The following is part of the decree on the Cyrus’ Cylinder, now in the British Museum:
“I am Cyrus, king of the universe, the great king, the powerful king, king of Babylon, king of Sumer and Akkad, king of the four quarters of the world, son of Cambyses, the great king, king of the city of Anshan, grandson of Cyrus, the great king, ki[ng of the ci]ty of Anshan, descendant of Teispes, the great king, king of the city of Anshan, the perpetual seed of kingship, whose reign BEL (Marduk) and NABU love, and with whose kingship, to their joy, they concern themselves.
“When I went as harbinger of peace i[nt]o Babylon I founded my sovereign residence within the palace amid celebration and rejoicing. MARDUK, THE GREAT LORD, bestowed on me as my destiny the great magnanimity of one who loves Babylon, and I EVERY DAY SOUGHT HIM OUT IN AWE.
“My vast troops were marching peaceably in Babylon, and the whole of [Sumer] and Akkad had nothing to fear. I sought the safety of the city of Babylon and all its sanctuaries. As for the population of Babylon […, w]ho as if without div[ine intention] had endured a yoke not decreed for them, I soothed their weariness; I freed them from their bonds(?).
“MARDUK, the great lord, rejoiced at [my good] deeds, and HE pronounced a sweet blessing over me, Cyrus, the king who fears HIM, and over Cambyses, the son [my] issue, [and over] my all my troops, that we might live happily in his presence, in well-being. At HIS exalted command, all kings who sit on thrones, from every quarter, from the Upper Sea to the Lower Sea, those who inhabit [remote distric]ts (and) the kings of the land of Amurru who live in tents, all of them, brought their weighty tribute into Shuanna, and kissed my feet.
“From [Shuanna] I sent back to their places to the city of ASHUR and SUSA, AKKAD, the land of ESHNUNNA, the city of ZAMBAN, the city of METURNU, DER, as far as the border of the land of GUTI - the sanctuaries across the river Tigris - WHOSE SHRINES HAD EARLIER BECOME DILAPIDATED, THE GODS WHO LIVED THEREIN, AND MADE PERMANENT SANCTUARIES FOR THEM. I collected together all of their people and returned them to their settlements, and THE GODS OF THE LAND OF SUMER AND AKKAD which Nabonidus – TO THE FURY OF THE LORD OF THE GODS – had brought into Shuanna, at the command of MARDUK, THE GREAT LORD, I returned them unharmed to their cells, in the sanctuaries that make them happy. MAY ALL THE GODS THAT I RETURNED TO THEIR SANCTUARIES, EVERY DAY BEFORE BEL AND NABU, ASK FOR A LONG LIFE FOR ME, AND MENTION MY GOOD DEEDS, AND SAY TO MARDUK, MY LORD, this: “Cyrus, the king who fears YOU, and Cambyses his son, may their … […......................................................…….]. The population of Babylon call blessings on my kingship, and I have enabled all the lands to live in peace.” (http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/article_index/c/cyrus_cylinder_-_translation.aspx. Translation by Irving Finkel, Assistant Keeper, Department of the Middle East, The British Museum) [HIGHLIGHTING ADDED] The words at the opening to the book of Ezra are nothing like the Decree of the Cyrus Cylinder. The Hebrews’ record added the reference to Jeremiah, while Cyrus is named “king of Persia”, rather than the title Cyrus gave to himself, “king of the universe ... king of the four quarters of the earth”.
This is how the Hebrews amended Cyrus’s words:
“In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the LORD spoken by Jeremiah, the LORD moved the heart of Cyrus king of Persia to make a proclamation throughout his realm and to put it in writing:
“This is what Cyrus king of Persia says: ‘‘The LORD, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and he has appointed me to build a temple for him at Jerusalem in Judah. Anyone of his people among you—may his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem in Judah and build the temple of the LORD, the God of Israel, the God who is in Jerusalem. And the people of any place where survivors may now be living are to provide him with silver and gold, with goods and livestock, and with freewill offerings for the temple of God in Jerusalem.’ ”(Ezra 1:1-4)
Why is there such a great difference? Because the writing of history is always interpretive; and in the case of Ezra and of the Chronicler, their history writing was interpreted through their theology.
Did Ezra and the Chronicler invent these words? If not, where did they get them?
For the mature student, a highly probable solution is provided in the file available at:
http://rapidshare.com/files/426680075/Fried_on_dedication_of_temple.pdf
Doug