It can be called a scholarly consensus that the salvific king announced in
Deutero-Isaiah is to be identified with the Persian emperor Cyrus. According to this
opinion most of the book emerged before Cyrus’ victory over the
Neo-Babylonian empire in 539 bce. But a closer reading reveals that only
one of the royal oracles names Cyrus explicitly (Isa. 44.24-45.7), whereas three
remain anonymous (45.5-7; 45.11-13*; 48.12-15). Recent studies on the
redactional history of the book agreed that its first edition was written around 520
bce. The present article points out that such an edition can be
understood much better if we apply the anonymous oracles to Darius, who usurped the
Persian throne in 522 and captured the revolting city of Babylon in winter 522 and
summer 521 bce.
