THE MEDO-PERSIAN EMPIRE

The events in the books of Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther took place during the rule of the Medes and Persians. These two kingdoms came from the northeast of Mesopotamia (present-day Iran) and joined forces to defeat the Babylonians (Daniel 5:30, 31). The Persians ruled until the rise of the Greek Empire under Alexander the Great. The Persians had a relaxed policy toward their captives, allowing them to own land and homes. King Cyrus of Persia went a step further, allowing many groups of exiles, including the Jews, to return to their homelands. In the books of Ezra and Nehemiah, groups of Jewish exiles were allowed to return to Palestine to rebuild their capital city and Temple. The first group of returnees led by Zerubbabel arrived in 538 B.C. The second group returned with Ezra in 458 B.C. Nehemiah came in 455 B.C. to encourage the rebuilding of Jerusalem’s wall. Esther became queen of the kingdom in 479 B.C., between the first and second returns.