Cyrus the Great was the founder of the Archaemenid Empire, the first Persian Empire. He is also known as Cyrus II, grandson of Cyrus I. Under Cyrus’ reign, his empire conqured the Lydian, Median and neo-Babylonian empires, expanding Persia to become the largest empire the world had yet seen then.

Cyrus was known to respect the customs and religious practices of the lands he conquered.

In the Bible, Cyrus issued an edict allowing the Jews to rebuild their Temple and return to their homeland. He was the only non-Jew in the Bible to be given the title “Messiah”.

The Prophet Isaiah prophesized that God would act through Cyrus in Isaiah 45. During the reign of Darius II, enemies of the Jews questioned the Jews’ authority to rebuild the Temple. King Darius II ordered a search for the relevant decree made earlier by Cyrus II, and after finding it, allowed the Temple to be completed.