قورش

Cyrus II (Cyrus the Great) was the founder of the Achaemenid Persian Empire who conquered Babylon in 539 BC and issued a famous edict permitting exiled peoples to return to their homelands and rebuild their temples (Ezra 1:1–4; 6:3–5). His decree allowed the Jewish exiles in Babylon to return to Judah, making him a pivotal figure in the restoration period. Most remarkably, the prophet Isaiah named Cyrus by name approximately 150 years before his birth, calling him God's 'anointed' (mashiach) and 'shepherd' who would fulfill God's purposes for Jerusalem and the temple (Isaiah 44:28–45:1). This is one of the most discussed predictive prophecies in the Bible. The Cyrus Cylinder, now in the British Museum, confirms his policy of permitting exiled peoples to return to their homelands.