Translation Hide
The City of God

Chapter 26.--That at the Time When the Captivity of the Jews Was Brought to an End, on the Completion of Seventy Years, the Romans Also Were Freed from Kingly Rule.

At this time, Cyrus king of Persia, who also ruled the Chaldeans and Assyrians, having somewhat relaxed the captivity of the Jews, made fifty thousand of them return in order to rebuild the temple. They only began the first foundations and built the altar; but, owing to hostile invasions, they were unable to go on, and the work was put off to the time of Darius. During the same time also those things were done which are written in the book of Judith, which, indeed, the Jews are said not to have received into the canon of the Scriptures. Under Darius king of Persia, then, on the completion of the seventy years predicted by Jeremiah the prophet, the captivity of the Jews was brought to an end, and they were restored to liberty. Tarquin then reigned as the seventh king of the Romans. On his expulsion, they also began to be free from the rule of their kings. Down to this time the people of Israel had prophets; but, although they were numerous, the canonical writings of only a few of them have been preserved among the Jews and among us. In closing the previous book, I promised to set down something in this one about them, and I shall now do so.

Edition Hide
De civitate Dei (CCSL)

Caput XXVI: Quod eo tempore, quo inpletis septuaginta annis Iudaeorum est resoluta captiuitas, Romani quoque a dominatu sint regio liberati.

Per idem tempus Cyrus, rex Persarum, qui etiam Chaldaeis et Assyriis imperabat, relaxata aliquanta captiuitate Iudaeorum, quinquaginta milia hominum ex eis ad instaurandum templum regredi fecit. a quibus tantum prima coepta fundamina et altare constructum est. incursantibus autem hostibus nequaquam progredi aedificando ualuerunt, dilatumque opus est usque ad Darium. per idem tempus etiam illa sunt gesta, quae conscripta sunt in libro Iudith; quem sane in canone scripturarum Iudaei non recepisse dicuntur. sub Dario ergo rege Persarum inpletis septuaginta annis, quos Hieremias propheta praedixerat, reddita est Iudaeis soluta captiuitate libertas, regnante Romanorum septimo rege Tarquinio. quo expulso etiam ipsi a regum suorum dominatione liberi esse coeperunt. usque ad hoc tempus prophetas habuit populus Israel; qui cum multi fuerint, paucorum et apud Iudaeos et apud nos canonica scripta retinentur. de quibus me aliqua positurum esse promisi in hoc libro, cum clauderem superiorem, quod iam uideo esse faciendum.