Afsara Chowdhury

Professor Salhi

HIS 101: Western Civilization I – 75YN

21 June 2021

Monotheism and Hebrew

1. According to the inscription, why did Cyrus conquer Babylon? What does this reveal

about the relationship between political and religious beliefs at the time?

Cyrus conquered Babylon upon the summoning by the king of gods Marduk was

searching for a righteous leader who would rule and lead the people of Babylon. “He

scanned and looked all the countries, searching for a righteous ruler to lead him…he

pronounced the name of Cyrus, king of Anshan, declared him……the ruler of all the

world” (Lualdi, p. 21). The former ruler of Babylon, Nabonidus was a brutal king and

dishonored the gods. Cyrus, upon being given the governing chair, worshipped Marduk

immediately and looked for the needs of his people. The relationship between religion

and power was to deal with power at the time. For them. Religion was like political

power where the king ruled and was also known to be the god and people believed that it

was both their religious beliefs and political power.

2. How did the residents of the city and the neighboring regions respond to the Persian

conquest, and why?

The residents of the city and the neighboring regions were delighted to accept Cyrus as

their new king. “Happily they greeted him as a master through whose help they had come
 to life from death had all been spared damage and disaster, and they worshipped his

name” (Lualdi, p. 21). Their previous king Nabonidus was cold-blooded and was cruel on

his subject. This new king Cyrus was warmly welcomed after the previous king was

dethroned. Cyrus let his troops enter the city of Babylon in peace without war and

violence on the people. Cyrus looked after the needs of his new subject and gave them

the freedom of worshipping many gods they preferred.

3. What specific examples does the inscription provide of Cyrus’s religious tolerance?

There are two examples of Cyrus’s religious tolerance in the inscription. First, Cyrus

restored the sanctuaries of the cities neighboring Babylon, and allowed deported people

to return to their habitats, which gives a very good impression of his respect for other

peoples’ beliefs. “I returned to sacred cities on the other side of the Tigris, the sanctuaries

of which have been ruins for a long time, the image which to live therein and established

for them permanent sanctuaries” (Lualdi, p. 22). The second example in the inscription

describes how fearlessly and contently accepted all gods into his belief and put Mardulk

in the highest of positions. As it quotes, “May all the gods whom I have resettled in their

sacred cities ask daily Bel and Nebo for a long life and me and may they recommend me;

to Marduk, my lord, they may say this: ‘Cyrus, the King who worships you, and

Cambyses, his son,...’… all of them settled in a peaceful place… ducks and doves,… I

endeavored to fortify/repair their dwelling places” (Lualdi, p. 23).

4. What might have been the purpose of this inscription, and who was its intended

audience?
The purpose of this inscription was to highlight the exact opposite of what it portrayed

about Cyrus as he conquered Babylon to be their new king. Cyrus did not care who the

Babylonians worshipped or how many gods as long as the people were loyal to him and

obeyed him as their king. He gave them the freedom to choose their own religion. It is

also said in the inscription that the people of Babylon were very peaceful and rejoiced as

he entered the city with his large number of troops. Cyrus came fully prepared with his

army that if the people did not submit, he would take over forcefully. The fear was what

silenced the people to welcome their new king in peace and without violence. The

intended audience of the inscription is to aware the future people who Cyrus would

conquer to expand his Persian empire. To instill fear among people that if the subject will

not submit before him quietly, he would have no choice but to declare war and have

bloodshed.