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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.
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