Did the Persian empire persecute the Jews and destroy the temples during king Cyrus ruling?

Answer 1

General Answer

No. Cyrus was alleged to have given the Hebrews exiled in Babylon the option of returning to Judah, which some did, the remainder opting to stay in the comfort of Babylon.

It was King Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon destroyed the Jewish Temple 70 years earlier. He also deported the majority of the Jewish aristocracy to Babylon during this period. Some have interpreted this a persecution since one ethnicity acted against the interests of a weaker ethnicity under its control. Others see it as a typical post-war maneuver in the Ancient Period that was practiced by the Babylonians and other Middle Eastern societies on numerous occasions to defeated enemies.

Views on the term "Persecuted"

View 1: The Term "Persecuted" is Inappropriate

The phrase 'persecuted' not appropriate, being more Propaganda than fact. When Babylon took over Judah, it deported the upper class back to Babylon and imported a new foreign ruling class to Judah to keep the remaining population quiet. This was usual practice with conquering powers - it had already happened in Israel in the north when it was taken over by Assyria.

The people of Judah were not 'persecuted' they were kept under firm control by the imported aristocracy. And the deported upper class in Babylon was not persecuted - they were used similarly to keep control of lower classes in Mesopotamia. Which is why many of them refused to return to uncertainty in Judah, preferring their new position in Babylon.

So no one was 'persecuted' - there were shifts in population - an exchange of ruling classes. If people didn't revolt and cause disruption, they were encouraged to live peaceful and prosperous lives by the successive empires - Assyrian, Babylonian, Persian and later by Macedonian, Roman and Muslim conquerors.

View 2: The Term "Persecuted" is Appropriate

If deporting an entire ruling class of people and forcibly subjugating a previously independent people in an attempt to homogenize their culture is not persecution, then you should say as much about modern states that engage in the same practice (such as the colonial period in most Western colonies). Yes, it was true that the Jews in Babylon were given a certain status to assist in the bureaucracy but there was a concerted attempt to whittle away their unique features.

Additionally, the Assyrian Empire's activities, such as flaying open enemy combatants post-mortem, engaging in excessive torture and numerous similar activities are far closer to the modern idea of genocide than they are to simple persecution. The Persian Empire, Macedonian Empire, Roman Empire, and Islamic Empires did not engage in population movement unless the population caused issues after subjugation. This is markedly different from the Babylonians who did the Jewish deportations immediately upon conquest.