neilgodfrey wrote: ↑Fri Sep 02, 2022 12:55 am
The myth was about an exodus from Babylonian captivity. That makes Cyrus the inevitable key figure. That would apply even if the myth was formulated/refined in Roman times, would it not?
Right, but why write about this at all? Why be so positive about Cyrus? They could also have claimed that Cyrus was a tyrant.
Firstly, I think that most Jewish works were far more directed at non-Jewish audiences than is widely acknowledged. They were almost always writing for two audiences. I'd say this is less true of some of the unique works from Qumran of course, but a lot of the classic apocrypha as well as the stuff from the Old Testament is very much written with foreign audiences in mind. 1 & 2 Maccabees are of course overtures to the Romans for example.
I think the Torah was written with a Hellenic audience in mind. This was also true of many prophetic works from other sources too. They were very often written for both sides. Such works were often written to reassure/inspire the "home audience" and to either threaten the foreign audience or to make overtures to the foreign audience.
Almost everything written by Jews in this period was allegorical and related to the current situation. Again, the story about Alexander visiting Jerusalem. Why? To have Alexander endorse Judaism and sanction the right of Jews to live under their own laws, even though Alexander was now long gone. It would be like a conservative writing a story about meeting Ronald Reagan today and claiming that Reagan had read his book and loved it, even though it never happened. Reagan is still revered by American conservatives, so getting his retroactive blessing is still valued.
Daniel, set in Babylonian times, is of course about the Seleucids. Its a message to both the Jews and the Seleucids.
At some point, the Jews needed royal endorsement. So they had a legend about endorsement from Alexander and Cyrus as well. The legend about Alexander was of course directed at the Seleucids and the Romans. "See, Alexander endorsed our regime and endorsed the right of Jews to live under their own laws. How could you possibly question
his judgement? If he supported Judaism, so should you!"
The message is the same with Cyrus. It gives the Jerusalem Temple royal endorsement. Its all about establishing the provenance of the Jerusalem Temple -- in the eyes of foreign audiences. Because the Jews needed endorsement from third parities. In order to gain credibility they had to have "external witnesses", they couldn't just testify for themselves. Leader respected leaders. Yes, Cyrus was Persian, but he was of course respected by the leaders of all nations. His endorsement of the Temple gave it credibility in the eyes of all national leaders.