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Tuesday 16 September 2014

Ancient History About Medo-Persia

Persia was one of the greatest empires of the ancient world. In fact, it was the Persian Empire that defeated and replaced the Babylonian Empire of Biblical fame. The Persians flourished and dominated the near-east geo-political landscape from 539-331BC. (The Bible records the fall of the Babylonian Empire to the Persians, setting the stage for the return of the Hebrew people to Jerusalem about 538-445BC, following their long period of captivity by the Babylonians that lasted seventy years from 606-536BC)
The Old Testament actually contains many references to the nation of Persia and its representatives. There are many references to the "kings of Persia," and to several of the most notable of the Persian Kings, such as Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes. The prophet Daniel (8:20) speaks of the "kings of Media and Persia, and Daniel 10:13 mentions the "prince of the kingdom of Persia." The Book of Esther also refers to the dual "powers of Persia and Media.” Daniel 5:28 prophesied that Belshazzar's kingdom would be "given to the Medes and Persians. In fact, the narrative of Daniel chapter five includes the fact that Babylon fell to the Median King Darius, on the very night that Belshazzar saw the infamous handwriting on the wall.
The Persians apparently sprang from a people from the hills of Russia known as Indo-Aryans. As early as 2000BC, they began to settle in Iran and along the coast of the Black Sea. Two of these Indo-European tribes settled on the Elamite border and to the east of the Zagros mountain range. The first known references to them are made in the inscriptions of Shalmaneser III (858-824BC). They are noted as the Parsua (Persians) and Madai (Medes).
The first mention of a Persian chieftain refers to his role as an ally aligned against Sennacherib of Assyria. His son was called "King, Great King, King of the City of Anshan." His grandson fathered Cyrus II, who is one of the most celebrated kings in world history.
Cyrus II was the literal founder of the mighty Persian Empire. Cyrus II ascended to the Parsi throne located in Anshan in 559 BC. He conquered the Median King Astyages. (the grandfather of his wife) Then he defeated Lydia (about 546BC) and Babylon (about 536 BC), finally establishing the Persian Empire. Cyrus' rule was a result of the sovereignty of God. In contrast to previous rulers, especially the Assyrians, Cyrus was humane and benevolent toward those whom he defeated. It was Cyrus, the Persian king who issued the decree restoring the Jews to their homeland, following their long period of captivity by the Babylonians. (see II Chronicles 36:22-23; and Ezra 1:1-4)
Cyrus was the founder of the central governing system under which each province, or satrapy, was governed by an official who answered to the king. However, he allowed a remarkable degree of freedom of religion and customs for the vassal states, including Palestine. He developed roads, cities, postal systems, and legal codes, and treated the subject nations kindly and humanely. Cyrus accomplished all of this because he was God's tool, just as Assyria, who conquered the northern portion of Israel, was God's rod of anger. Hence the Bible usually refers to Cyrus in favorable terms (see Isaiah 44:28; 45:3)
Cambyses II (530-522BC), the son of Cyrus, reigned after his father. During his reign, Egypt was added to the list of nations conquered by Persia. The next Persian king, Darius I (521-486BC), was not a direct descendant of Cyrus but was of the royal Achaemenid bloodline. It was Darius I that was defeated by the Greeks at the Battle of Marathon in 490BC. This is the same King Darius who, in his second year, ordered the Jewish Temple at Jerusalem to be rebuilt after work on it had been discontinued for 14 years. (see Ezra 4:24; and 6:1) He also gave a generous subsidy that made it possible to complete the Temple construction. The extent of the Persian Empire under Darius is reflected in the writings of Esther. (India to Ethiopia) (see Esther 1:1; and 10:1) This vast territory was nearly 4,900 kilometers (3,000 miles) long and 800-2,400 kilometers (500 to 1,500 miles) wide.
Xerxes ruled Persia from 486 to 465BC. As Xerxes was actually Ahasuerus, he is the king mentioned in the Book of Esther. Esther did not become queen until the seventh year of his reign, which would have been about 478BC. This was two years after Xerxes devastating defeat at Salamis (480BC) which ended Persia's last hope for conquering Greece, and laid the foundation for the rise of Alexander the Great.
Another Persian king, Artaxerxes Longimanus I (464-424BC), illustrates one of the ironies of history. This minor Persian king was of major importance because of his connection with the Hebrew people. Apparently two of the three returns of the Jewish people from captivity in Babylon occurred during his reign. The second return was apparently under Ezra. This was made possible because of the generosity of Artaxerxes. The third return occurred in 445BC and is recorded in Nehemiah, and this date is notorious in the landmarks of Bible prophecy, especially as it relates to the first coming of Jesus. (Daniel 9: 24-27) The specific purpose of this return to Jerusalem allowed by Artaxerxes was to rebuild the city walls, and it also laid the foundation for the circumstances surrounding the geo-political events in Jesus lifetime.
The religion of the ancient Persians was centered around Zoroastrianism. Zoroaster believed in dualism in which Ahura Mazda (Ormazd) headed the gods of goodness (Amesha Spentas) and Angra Mainyu (Ahriman) headed the gods of evil (daevas).
After the decline of Persia, the region of Iran was left open to become one of the first countries to be occupied by the early Islamic empire which burst outward from Arabia in the seventh century. Persia has ever since maintained a distinct cultural identity within the Islamic world by retaining its own language and adhering to the strict Shia interpretation of Islam.

If you want to study more about this Ancient Story click onto this website
or this one here.
GOD BLESS YOU SO MUCH!!!

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