Texts · 11 · Haggai
The Cyrus decree was likely written in Jerusalem
Ezra opens with King Cyrus ordering the temple rebuilt in Jerusalem, and only there. The wording suggests it was composed by Judean scribes, not the Persian court.
Even a royal decree can be a scribe's argument.
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Don't confuse it with the Cyrus Cylinder in the British Museum, which concerns Marduk's temple, not the Judeans. The 'edict' served a rivalry: Samaria, richer and stronger, had its own Yhwh temple, and Jerusalem's priests wanted imperial backing for theirs.
Bible reference: Ezra 1:2–4
Source: Why the Bible Began, pp. 175–180
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