Cyrus the Great

[하토브.]

Cyrus the Great

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Cyrus the Great
King of Kings of Persia, King of Āryāvarta,[1][2] King of Anshan, King of Media, King of Babylon, King of Sumer and Akkad, King of the Four Corners of the World[3]
Reign	559 BC – 530 BC (30 years)
Born	600 BC or 576 BC
Birthplace	Anshan, Persia
Died	December, 530 BC
Place of death	Along the Syr Darya
Buried	Pasargadae
Predecessor	Cambyses I
Successor	Cambyses II
Consort	Cassandane
Issue	Cambyses II Bardiya Artystone Atossa Roxane[4]
Royal House	Achaemenid
Father	Cambyses I
Mother	Mandane of Media

Cyrus II of Persia (Old Persian: ^[5] Kūruš; New Persian: کوروش بزرگ c. 600 BC or 576 BC–530 BC^[6]), commonly known as Cyrus the Great,^[7] also known as Cyrus the Elder, was the founder of the Achaemenid Empire.^[8] Under his rule, the empire embraced all the previous civilized states of the ancient Near East,^[8] expanded vastly and eventually conquered most of Southwest Asia and much of Central Asia and the Caucasus. From the Mediterranean sea and Hellespont in the west to the Indus River in the east, Cyrus the Great created the largest empire the world had yet seen.^[9] His regal titles in full were The Great King, King of Persia, King of Anshan, King of Media, King of Babylon, King of Sumer and Akkad, King of the four corners of the World. He also pronounced what some consider to be one of the first historically important declarations of human rights via the Cyrus Cylinder sometime between 539 and 530 BC.

The reign of Cyrus the Great lasted between 29 and 31 years. Cyrus built his empire by conquering first the Median Empire, then the Lydian Empire and eventually the Neo-Babylonian Empire. Either before or after Babylon, he led an expedition into central Asia, which resulted in major campaigns that were described as having brought "into subjection every nation without exception".^[10] Cyrus did not venture into Egypt, as he himself died in battle, fighting the Massagetae along the Syr Darya in December 530 BC.^[11][12] He was succeeded by his son, Cambyses II, who managed to add to the empire by conquering Egypt, Nubia, and Cyrenaica during his short rule.

Cyrus the Great respected the customs and religions of the lands he conquered.^[13] It is said that in universal history, the role of the Achaemenid empire founded by Cyrus lies in its very successful model for centralized administration and establishing a government working to the advantage and profit of its subjects.^[8] In fact, the administration of the empire through satraps and the vital principle of forming a government at Pasargadae were the works of Cyrus.^[14] What is sometimes referred to as the Edict of Restoration (actually two edicts) described in the Bible as being made by Cyrus the Great left a lasting legacy on the Jewish religion where because of his policies in Babylonia, he is referred to by the people of the Jewish faith, as "the anointed of the Lord".^[15][16]

Cyrus the Great is also well recognized for his achievements in human rights, politics, and military strategy, as well as his influence on both Eastern and Western civilizations. Having originated from Persis, roughly corresponding to the modern Iranian province of Fars, Cyrus has played a crucial role in defining the national identity of modern Iran.^[17][18][19] Cyrus and, indeed, the Achaemenid influence in the ancient world also extended as far as Athens, where many Athenians adopted aspects of the Achaemenid Persian culture as their own, in a reciprocal cultural exchange.^[20]

Religion and philosophy[edit source | editbeta]

Main articles: Cyrus the Great in the Bible and Cyrus the Great in the Qur'an

Dhul-Qarnayn is thought to refer to Cyrus by some Qur'anic commentators.

Though it is generally believed that Zarathushtra's teachings exerted an influence on Cyrus's acts and policies, no clear evidence has been found that indicates that Cyrus practiced a specific religion. His liberal and tolerant views towards other religions have made some scholars consider Cyrus a Zoroastrian king,^[88] however, other scholars emphasize the fact that Cyrus is known only to have honored non-Zoroastrian gods. The Cyrus Cylinder, for instance, appeals to the help of the Babylonian gods Marduk, Bêl, and Nabû:

'û-mi-Ša-am ma- h ar iluBel ù iluNabu Š a a-ra-ku ume-ia li-ta-mu-ú lit-taŠ-ka-ru a-ma-a-ta du-un-ki-ia ù a-na iluMarduk beli-ia li-iq-bu-ú Ša mKu-ra-aŠ Šarri pa-li- hi-ka u mKa-am-bu-zi-ia mari- Šu' (Cylinder,Akkadian language line:35)

