The story of Israel's return from exile reads like a cascade of empires, each rising and falling at breathtaking speed. According to the Chronicles of Jerahmeel, a 12th-century Hebrew chronicle preserved by Moses Gaster in 1899, Cyrus attempted to rebuild the Temple in the first year of his reign, but Ahasuerus blocked the effort. After God destroyed both Ahasuerus and the wicked Haman, the new king allowed the Jews to return to Jerusalem, rebuild the holy Temple, and repair the city without interference. This, the chronicle declares, was "a complete redemption."
The returning exiles rebuilt the Temple and its altar, but the second sanctuary lacked five things that the first had possessed: the Ark of the Covenant, the holy fire, the Shekhinah (divine presence), the spirit of prophecy, and the Urim and Thummim. The Second Temple stood, but it stood diminished.
The chronicle then leaps to the rise of Alexander of Macedon. Alexander waged war against Darius of Persia, defeating him and conquering his entire empire. He then swept through the nations—subjugating peoples across the known world. When Alexander reached Jerusalem, the high priest Shimon the Just went out to meet him in full priestly garments. Alexander dismounted and bowed before him. His stunned generals asked why the conqueror of nations would prostrate himself before a Jewish priest. Alexander replied that before every battle, he saw this man's likeness leading him to victory.
Alexander reigned twelve years and divided his kingdom among four chieftains before his death: Ptolemy received Egypt, Phillipos took Macedon, Seleucus and Nicanor received Syria and Babylon, and Antiochus—the great enemy of the Jews—was given Asia. The prophet Daniel had foreseen it all: the goat goring the ram, the kingdom shattered to the four winds of heaven.
LXXXV. (1) In the first year of his reign, Cyrus tried
to build the temple, but when Ahasuerus arose he pro-
hibited it, and attempted to uproot the vineyard (of the
Lord), but God exterminated him and the wicked Haman
from the world, and he died. His son succeeded him.
These are the kings mentioned, ' Darius,' ' Cyrus,' and
' Artaxerxes.' Then the people believed the prophets and
were prosperous. In the second year of his reign he allowed
the Jews to return to Jerusalem to erect the holy temple
and repair Jerusalem without let or hindrance. This was,
indeed, a complete redemption. Then did Ezra, Zerub-
babel, and his company for the second time go up to
Jerusalem with another generation of the captivity, and
they rebuilt Jerusalem and its walls. The towers they
erected were very high and strong, and the temple contained
more than did the first one, so that the first temple was
deemed insignificant in comparison to it. The people on
this account served Cyrus loyally for thirty-four years.
(2) After the rebuilding of the temple, Zerubbabel
returned to Babylon and there died. His son, Meshullam,
succeeded him, and in his days, in the fifty- second year of
the kingdom of the Medes and Persians, the kingdom was
formed. The last prophets, Haggai, Zechariah, and
Malachi, died at that time, and from that day prophecy
ceased to exist in Israel, and the Echo of the Heavenly
Voice (Bath Kol) took its place, and after that they had to
consult the sages, until the Messiah will come and show
us the right way.
(3) Thirty-four years after the rebuilding of the temple,
Darius, the son of Ahasuerus, reigned, until Alexander the
Macedonian, and first King of Greece, rose up against him
in battle, and having killed him, took his kingdom. He
reigned over Israel two years and captured every kingdom;
he made the whole world subservient to him, for at that
time, thirty-four years after the rebuilding of the temple,
Alexander the Great was crowned, the son of Philippus,
King of Macedon, for he made the name of the Macedonian
nation great, and smote the whole country. When he
waged war against Darius he smote the land of Egypt, and
slew in Alexandria double as many Jews as went out of
Egypt. After conquering Edom, he marched along the
sea-shore until he came to Acco, which he conquered, as
well as Ashkalon and 'Aza. He then turned to go up to
Jerusalem to smite it, because the Jews had made a covenant
with Darius. After journeying with all his camp some
distance, he arrived at a lodge, where he and his army
encamped.
