A Deep Thinking

Cyrus was the greatest Persian Emperor and a righteous human
being. At the time of victory, he was generous toward defeated people. Being a freeman, he won the heart of
his people, permitting them to worship their gods. He was extraordinarily
peerless in all over the world. Comparing Cyrus' manner with Semi's rulers, one
feels great pleasure for the Persian liberality and generosity and truly regards
the Persian as the instructor of human race.
Much information, concerning the
historical figure renowned, among Western people, for virtue and humanity
emanates from two reliable sources, the Bible and Herodotus written in 5th Cent.
BC. It is proclaimed that Cyrus was the first legislative who issued a number of
principles in terms of human rights.
Having defeated the Medes, he founded
Achaemenid dynasty as the first Persian Emperor. Based on some narratives of the
Old Testament, Cyrus captured Babel, with the aid of God, set free the Jewish
detainees and let them go back to Jerusalem.
Some interpreters believe that
in Quran, Zol-gharnein refers to "Alexander the Great", while some others,
comparing some verses of Quran pertinent to Zol-gharnein and Cyrus' life story,
assume that God meant "Cyrus the Great" and no one else.
In the holy Qur'an,
there are 16 verses in the Kahf Sureh (verses 83-98) that talk about Zol-qarnain
and some aspects of his personality. Zol-qarnain of the holy Qur'an is NOT
Alexander the Great. It is Cyrus the Great, the famous Persian king of
the Achamenid Dynasty (580-529BC). Consider the following:

1- Alexander was not a monotheistic man. He was a
blasphemer who worshipped the many gods of Ancient Greece. The Biography
of Alexander, written by a famous Greek historian (Herodotus) states that
Alexander believed that he was the son of Zeus! The Qur'an's
Zol-qarnain was God-revering and a monotheist, and so was Cyrus. As the
most probable date for the appearance of Zoroaster is in the mid-sixth century
B.C., this date is close to the time Cyrus lived.
2- Cyrus is mentioned
in the Old Testament and the Book of Ezra as a God-revering person, a
description that matched the qualities of Zol-qarnain in the Qur'an.

3- The deeds of the Achaemenian king were in accordance to the deeds
described in the Qur'an, as he fought with the Lydians in Asia Minor and then
with the Sakas in the east (unlike Alexander the Great).
4- The Koranic
verses in the 'AL KAHF' sura, which talk about Zol-qarnain, begin with the
words: "And they ask you about Zol-qarnain..". Meaning that
the Jews are asking the Prophet Muhammad about him. This means that this
king was known to the Jews, and is mentioned in the Old Testament. Alexander the
Great is not mentioned in the Old Testament, nor did he have any close relation
with the Jews.
5- Zol-qarnain in the Qur'an is said to have built
a barrier of copper and iron after fighting the Ya'jooj and Ma'jooj people.
Cyrus built a similar barrier in the Daryal Pass, the remains of which are still
existing.
6- "qarn" in Arabic has two meanings: "horn" and
"century". " Zol-qarnain " could literally mean in Arabic: "The man of two
horns" or "The man of two centuries". This "one word having multiple
meanings" but Cyrus Relief, in Pasargadae shows The man of two
horns.!
7- Cyrus is a personality mentioned in the Bible, i.e the Old
Testament (the Book of Daniel, the Book of Ezra and some other books where Cyrus
is referred to in very explicit terms: Daniel dreamt that in the palace of Susa
in Elam, a two-horned ram triumphed over all animals, with the exception of a
one-horned goat that finally defeated the ram. Daniel lost consciousness after
this dream and an angel appeared to him, saying that the ram he had seen was the
king of the Medes and the Persians, while the one-horned goat was the king of
the Greeks) (Book of Daniel, chapter 8, verses 20-21).
Zol-gharnein was a
merciful king who was kind to inferiors which is true of Cyrus the
Great to the extent that even his enemies revered him. He
was the one who issued the Charter of Liberty and Human Rights in Babel.

One of the truly astounding prophecies of the Bible is found in
the last verse of Isaiah 44, together with chapter 45:1ff, (an unfortunate
chapter break). It has to do with Cyrus, king of Persia. According to the
historian Herodotus (i.46), Cyrus was the son of Cambyses I. He came to the
Persian throne in 559 B.C. Nine years later he conquered the Medes, thus
unifying the kingdoms of the Medes and the Persians.