'pray daily before Bêl and Nabû for long life for me, and may they speak a gracious word for me and say to Marduk, my lord, "May Cyrus, the king who worships you, and Cambyses, his son,' (Cylinder,English Translation line:35)

The policies of Cyrus with respect to treatment of minority religions are well documented in Babylonian texts as well as Jewish sources and the historians accounts. Cyrus had a general policy of religious tolerance throughout his vast empire. Whether this was a new policy or the continuation of policies followed by the Babylonians and Assyrians (as Lester Grabbe maintains)^[89] is disputed. He brought peace to the Babylonians and is said to have kept his army away from the temples and restored the statues of the Babylonian gods to their sanctuaries.^[13]

His treatment of the Jews during their exile in Babylon after Nebuchadnezzar II destroyed Jerusalem is reported in the Bible. The Jewish Bible's Ketuvim ends in Second Chronicles with the decree of Cyrus, which returned the exiles to the Promised Land from Babylon along with a commission to rebuild the temple.

'Thus saith Cyrus, king of Persia: All the kingdoms of the earth hath Yahweh, the God of heaven, given me; and He hath charged me to build Him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whosoever there is among you of all His people – may Yahweh, his God, be with him – let him go there.' (2 Chronicles 36:23)

This edict is also fully reproduced in the Book of Ezra.

In the first year of King Cyrus, Cyrus the king issued a decree: 'Concerning the house of God at Jerusalem, let the temple, the place where sacrifices are offered, be rebuilt and let its foundations be retained, its height being 60 cubits and its width 60 cubits; with three layers of huge stones and one layer of timbers. And let the cost be paid from the royal treasury. Also let the gold and silver utensils of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took from the temple in Jerusalem and brought to Babylon, be returned and brought to their places in the temple in Jerusalem; and you shall put them in the house of God.' (Ezra 6:3–5)

As a result of Cyrus's policies, the Jews honored him as a dignified and righteous king. He is the only Gentile to be designated as Messiah, a divinely appointed leader, in the Tanakh (Isaiah 45:1–6). Isaiah 45:13: "I will raise up Cyrus in my righteousness: I will make all his ways straight. He will rebuild my city and set my exiles free, but not for a price or reward, says Yahweh Almighty." As the text suggests, Cyrus did ultimately release the nation of Israel from its exile without compensation or tribute. Traditionally, the entire book of Isaiah is believed to pre-date the rule of Cyrus by about 120 years. These particular passages (Isaiah 40–55, often referred to as Deutero-Isaiah) are believed by most modern critical scholars to have been added by another author toward the end of the Babylonian exile (ca. 536 BC).^[90] Whereas Isaiah 1–39 (referred to as Proto-Isaiah) saw the destruction of Israel as imminent, and the restoration in the future, Deutero-Isaiah speaks of the destruction in the past (Isa 42:24–25), and the restoration as imminent (Isa 42:1–9). Notice, for example, the change in temporal perspective from (Isa 39:6–7), where the Babylonian Captivity is cast far in the future, to (Isa 43:14), where the Israelites are spoken of as already in Babylon.^[91] According to the traditional view, these final chapters were written by the same author, who spoke about a future situation of which he had prophetic knowledge.

Josephus, the first-century Jewish historian, relates the traditional view of the Jews regarding the prediction of Cyrus in Isaiah in his Antiquities of the Jews, book 11, chapter 1:^[92]

“

"In the first year of the reign of Cyrus, which was the seventieth from the day that our people were removed out of their own land into Babylon, God commiserated the captivity and calamity of these poor people, according as he had foretold to them by Jeremiah the prophet, before the destruction of the city, that after they had served Nebuchadnezzar and his posterity, and after they had undergone that servitude seventy years, he would restore them again to the land of their fathers, and they should build their temple, and enjoy their ancient prosperity. And these things God did afford them; for he stirred up the mind of Cyrus, and made him write this throughout all Asia: "Thus saith Cyrus the king: Since God Almighty hath appointed me to be king of the habitable earth, I believe that he is that God which the nation of the Israelites worship; for indeed he foretold my name by the prophets, and that I should build him a house at Jerusalem, in the country of Judea." This was known to Cyrus by his reading the book which Isaiah left behind him of his prophecies; for this prophet said that God had spoken thus to him in a secret vision: "My will is, that Cyrus, whom I have appointed to be king over many and great nations, send back my people to their own land, and build my temple." This was foretold by Isaiah one hundred and forty years before the temple was demolished. Accordingly, when Cyrus read this, and admired the Divine power, an earnest desire and ambition seized upon him to fulfill what was so written; so he called for the most eminent Jews that were in Babylon, and said to them, that he gave them leave to go back to their own country, and to rebuild their city Jerusalem, and the temple of God, for that he would be their assistant, and that he would write to the rulers and governors that were in the neighborhood of their country of Judea, that they should contribute to them gold and silver for the building of the temple, and besides that, beasts for their sacrifices."

