098. I. The Rise Of Cyrus
I THE RISE OF CYRUS
Ezekiel’s latest prophecy is dated 570 B. C. Probably before that time Jeremiah’s long life-work came to an end. From the middle of the period of the Babylonian exile no prophecies which can be dated with certainty have been preserved. While the strong hand of Nebuchadrezzar ruled the Babylonian empire the Jews were apparently subjected to no serious persecutions, nor was there anything in the political outlook to arouse hopes of deliverance; the prophets therefore were silent.
Although under the immediate successors of Nebuchadrezzar there was no radical change of policy to the close observer, the internal weakness of the empire began to be apparent. The accession of the usurper Nabonidus in 555 B. C. marked the beginning of the end. He had none of the prestige nor executive ability of the conqueror of Jerusalem. His interests were with the gods and traditions of the past rather than with his subjects and the problems which pressed upon them. While dangers threatened, he devoted himself to excavating the sites of ancient temples, neglecting his duties as king. The inevitable result was that the civil and military organization of the state fell into decay, while the confidence and loyalty of the people toward their antiquarian king waned, so that when the crisis came the empire collapsed suddenly and completely. Its strength and vast resources might have preserved it intact had not a powerful and energetic foe arisen in the north. The rise of Cyrus from comparative obscurity to the rule over all of southwestern Asia was so sudden and unexpected that it took the ancient world completely by surprise. In 549 B. C. this king of the little kingdom of Anzan, located among the mountains to the northeast of Babylonia, espousing the cause of the older Aryan population, defeated his overlord, the Scythian king Astyages, and by this act became master of the large but loosely organized empire which the northern invaders had built upon the ruins of Assyria. The new conqueror was quickly able to amalgamate the varied elements under him and by his personal ability and energy to develop an efficient army. Fortunately for him the strongest rivals, the Babylonians under Nabonidus, were inactive. He was, therefore, able to meet his foes in succession and to strengthen his position on every side before attacking the proud mistress of the lower Euphrates. He appears also to have instituted intrigues in Babylon calculated still further to alienate the subjects of Nabonidus and to prepare the way for their ready submission when the attack came.
After having conquered in 547 B. C. the territory of Mesopotamia lying to the north of Babylonia, he turned westward in the following year to meet the attack of the rich, powerful Lydian king Crœsus. After fighting an indecisive battle, he followed up his rival, defeated him, and within an incredibly short time was in possession of his wealthy capital and kingdom.
He next attacked the opulent Greek colonies on the coast of the Ægean Sea. Many of these were not lacking in courage, and so offered a desperate resistance, but the rapid advance of Cyrus gave them no opportunity to effect a general organization against their dread foe. The result was that most of them quickly submitted, while those who refused were not able to hold out long against such overwhelming numbers as the Persian king was able to launch against them. In the end, after a series of signal victories, Cyrus returned to his capital, supreme lord of all of the states of Asia Minor. The restless, half-civilized peoples to the east of his empire next commanded his attention. Here again he and his army secured not only vast territory and spoil, but also great prestige, so that by the autumn of 538 B. C., when he turned his armies against Babylon, victory was practically assured.