III.  Convulsions in the Persian Empire.  After a brilliant and successful reign Cyrus died in 529 B.C., leaving his vast empire to his son Cambyses.  The new king lacked the wisdom and statesmanship of his father, but inherited his love of conquest.  Most of his short reign was devoted to the conquest of Egypt.  From their hill-tops the Jews doubtless witnessed the march of the great armies of Persia, and were forced to contribute to their support.  It was a period of change and transition, when old empires went down in ruin and new forces gained the ascendancy.

On his return from Egypt, Cambyses, finding a pretender contending for the throne, committed suicide, thus leaving the empire without any legitimate head.  During this crisis, in the autumn of 521 B.C., a Persian noble, Darius, was raised to the kingship by conspirators, who had slain the pretender.  Darius claimed relationship with the Persian royal family, and strengthened his position by marrying Atossa, the daughter of Cyrus.  The beginning of his reign was signalized by a series of revolts throughout the whole extent of the empire.  In Susiana a certain Athrina proclaimed himself king.  In Babylonia a native prince rallied his countrymen and assumed the title of Nebuchadrezzar iii.  The Median revolt was led by a certain Pharaortes; while among the Persians themselves a pretender, who claimed to be a son of Cyrus, gained a wide following.  Fortunately for Darius there was no concerted action among the leaders of these different rebellions, so that he was able to subdue them in succession; but to the ordinary on-looker the task seemed well-nigh impossible.  Not until the spring of 519 did Darius become fully master of the situation.

IV.  Haggai’s Effective Addresses.  It was in the autumn of 520 B.C., when the rebellions in the Persian Empire were at their height, that Haggai made his stirring appeal to the members of the Judean community.  From the references in his addresses and in those of his contemporary, Zechariah, it is evident that he and his hearers were profoundly influenced by these great world movements.  The situation seemed to give promise not only of deliverance from Persian rule, but an opportunity at last to realize the national hopes of the Jewish race.  Haggai’s message was simple, direct, and practical.  According to the beliefs universally accepted in his day his logic was unanswerable.  On the one hand Jehovah, through poor crops and hard times, had plainly showed his displeasure with his people in Judah.  The reason was obvious; although they had built comfortable houses for themselves, Jehovah’s temple still lay in ruins.  If they would win his favor, it was plainly their duty to arise and rebuild his sanctuary.  The upheavals in the Persian Empire also gave promise that, if they were true to their divine King, he would at last fulfil the predictions voiced by their earlier prophets.