Cyrus is mentioned some 23 times in the literature of the Old
Testament. Isaiah refers to Cyrus as Jehovah�s �shepherd,� the Lord�s
�anointed,� who was providentially appointed to facilitate the divine plan. God
would lead this monarch to �subdue nations� and �open doors� (an allusion to the
Jews� release from Babylonian captivity). He would make �rough places smooth,�
i.e., accommodate the Hebrews� return to their Palestinean homeland. He would
ultimately be responsible for the rebuilding of Jerusalem and the reconstruction
of the temple.

Amazingly, the king would accomplish these noble tasks even though
he did not �know� Jehovah (45:4,5). In other words, though he was a pagan in
sentiment and practice, yet, as an unconscious tool in the hands of the Lord, he
would contribute mightily to the Jewish cause, and so, indirectly, to the coming
of God�s greater Anointed, Jesus of Nazareth.

The fulfillment of these plain and specific predictions is set
forth in 2 Chronicles 36:22,23 and Ezra 1:1-4,7,8; 3:7; 4:3. The Encyclopedia
Britannica, an unlikely source, acknowledges that �in 538 [B.C.] Cyrus granted
to the Jews, whom Nebuchadressar had transported to Babylonia, the return to
Palestine and the rebuilding of Jerusalem and its temple� (Vol. 6, 1958, p.
940).

H.G. Wells, in his book, The Outline of History, concedes that the
Jews �returned to their city, Jerusalem� and �rebuilt their temple there under
the auspices of Cyrus,� the Persian monarch (1931, p. 253).

What many people do not realize in reading Isaiah 44:28ff is that
this heathen ruler was named by the prophet long before the monarch was even
born. Isaiah prophesied in the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah
(1:1). His ministry thus occurred in the latter portion of the 8th century B.C.
(ca. 740-701 B.C.). This was some one hundred fifty years before Cyrus came to
the throne!

Incredible declarations of this nature have led critics (who
reject the possibility of predictive prophecy) to suggest that these portions of
the book of Isaiah were added much later � after the fact, as it were. A popular
reference work states:

�Because the book of Isaiah includes prophecies concerning
events during and after the Exile, critical scholars generally attribute
portions of the book to one, two, or more prophets in addition to Isaiah (esp.
Deutero-Isaiah, chs. 40-55; Trito-Isaiah, chs. 56-66)� (The Eerdmans Bible
Dictionary, 1987, p. 531).
Here is an example of how the liberal viewpoint
is reflected even by a professor in a Christian university. In discussing the
promises set forth in Isaiah 44:26-28, John T. Willis of Abilene Christian
University says:

�All of these promises assume that Jerusalem and the cities of
Judah have been razed, that the temple is no longer standing, that Cyrus is on
the scene and swiftly growing in power, and that the return of the exiles is
imminent� (Isaiah, p. 380).
If such is the case, then this material could
not possibly have been written by the prophet Isaiah since he died long before
these events transpired. The author, in spite of his claim of a conservative
approach to the book (p. 31), clearly reflects his opinion that this portion of
the book of Isaiah was authored by a writer of the 6th century B.C. (cf. p.
381).

Against such a viewpoint we have the assurance of scripture
itself. Earlier, in 41:25ff, Isaiah had spoken of the coming of �one . . . from
the rising of the sun.� Though not called by name, the allusion is clearly to
Cyrus, who would bring good tidings regarding Jerusalem.

In 41:26, Isaiah makes it plain that the mission of Cyrus was a
matter of prophecy, not educated speculation. It is a reflection of compromised
faith to postulate a late date for these prophecies.

Finally, as an interesting sidelight, we note that Josephus, the
Jewish historian, states that the Jews in Babylonian captivity showed Cyrus the
prophecies of the Old Testament Scriptures which contain his name and described
his role in the scheme of God. The historian says that it was this circumstance
that motivated the ruler �to fulfill what was written� (Antiquities 11.1.2), and
thus to issue his edict permitting Israel�s return to her homeland.

Excavations at Babylon (1879-82) led to the discovery of a clay
barrel, known as the Cyrus Cylinder, which contained a marvelous
historical confirmation of the biblical narrative. It portrays the benevolent
policies of Cyrus in the following fashion: �All of their peoples I gathered
together and restored to their dwelling-places� (see: Ira M. Price, The
Monuments and the Old Testament, 1899-1907, p. 234).

Predictive prophecy is a compelling evidence for the divine origin
of the Holy Scriptures