The Second Temple Destroy: State Of Israel

Mesopotamia, “the Land between Rivers,” was one of the greatest and the oldest ancient civilizations of the world. This civilization flourished around 3000 B.C. on the piece of fertile land, now known as Iraq, between the rivers Euphrates and Tigris. Before 1792 B.C., the city-states of ancient Mesopotamia were not united and constantly clashed in turmoil and warfare. In 1792 B.C., King Hammurabi conquered and merged the neighboring city states of ancient Mesopotamia, creating a Babylonian empire and becoming the sixth king of its capitol city, Babylon. During his reign, Hammurabi established law and order and funded irrigation, defense, and religious projects. He personally took care of and governed the administration. In

In the mid-first millennium BCE, numerous groups arose, each with a different set of perspectives, worldviews, and attitudes: the Israelites, the Phoenicians, Neo-Assyrians, Persians and Greeks, and so on. For the Jews, they were held captive in Babylon, later returned to Jerusalem by Cyrus, the King of the Persians. Therefore, according to the first article, Cyrus was welcome within their society. These people were extremely religious, especially in regards to Marduk, and they all felt the need to help build their temple in Jerusalem. Everyone wanted to help for their beliefs and God, and gave gifts, money, and resources. “Even the Greeks, who later defeated the Persians, saw Cyrus as a model ruler” (textbook 132). Even more so, according to the Persian Customs article, most of the clans were made by Cyrus, and the rest, nomad tribes, heavily depended on Cyrus’ tribes.

Cyrus the Great’s(C. 600-530 BCE) expansion started in Persia, located on the southern portion of the Iranian peninsula, Cyrus conquered the Medes, led by King Astyages, circa 559 BCE in the northern part of the peninsula. From there, he moved into Ecbatana to take over the Medes. He united the them with

Cyrus, typically known as Cyrus the Great, was the king of the Persians that lived from 576 to 530 B.C. He became the king of the Persians in 559 B.C. and reigned until 530 B.C. During this time, people were fighting for power and control of the Fertile Crescent and of Asia Minor. Cyrus was mainly known for his large respect and tolerance to other religions and his highly peaceful actions to people he conquered. He was also known for being one of the few people able to control and hold control one of the biggest empires, even after death.

After the Assyrian Empire fell to the Chaldeans, later, the Chaldeans then surrendered to the Persian Empire. The Persians were a nomadic people that obtained the Indo-European tongue. Cyrus the Great was a Persian ruler that created the Persian state even more powerful with the introduction of satrapies, provinces when they continued to expand their nation. Je was a ruler with great wisdom and restraint that Babylonians experienced when Cyrus took them over. Cyrus, a merciful leader, allowed the Jews to return to their home city, Jerusalem, with all their sacred objects and could rebuild their Temple. He was a respected king for he allowed the practices of Assyria, Babylonia, Egyptian, and Lydia to occur in his palace. Even after he died,

A man named Cyrus overthrew the Persian monarch and became the forefather of the Achaemenid Persian Empire. He united the Persian tribes and conquered Lydia, as well as Mesopotamia later on in his rule.

Cyrus II the Great is credited as the founder of the Achaemenid Empire. Cyrus II reigned from 558-530 B.C.E. Cyrus II took control of the weakened Assyrian and Babylonian empires through his powerful, strategic military. Under Cyrus II’s rule, the empire’s military expanded and conquered most of Asia and parts of Europe creating the largest empire in the world during this time period. Cyrus II led his kingdom by respecting the religions and customs of the people he conquered. Cyrus II was successful in molding a centralized administration and creating a stable, working government. His achievements involving military strategy, politics, and human rights impacted and influenced not only the Achaemenid Empire but both Western and Eastern Civilizations. Cyrus II fell wounded while protecting the northeastern border of his empire from raiders ending his reign.