”

Cyrus was praised in the Tanakh (Isaiah 45:1–6 and Ezra 1:1–11) for the freeing of slaves, humanitarian equality and costly reparations he made. However, there was Jewish criticism of him after he was lied to by the Cuthites, who wanted to halt the building of the Second Temple. They accused the Jews of conspiring to rebel, so Cyrus in turn stopped the construction, which would not be completed until 515 BC, during the reign of Darius I.^[93][94] According to the Bible it was King Artaxerxes who was convinced to stop the construction of the temple in Jerusalem. (Ezra 4:7–24)

Some contemporary Muslim scholars have suggested that the Qur'anic figure of Dhul-Qarnayn is Cyrus the Great.^[95] This theory was proposed by Sunni scholar Abul Kalam Azad and endorsed by Shi'a scholars Allameh Tabatabaei, in his Tafsir al-Mizan and Makarem Shirazi.

Statue of Cyrus the great at Olympic Park in Sydney

The historical nature of this decree has been challenged. Professor Lester L Grabbe argues that there was no decree but that there was a policy that allowed exiles to return to their homelands and rebuild their temples. He also argues that the archaeology suggests that the return was a "trickle", taking place over perhaps decades, resulting in a maximum population of perhaps 30,000.^[96] Philip R. Davies called the authenticity of the decree "dubious", citing Grabbe and adding that J. Briend argued against "the authenticity of Ezra 1.1–4 is J. Briend, in a paper given at the Institut Catholique de Paris on 15 December 1993, who denies that it resembles the form of an official document but reflects rather biblical prophetic idiom."^[97] Mary Joan Winn Leith believes that the decree in Ezra might be authentic and along with the Cylinder that Cyrus, like earlier rules, was through these trying to gain support from those who might be strategically important, particularly those close to Egypt which he wished to conquer. He also wrote that "appeals to Marduk in the cylinder and to Yahweh in the biblical decree demonstrate the Persian tendency to co-opt local religious and political traditions in the interest of imperial control."^[98]

Politics and management[edit source | editbeta]

Cyrus founded the empire as a multi-state empire governed by four capital states; Pasargadae, Babylon, Susa and Ekbatana. He allowed a certain amount of regional autonomy in each state, in the form of a satrapy system. A satrapy was an administrative unit, usually organized on a geographical basis. A 'satrap' (governor) was the vassal king, who administered the region, a 'general' supervised military recruitment and ensured order, and a 'state secretary' kept the official records. The general and the state secretary reported directly to the satrap as well as the central government.

During his reign, Cyrus maintained control over a vast region of conquered kingdoms, achieved through retaining and expanding the satrapies. Further organization of newly conquered territories into provinces ruled by satraps, was continued by Cyrus's successor Darius the Great. Cyrus's empire was based on tribute and conscripts from the many parts of his realm.^[99]

Through his military savvy, Cyrus created an organized army including the Immortals unit, consisting of 10,000 highly trained soldiers.^[100] He also formed an innovative postal system throughout the empire, based on several relay stations called Chapar Khaneh.^[101]

Cyrus's conquests began a new era in the age of empire building, where a vast superstate, comprising many dozens of countries, races, religions, and languages, were ruled under a single administration headed by a central government. This system lasted for centuries, and was retained both by the invading Seleucid dynasty during their control of Persia, and later Iranian dynasties including the Parthians and Sassanids.^[102]

On December 10, 2003, in her acceptance of the Nobel Peace Prize, Shirin Ebadi evoked Cyrus, saying:

“

I am an Iranian, a descendant of Cyrus the Great. This emperor proclaimed at the pinnacle of power 2,500 years ago that he 'would not reign over the people if they did not wish it.' He promised not to force any person to change his religion and faith and guaranteed freedom for all. The Charter of Cyrus the Great should be studied in the history of human rights.[103]

