensity to idolatry. Because the proposal of the Samaritans was rejected, they made every possible exertion to thwart the enterprise, and though they were unable to accomplish their object during the life of Cyrus, yet they threw so many obstacles in the way that the people were wearied out, and the work went on heavily. (Ezra iv. 1—5.) This very naturally excited the enmity of the Jews, and thus there arose a hatred between the two nations, which was continually increased by new provocations, till at last all friendly intercourse entirely ceased. He is named by Ctesias, Spendadates; by Justin, Oropastes; and in the Bible, Artahshashta (Artaxerxes.*) To this monarch the Samaritans again addressed themselves, complaining that the Jews were building (that is, fortifying) the city of Jerusalem, which they had never thought of doing, and in consequence of this false accusation Smerdis issued a positive prohibition of their work. (Ezra iv. 7--24.) degenerate son of Cyrus, as it is represented in history. How much of favour or justice, or even of impartial investigation, could be expected from a thoughtless, gluttonous, cruel, furious warrior, who was considered as raving mad, even by his own subjects? It is said that he was subject to epilepsy, which is often attended with insanity. In the fifth year of his reign he conquered Égypt, abused gods and men, and would not suffer even the dead to lie quietly in their graves. He was obliged to relinquish his design of subduing the Carthaginians and treating them in the same manner, for the Phenicians refused to employ their shipping against their ancient colony. He then sent out fifty thousand men from Thebes, through the wilderness, to lay waste Oasis Magna, in which the oracle of Jupiter Ammon was situated. But the army was overwhelmed in the desert with a shower of sand, raised by a hurricane, and thus miserably perished in consequence of the rashness of their sovereign.nouncing their names, except when he was in Meanwhile, he himself proceeded with the remainder of his army towards Ethiopia, but he was forced to return before he had gone a fifth part of the way, having already suffered so much from the want of provisions that every tenth man was slain to furnish food for the rest.* Under such a monarch it was very easy for the Samaritans to obstruct the building of the temple, not to mention the hinderances occasioned by the march of the Persian army through Judea. It is worthy of notice in this place, that the ancients generally supposed that Pythagoras was taken prisoner by Cambyses in Egypt, and carried to Babylon or Media, where he became a disciple of Zoroaster, (more probably, of his learned successors,) and made himself master of the oriental sciences.† As Cambyses was returning from Egypt, in the eighth year of his reign, there met him at Agbatana in Syria, a herald from Shushan, who announced to the army the usurpation of the throne by Smerdis, the brother of Cambyses. This brother, Cambyses had some time before privately put to death by means of his confidant, Prexaspes, because he had dreamed that he was aspiring to the sceptre. But this murder had been kept such a profound secret that the Median Magus, to whom the king had intrusted the administration of affairs during his absence, raised his own brother to the throne, pretending that he was the brother of Cambyses, to whom, indeed, he bore a strong resemblance. This was done for the double purpose of restoring the empire to the Medes and of deposing an odious tyrant. Although Cambyses exposed the imposture to his generals, they gave no credit to the story, supposing it to be feigned out of hatred to his brother. Soon after, Cambyses died of a wound he received by the falling of his own sword from its sheath as he was mounting his horse. Smerdis retained the throne seven months. Herodot. iii. 2-36. Justin, i. 9. Athenæus, xiii. Diodor. Sic. i. 46; iii. 3; x. 2, 3, 5. + Apuleius, Orat. de Magia, p. 36. Jamblichus, Vit. Pythag. Porphyrius, Vit. Pythag. p. 185. Clemens Alex. Strom. i. p. 223. The fraud of the Magus was soon discovered, and the pretended Smerdis was slain by seven of the principal nobles of Persia. These seven princes then held a council for the re-establishment of the government, and Otanes advised them to introduce Democracy; Megazy bus was in favour of Aristocracy, but Darius Hystaspis insisted on their retaining Monarchy, and he was himself raised to the throne. It was stipulated, however, that these seven princes should always have access to the king without anthe harem; and that a daughter of one of them should be married to the monarch, and have the title of Queen. But this last condition was not always observed, as is manifest from the example of Esther.‡ LVIL REIGN OF DARIUS HYSTASPIS. Darius Hystaspis, who reigned from 521 to 486 B. C. was, as Herodotus represents him, a mild and benevolent ruler. He strengthened his alliance with the family of Cyrus by marrying a daughter of the genuine Smerdis, and two daughters of Cyrus-one of whom, Atossa, till that time had remained unmarried. Before his last war with the Greeks, he appointed Xerxes, his son by Atossa, successor to the throne, although he had an older son by another wife. He then divided the empire into twenty Satrapies, and made a new apportionment of the taxes, which Smerdis, the impostor, had remitted for three years.§ As Smerdis was a mere usurper, his prohibition of the building of the temple was of no authority. The Jews then, immediately on the accession of Darius, might have continued their work, especially as this prince was of so mild a disposition, and so highly esteemed every thing which had its origin with Cyrus. Therefore, when the Jews pretended that the time to build the temple had not come, because sixty-seven years only had elapsed since its destruction, and they would reckon the period at seventy years according to the duration of the captivity, while they were erecting splendid dwellings for themselves, and adorning their apartments with ornamental work; this was mere pretence, and designed as an excuse for their negligence. Accordingly, in the second year of Darius there appeared two prophets, Haggai and Zechariah, who plied the governor Zerubbabel, the high priest Joshua, and the whole people, with such powerful appeals to the • Ctesias, x. Justin, i. 9. Herodot. iii. 61-67. ↑ Herodot. iii. 61-87, comp. iii. So, with iv. 43. 