The Persians were well known for their respect for other cultures and religious practices. Cyrus, the Persian ruler had allowed the Jews to build the Second Temple in Jerusalem and worship as they pleased. The Persians believed that “individuals possess free will and can choose to sin or not sin” (Joshua Cole and Carol Symes 51). Additionally, as the Persians enforced a standardized currency and a system of weights and measures, it contributed for the trade and commerce growth. And with the accumulation of wealth, it improved the quality of life. Beyond that, when Croesus, king of the kingdom of Lydia decided to attack Persia in order to preserve his own realm from conquest, the Persians were able to counterattack and defeat Croesus’ forces. Yet, Cyrus kept Croesus as an advisor rather than a prisoner. A similar action from Cyrus was evident when he freed the Hebrews who had been held captive in Babylon since 586 B.C.E. These two actions were enough to conquer people’s trust and loyalty and maintain the Persians’ enormous

The Bible Among the Myths begins by stating that while the information since the 1960s has remained unaffected, the scrutiny has altered. The author, John N. Oswalt, begins his text by introducing the relative understanding of the Old Testament and Ancient Near East’s way of life and religion. Oswalt addresses the change of Israelite religion in comparison with other religions that were once believed to be unique by scholars. It is presently believed that the Old Testament is practically indistinguishable to the other religions of its time.

When the Hebrew peoples lost everything and entered into captivity to Babylon, they were a lost and floundering nation. “After the days of Solomon, the history of Israel was a story of increasing apostasy and judgement” (Clowney, 2013, p. 185). Despite their breaking of the covenants, and sinning against God in the worst ways, God did not abandoned them. He was very unhappy, and sent many prophets to speak His words to try to bring them back into relationship with Him, then God sent judgements down upon them. However, through these judgements, He kept to His promise to Abraham to ultimately bless the nations of Israel. (Clowney, 2013, p. 193) When they were allowed by Cyrus to return to Jerusalem (Arnold & Beyer, 2008, p. 58), with permission

In the middle east, there were 2 great powers, one was known as the Byzantine empire, and the other was the persian empire (or the Sassanid empire). One day, the persian empire’s forces started to take control of Babylonia. Once they had control, the Jews were exposed to zoroastrianism. The judaism religion also influenced the jews, introducing the idea of a devil into the religion. Then Muhammed had 650 revelations, which turned into the Koran, the holy book for

The Persians grew powerful during the time of Cyrus the Great around 560 B.C.E, and kept their power for some time. It wasn’t until Alexander the Great lead the Greeks in 333 B.C.E. to conquer the Persians. Meanwhile the Jewish people had been scattered all throughout

Long before the great king, Cyrus’ death the Persian Empire had reached the milestone that allowed it to be the first empire that was so large. Cyrus had a son, who took over the throne in 530 B.C.E., named Cambyses II. Cambyses would show the same ambition we saw in his father. In 525 B.C.E he added Egypt to the Persian Empire. His victory was not to be enjoyed for long. He died in 522 B.C.E. and it is assumed that he may have died from a sword wound. This wound is believed to be accidental. Although, his death was not mourned for like that of his father. This may have been due to his

It has now been a full year since I began my position at Congregation Sinai. Thank you all again for an amazing first year. When I was interviewing I gave an adult education lesson on the destruction of the 2nd Temple. We have just completed the fast day Tisha B’Av. Tisha B’Av (9th of Av) is the date given by our sages for the destruction of both Temples, so again it feels like I have come full circle.

Jerusalem is one of the oldest cities in the world. Located in between the Mediterranean and the Dead Sea, It is the main destination for those tourists that have a desire of getting a grasp of the Western East Countries, and for many, a unique religious experience. However, Jerusalem: also called the "Holy Land" has by its name a very controversial meaning: " The City of Peace". Once ago in this place, according to the Hebrew Bible (The Tanakh), the Temple of Solomon was built. According to the Muslim Bible (The Quran), also the location of the Dome of the Rock. From the Christian point of view and The Bible, It was once the place where the trial, crucifixion, and resurrection of Jesus took place. This series of religious events have brought up along with it a conflict in between Middle Eastern Countries for more than 50 years long with one main question on the plate: Who fairly and ethically deserves to live in the Holy Land?