Ruler
Cambyses (530-522)
Darius I (522-486)

Xerxes I (Ahasuerus)
(486-465)
Artaxerxes I
(Longimanus)
(465-424)
Darius II (Nothus)
(423-404)
Artaxerxes II
(Ochus) (358-338)
Artaxerxes III
(Ochus) (358-338)
Darius III
(336-331)

During this restoration period, Judah was only a small part of a vast Persian province. Its political and religious fortunes depended on Persian power and policy. When Nebuchadnezzar, the conqueror of Jerusalem, died in 562, Babylonian power rapidly declined under ineffectual rulers. Babylon’s end came at the hands of Persia, a new power destined to dominate the ancient Near East for two centuries. The founder of this empire was Cyrus, king of Anshan in southern Iran, who rebelled against his Median overlords and by 550 succeeded in conquering their immense empire. He extended its domain from the Aegean Sea to the frontier of Afghanistan. Babylon then stood alone and in 539 fell to the Persians after a single battle on the border. Cyrus controlled all western Asia to the outskirts of Egypt.
Cyrus was an enlightened ruler whose general policy was to permit people deported by the Babylonians to return to their homelands. He also respected the religious beliefs of his subject peoples and governed by permitting considerable local autonomy. He kept firm control, however, through the Persian army and a complex governmental system. In keeping with his policy of repatriation, Cyrus permitted a group of Jewish exiles to return to Judah in 538 and even funded the rebuilding of the temple.
Judah remained relatively unaffected by the major historical events of the empire. The following table summarizes the rest of Persian history, particularly that period relevant to Ezra-Nehemiah:Major Events
Conquered Egypt in 525.
Defeated and executed the usurper Gaumata to regain the throne. Faced empire-wide revolt for two full years. Gave empire its definitive organization and greatest stability and extent. Only failure was the attack on Greece.
Destroyed Babylon in 482. Invaded Greece but was repulsed and completely driven out in 466.
Faced rebellion in Egypt for six years. Signed the peace of Callias (449), giving the Greek cities independence and banning the Persian fleet from the Aegean.
As a result of Peloponnesian War, gained firm control of Asia Minor.
Egypt gained independence in 401. Major western rebellion barely put down.
Ruthless ruler who reconquered Egypt.Empire dissipated in gory intrigues and internal weakness, falling to Alexander the Great in 331.
This turbulent, momentous period in ancient Near Eastern history is the setting for the events of the return from exile and establishment of the Jewish community under Ezra and Nehemiah.
? The Old Testament, Lasor, Hubbard, Bush

Israel’s return from exile in Babylon did not go well. Ezekiel 37:1-14 described the dawn of a national rebirth; for years, though, the reality proved quite different. The foundation for the temple was hard, but the local populace and middling officials kept the work from being finished for years. Finally, after new King Darius issued a new decree for the funds to be given to the Jews to finish the work, the new temple was dedicated on March 12, 515 B.C. The contrast between the spectacular temple of Solomon and this humble building was so great that it brought a bittersweet mixture of reactions from the young and old (Ezra 3: 10-13).
? Why were there two such different reactions to this event?
? How do our expectations influence our attitudes toward events in our marriages, families, jobs, and church?
After the completion of the temple there is no record of what occurred until fifty-seven years later when Ezra the priest (and then Nehemiah the Persian king’s cupbearer lead a religious revival. The fortunes of the people had flagged; the city’s protection was in ruins with the wall broken down; and the malaise that had gripped the returned exiles had caused them to ignore their condition, both spiritual and physical. The heartfelt pain he felt over the plight of his brothers in Jerusalem is the catalyst that inspired Nehemiah to action (Nehemiah 1: 1-2; 5).
? With the passing of the years the returned exiles lost their zeal for rebuilding the city. What are some of the challenges the daily, weekly, monthly and yearly grind of life poses for our passion for revival and recommitment to God?
? Why was Nehemiah willing to turn his back on his comfortable existence to return to his spiritual homeland?
? What sacrifices should we be willing to bear to lift the burden of those in distress around us?