Ciro II

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Cyrus the Great, who founded the Achaemenid Empire in 550 BC and ruled it until his death in 530 BC, is the subject of much praise in the Hebrew Bible. He is noted for his role in conquering the Neo-Babylonian Empire and thereafter liberating the Jewish people from the Babylonian captivity, which had begun after the fall of the Kingdom of Judah in 587 BC. According to the biblical narrative, in the first year of Cyrus' reign, he was prompted by God to issue the Edict of Cyrus, a royal decree that, in the aftermath of the fall of Babylon, called for exiled Jews to be repatriated to the Land of Israel and for the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem, thus initiating the return to Zion. Moreover, he showed his interest in the project by sending back with them the sacred vessels that had been taken from Solomon's Temple during the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem, along with a considerable sum of money with which to buy building materials. His efforts culminated in the construction of the Second Temple in Yehud Medinata, marking the beginning of the Second Temple period and Second Temple Judaism, which would continue until the Roman siege of Jerusalem in 70 AD. For this accomplishment, Cyrus is venerated as a messiah—the only non-Jew (as he was a Persian) to be held in this regard in Judaism. The historicity of Cyrus' decree has been debated among scholars, as has the impact that it may have had on the nascent Jewish diaspora if the events of the Hebrew Bible did indeed take place as they are described.