”

Cyrus has been known for his innovations in building projects; he further developed the technologies that he found in the conquered cultures and applied them in building the palaces of Pasargadae. He was also famous for his love of gardens; the recent excavations in his capital city has revealed the existence of the Pasargad Persian Garden and a network of irrigation canals. Pasargadae was place for two magnificent palaces surrounded by a majestic royal park and vast formal gardens; among them was the four-quartered wall gardens of "Paradisia" with over 1000 meters of channels made out of carved limestone, designed to fill small basins at every 16 meters and water various types of wild and domestic flora. The design and concept of Paradisia were exceptional and have been used as a model for many ancient and modern parks, ever since.^[104]

Cyrus's legacy has been felt even as far away as Iceland^[105] and colonial America. Many of the forefathers of the United States of America sought inspiration from Cyrus the Great through works such as Cyropaedia. Thomas Jefferson, for example, owned a copy.^[106]

The English physician and philosopher Sir Thomas Browne penned a discourse entitled The Garden of Cyrus in 1658 in which Cyrus is depicted as an archetypal "wise ruler" – at a time when the Protectorate of Cromwell occurred in English history.

"Cyrus the elder brought up in Woods and Mountains, when time and power enabled, pursued the dictate of his education, and brought the treasures of the field into rule and circumscription. So nobly beautifying the hanging Gardens of Babylon, that he was also thought to be the author thereof."

Cyrus cylinder[edit source | editbeta]

Main article: Cyrus cylinder

The Cyrus cylinder, a contemporary cuneiform script proclaiming Cyrus as legitimate king of Babylon.

One of the few surviving sources of information that can be dated directly to Cyrus's time is the Cyrus cylinder, a document in the form of a clay cylinder inscribed in Akkadian cuneiform. It had been placed in the foundations of the Esagila (the temple of Marduk in Babylon) as a foundation deposit following the Persian conquest in 539 BC. It was discovered in 1879 and is kept today in the British Museum in London.^[107]

The text of the cylinder denounces the deposed Babylonian king Nabonidus as impious and portrays Cyrus as pleasing to the chief god Marduk. It goes on to describe how Cyrus had improved the lives of the citizens of Babylonia, repatriated displaced peoples and restored temples and cult sanctuaries.^[108] Although not mentioned in the text, the repatriation of the Jews from their "Babylonian captivity" has been interpreted as part of this policy.^[109]

In the 1970s the Shah of Iran adopted the Cyrus cylinder as a political symbol, using it "as a central image in his own propaganda celebrating 2500 years of Iranian monarchy."^[110] and asserting that it was "the first human rights charter in history".^[111] This view has been disputed by some as "rather anachronistic" and tendentious,^[112] as the modern concept of human rights would have been quite alien to Cyrus's contemporaries and is not mentioned by the cylinder.^[113][114] The cylinder has, nonetheless, become seen as part of Iran's cultural identity.^[110]

The United Nations has declared the relic to be an "ancient declaration of human rights" since 1971, approved by then Secretary General Sithu U Thant, after he "was given a replica by the sister of the Shah of Iran".^[115] The British Museum describes the cylinder as "an instrument of ancient Mesopotamian propaganda" that "reflects a long tradition in Mesopotamia where, from as early as the third millennium BC, kings began their reigns with declarations of reforms."^[60] The cylinder emphasizes Cyrus's continuity with previous Babylonian rulers, asserting his virtue as a traditional Babylonian king while denigrating his predecessor.^[116]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyrus_the_Great

[비전문가]

키루스 비문을 볼수록 그의 독실한 마르두크 신앙만 강하게 증명되는군요.^^

35. 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
-- Cyrus Cylinder, British Museum

[하토브.]

어떤 역사 자료라도 성경보다 더 정확할 수 없다는 점은 가장 중요합니다. 성경을 일반 사료들과 동급으로 생각하는 개톨익은 수많은 자료들이 인간적 각도에서 쓰여지거나 조작되었을 가능성을 감안할 때 타당할 수 없습니다.
오늘날 무슬림들이 코레스( 쿠루쉬)를 유일신론자로 분류하고 있다는 것도 주목할 일입니다만 그 실린더는 코레스를 다신론자처럼 묘사하고 있습니다. 그것이 코레스 자신이 쓴 것도 아니고 어느 사원의 주춧돌로 혹은 사원안의 기념물로 써놓았다는 것은 페르시아가 아닌 바빌론 인들의 입장에서 자기들의 신들에 대한 코레스의 존중을 표현한 것일 수 있습니다.
코레스가 바빌론인이 아니었기에 마르둑을 처음부터

[하토브.]