1 Herodot. iii. 118, comp. Ezra vii. 14. Esther i. 14. § Herodot. vi. 30, 41, 119; iii. 88-97; vii. 1-4. Justin, i. 10. Cyrop. VIII. vi. 1-9. Plutarch, Apophthegm. viii. p. 84. 1 Divine commands, that the building of the house of God was once more resumed. (Ezra iv. 28; v. 1, 2. Hagg. i. 2-15. Zech. ii. 5-17; iii. 1-10; iv. 1-14; viii. 1—17.) This renewed and extraordinary interposition of Jehovah enlivened them all with new zeal. Upon this, Tatnai, the Persian governor on the west of the Euphrates, came with his officers to call the Jews to account for their conduct; and when they referred to the permission of Cyrus he was reasonable enough not to prohibit their undertaking, but wrote to Darius to have the affair investigated. Darius immediately caused search to be inade among the royal acts, and in the archives at Ecbatana, (Acmetha, now Hamadan,) the edict of Cyrus was found, which directed that the temple should be built at the royal expense, and of much larger dimensions. Darius sent a copy of this edict to Tatnai, together with a letter, commanding him not to obstruct the building, but zealously to forward it, to defray the expenses from the royal treasury, and also to supply the priests with such animals as were necessary for the sacrifices, with wheat, salt, wine, and oil, from day to day, for the Divine service, “that they might offer sacrifices to the God of heaven, and pray for the welfare of the king and of his He gave a positive command that whoever obstructed the execution of this decree should be crucified and his house demolished; and he added an imprecation on all kings and people who should attempt to destroy that house of God. The work was now carried on with renewed vigour, and in the sixth year of Darius, on the third day of the month Ådar, (March,) the edifice was completed. It was then joyfully consecrated with festive solemnities. (Ezra v. 3—17 ; vi. 1—22.) It appears that Darius had heard of the obstructions to the building of the temple, occasioned by the Samaritans; or, at least, had suspected something of the kind from the circumstance that an edifice ordered by Cyrus still remained unfinished. This favouring of the Hebrews by a prince of so magnanimous a character as Darius is well worthy of notice. He undoubtedly knew that Cyrus attributed all his victories to Jehovah, the God of heaven, and wished himself to obtain the assistance of this God. sons. During the disturbances occasioned by Smerdis, the Babylonians were preparing to revolt; and these preparations were privately carried on till the fourth or fifth year of Darius, when they broke out in open rebellion. They had taken every precaution, and to enable them to sustain a siege which, by its long continuance, might exhaust the strength and the patience of their besiegers, they put to death all the females of the city, excepting one in each family, whom they retained as a servant. (Comp. Isa. xlvii. 9; xlviii. 20. Jer. 1. 20; li. 6, 47.) Darius marched against them. After a tedious blockade of nineteen months, Zopyrus, one of the seven princes and a general, cut off his own ears and nose, and fled to the Babylonians, pretending that Darius had thus mutilated him he was believed, gradually insinuated himself into their confidence, and finally became commandant of the city, when he opened two gates to the Persians. Darius ordered the immediate crucifixion of three thousand Babylonian nobles, who had been the authors of the revolt; he took away the one hundred brazen gates of the city, and threw down two hundred cubits from the height of the wall. It is owing to this circumstance that more recent writers assert that the walls were only fifty cubits high. Thus the prophecies against Babylon received a still further accomplishment.* The remainder of the reign of Darius was spent in unceasing wars, which the prophet Zechariah represents by the "four winds (spirits) of the heavens" riding in chariots of war. The wind was worshipped by the Persians as a superior spirit (Ized) under the name of Behram, and was considered the tutelar genius of war. The expedition of Darius with seven hundred thousand men against the Scythians, was very unsuccessful; but Thrace was subjected to his power; and though he was defeated in Scythia, he was victorious in Macedonia. Against the Indies he proceeded with more caution; for he first caused the country to be explored, and he then subdued the whole western part of that very rich territory. In the twentieth year of his reign, the Ionians revolted. They were upheld by the Athenians and Eretrians; but after seven years they were forced to submit to Darius, and at the same time the islands of the Ægean Sea fell into the hands of the Persian monarch.‡ The aid which the Athenians and Eretrians had afforded the Ionians, was the cause of the great Persian war with the Greeks, which began in the twenty-eighth year of Darius. After the Persians had lost the battle of Marathon, 491 B.C., 31 of Darius, this monarch employed three years in making preparations for a still more energetic campaign against Greece. When very thing was ready, Egypt revolted, and consequently the army was divided, one part being destined for Egypt, and the other for Greece. The former division was commanded by a son of the king, but when the time arrived for the army to commence its march Darius died, in the thirty-sixth year of his reign, 485 B. c.§ During all these wars, the Hebrews enjoyed peace in their own country, a circumstance to which Zechariah alludes in his prophecies. (Zech. i. 7—17; vi. 1-8.) In this last expedition, however, they might have been obliged to participate, as the rendezvous of the army was near their territory; but perhaps they merely supplied the army with provisions, without being obliged to engage personally in the service. |