(4) On the same night, while he was lying in his bed in
his tent, he opened his eyes and beheld a man standing
over him, clothed in white linen, and with a drawn sword
in his hand. The appearance of the sword was like
lightning on a rainy day. When he lifted the sword over
the head of the king, he was greatly afraid, and said, * Why
will my lord smite his servant?' And the man replied,
' God hath sent me to conquer kings and many nations
before thee, and I will go before thee to render thee
assistance, but know now that thou shalt surely be slain,
because thy heart is bent upon going to Jerusalem in
order to injure God's priests and God's people.' ' I
beseech thee, 0 lord,' replied the king, ' pardon the sin of
thy servant, and if it is evil in thine eyes, I will return to
my home.' 'Do not be afraid,' said the man; * go thy
way to Jerusalem, and when thou comest before the gate
of the city and seest a man clothed in white like me,
having an appearance and form like mine, do thou
immediately make thy obeisance to him and bow thyself
to the ground before him; do whatever he bids thee and
do not transgress his word, for the very day that thou
rebellest against his word thou shalt be slain.'
(5) The king accordingly arose and went on his way to
Jerusalem. When the High Priest heard that the king
was coming against Jerusalem in great anger, he was
exceedingly afraid, as were all the people, and he with the
people went out at the gate of the city, and he stood
256 [Lxxxv. G
before them clothed in white Hnen. As soon as Alexander
beheld the priest, quickly dismounting from his chariot,
he fell upon his face and bowed dow^n to him. But the
generals of Alexander became very angry at this, and said,
' Why dost thou bow down to a man who has no strength
for battle ?' And the king replied, ' Because the man that
goeth in front of me to subdue all the nations before me
is in appearance and form like this man. I therefore
bow down to him.'
(6) Then, going into our holy temple, he said to the priest,
' I will have my statue erected here, and will give much
gold to the workmen, that it may be a remembrance of me.
And they shall erect it between the Holy of Holies and the
temple, so that my image be a remembrance in this great
house of God.' But the priest replied, ' Present the gold
for the maintenance of God's priests and the poor of His
people, and I shall cause thee to be remembered for good,
as thou wishest. All the children of the priests that are
born this year shall be called by thy name, Alexander, and
thou shalt be remembered when they w^orship in this
house; but it is not permitted to place a graven image or
any likeness in the house of our God.' The king then gave
the gold according to the priest's request.
(7) He asked him to inquire of God on his behalf
whether he should go to war with Darius, or abandon the
plan. And the priest replied, ' He will surely be delivered
into thy hand.' Then, bringing the Book of Daniel, he
showed him the passage concerning the ram that gores on
all sides, and the young of the goats which runs up to him
and tramples upon him. ' Thou,' added he, ' art the young
of the goats and Darius is the ram. Thou shalt therefore
trample upon him and seize his kingdom.' Thereupon
Alexander went to battle, and having slain Darius, captured
all his kingdom, so that the Persian kingdom ceased to
exist. Alexandria in Egypt was made the royal city.
(8) He ruled over all the nations just as a shepherd rules
over his flock. He soon went over to India, travelling
right across the country to its extremity, and extended his
Lxxxvi. 2] 257
dominion, as we learn from the Talmud. E. Jose said,
' For six years he reigned in Elam, and afterwards spread
his kingdom over the whole world.' He reigned altogether
twelve years, and when he was on his way home to his
house he died. Before his death, he divided his kingdom
among his four chieftains. He made Ptolemy, the son of
Lagi i^^iih), King of Egypt; Phillipos his brother King
of Macedon, and Seleucus and Nicanor Kings of Syria and
Babylon respectively; lastly, he made Antiochus, the great
enemy of the Jews, King of Asia (n*^di;).' Daniel
prophesied this event when he said that the goat would
gore the ram and break down his kingdom, which would
be given to the four winds of the heaven.