섬겼다고 말할 수도 없습니다. 마르둑은 일반적으로 태양신으로 분류되지만 당시 시대에 있어서 워낙 보편화되어 신에 대한 일반칭으로 사용되었을 수도 있습니다. 오늘날 코레스 실린더의 발견으로 학계는 떠들썩하지만 세월이 지나면 그에 대한 배경설명도 더 드러날 수 있습니다. 바빌론인들에게 하나님을 무어라 부르게 했어야 했겠습니까? 그것은 별도로 알려진 바가 없다고 생각됩니다. 그들에게는 마르둑이 하나님이라고 생각되었을 수 있습니다. 이 문제는 여러가지 많은 해석가능성과 억측을 안고 있다고 생각됩니다. 우선 코레스는 바빌론인이 아니었습니다. 또 그에 대하여 그가 유일신론자였으면서 다른 종교들을 탄압하지 않고

[하토브.]

용인했다는 것입니다. 이것은 개톨익이 어거스틴과 칼빈을 통해서 말했듯이 강제 강압할 수 있다는 것과 배치됩니다. 그들은 무력을 사용할 수 있으면 사용하라 하여 Coercion 을 합당하다고 했고 그리하여 종교재판 종교 고문, 종교살육, 십자군 원정으로 나타났습니다. 반면에 코레스는 종교의 자유를 허용하였기에 미국건국에서도 이상적 목표로 언급되기도 하였습니다. 단순한 코레스 실린더를 근거로 코레스가 다신론자였다는 결론은 성급한 결론이 될 것입니다.

[하토브.]

마르둑에 대하여는 우선 성경적으로
왕하 25장 27절에 에월므로닥, 이사야 39장 1절의 므로닥발라단, 예레미야 50장 2절에서 므로닥이 부서지는 것, 렘 52:31 에월므로닥 이 나오는데 하나님은 분명히 그 이름의 신에 대하여 반대하심을 볼수 잇습니다. 그럼에도 불구하고 그 이름이 신에 붙이는 일반명화 현상이 상당부분 진행되었을 가능성은 있습니다.
이런 현상은 모르드카 ( 모르드개) 의 이름이 마르둑의 사람이라는 뜻일 가능성이 높다는 것에서도 생각해볼 점입니다. 일반명사로서의 하나님은 아람어로는 엘라힌이 되어 있었지만 바빌론-수메르 인들에게 있어서는 아람어가 사용되지 않았을 것입니다.

[하토브.]

적어도 바빌론 수메르 지역에서는 마르둑이 신의 일반명사화 되었을 수 있습니다.
이런 사안에 관하여는 최상의 우선 순위를 성경에 두어야 하며 이사야 45장 1절은 분명히 하나님이 자기의 기름부음받은자 코레스의 손을 잡고 일하시겠다고 하셨으며 그 이사야의 예언은 200년이 지난후에 성취되었습니다. 또한 에스라 1장, 5장, 역대하 36장 22절 이하 등은 분명히 코레스가 선한 사람임을 증거합니다.

성경의 기록은 변하지 않을 것입니다. 세월이 지나면 코레스 실린더에 대한 해석이 좀더 성경에 접근할 것입니다.

[비전문가]

님의 그러한 주장은 단지 님의 추측에 불과합니다. 마르두크로 대표되는 바빌론 종교는 다신론입니다.

마르두크 이외에도, 여러 신의 이름이 실린더 안에 나옵니다. 마르두크는 신들의 제왕으로서 묘사되지요.
님이 원하는 해석은 나올 일이 없을 것입니다.

키루스에 대한 성경의 가르침을 정리한다면, '주님을 알지는 못하였지만 그 분의 뜻을 실천한 주님의 종'
이라고 명확히 표현할 수 있습니다. 이는 실린더 안에서도 나오는 종교 관용 정책과 상통한다고 이해할
수 있습니다.

[하토브.]

이 문제에 관한한 세상의 어떤 자료도 성경보다 더 정확할 수 없습니다.
이사야 45장 1절은 나의 기름부은 자 (메시호) 코레스라고말말합니다. 다른 사본이 이것을 부정하지 않습니다.
실린더에는 많은 변수들이 있을수 있습니다.
아카드인들의 시각에서 그 언어로 번역되었을 수 있습니다.

[하토브.]

칠십인역도 나의 크리스토 코레스, 내가 그의 오른 손을 붙들고, 라고 기술하고 있는데 그 칠십인역도 틀렸다 이 말이지요?

[비전문가]

주님을 알지 못하더라도 주님의 종으로 삼으실 수 있습니다. 하느님께서는 돌들로도 아브라함의 자손을
만드실 수 있는 분이니까요. 아카드인들의 최고 신인 마르두크가 유대인들의 YHWH가 될 수는 없습니다.
그렇게 주장하면 진정한 범신론으로 나가겠다는 것이지요. 에누마 엘리쉬가 구약에 영감을 줬다는 주장과
차원이 다릅니다.

따라서 주님께서는 키루스가 자신을 알지 못하였음에도 당신의 뜻을 충실히 이행한 그에게 복을 주셔서,
기름을 부으시고 자신의 종임을 인정하셨다고 해석하는 것이 가장 합리적입니다.

성경의 역사자료로서의 권위가 키루스 실린더를 능가하는 것은 아닙니다. 성경은 역사서가 아니니까요.

[하토브.]

하나님은 누구든지 들어서 쓰십니다. 그렇다고 그들 모두가 구원얻은 사람들이 아니지요. 그들중에서 구원얻은 사람들을 쓰시는 경우는 보다 직접적이고 분명합니다. 코레스의 경우에 그러했습니다. 유대인들이 여호와를 마르둑으로 호칭했다는 말이 아니라 아카드인들이, 바빌론 남부 지역 사람들이 그렇게 불렀을 수 있다는 말입니다. 또는 실제로는 그렇지 않더라도 그 사원에서는 그렇게 불렀을 수 있다는 말입니다.

[비전문가]

아카드인이, 또 바빌론인이 여호와를 마르둑으로 불렀을 수 있다라..? 진정한 이단의 가르침이로군요.^^

그렇게 따지면 중국인은 여호와를 '옥황상제'라고 불렀고, 일본인은 '아마테라스 오미가미'라고 불렀습니까?
키루스가 주님을 몰랐다는 사실을 부정하기 위해 '범신론'으로 스스로를 몰아넣는 것인가요..?

차라리 키루스가 주님의 종이었고 복을 받은 사람이지만 구원을 얻지 못했다고 하는 편이 더 낫겠습니다.^^
아카드나 바빌론인도 하느님을 마르두크라고 부르면서 믿었고, 그 믿음으로 인해 구원을 받았다는 논리가
성립되니까요.

[하토브.]

그러니까 님의 주장은 칠십인역은 잡신들을 믿는 사람이라도 하느님은 기름부음을 허락하시고 오른손을 잡아 쓰신다. 그리고 카톨릭은 그리하여 여러 잡신들에게 기도해도 하느님이 성령의 기름부음을 주신다 이 말입니까?

[하토브.]

아카드인들의 하느님에 대한 일반칭이 무엇이었습니까?
그런 접근은 여러 가능성중의 하나입니다.
왜냐하면 어떤 유물출토의 증거도 성경보다 더 정확할 수 없기 때문입니다. 그것이 특히 잡신교 사당 주춧돌에서 발견되었을 때는 더욱 그렇습니다.

[하토브.]

코레스에 관하여 이사야는 하나님이 기름부음을 허락하실 것을 200년 전에 예언하였고 예수의 탄생을 730년 전에, 예수의 죽음을 760년 전에 예언하였습니다. 또한 예레미야도 70년 바빌론 유수에서 귀환할 것을 예언했는데 코레스가 그 예언을 실현하였습니다. 이러한 증거들 보다 실린더가 더 확실한 증거란 말입니까?

[비전문가]

키루스가 'YHWH' 하느님의 이름을 알고서 그 분을 믿은 것은 아니잖습니까.^^+ 오죽하면 님이 아카드인들의
'하나님' 명칭이 마르두크라는 희한한 주장을 할까요.^^+

키루스가 예언자들의 예언을 실현하는 데 'YHWH'의 이름을 아는 전제조건이 필요할까요..? 성경은 키루스가
주님의 이름을 몰랐다는 점을 명확히 인정합니다. 여기에 실린더는 그가 '마르두크'를 믿으면서도, 민족마다
다른 신을 섬기는 신앙을 인정하는, '종교 관용 정책'을 실시했다는 점을 증거하지요.