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497: 698:, an ancient tablet on which is written a declaration in the name of Cyrus referring to restoration of temples and repatriation of exiled peoples, has often been taken as corroboration of the authenticity of the biblical decrees attributed to Cyrus, but other scholars point out that the cylinder's text is specific to Babylon and Mesopotamia and makes no mention of Judah or Jerusalem. Professor Lester L Grabbe asserted that the "alleged decree of Cyrus" regarding Judah, "cannot be considered authentic", but that there was a "general policy of allowing deportees to return and to re-establish cult sites". He also stated that archaeology suggests that the return was a "trickle" taking place over decades, rather than a single event. 286: 511:, a number of decades later in 538 BCE, the Jews in Babylon were allowed to return to the Land of Judah, due to Cyrus's decree. Initially, around 50,000 Jews returned to the Land of Judah following the decree of Cyrus as described in Ezra, whereas some remained in Babylon. Later, an unknown number of exiles returned from Babylon with Ezra himself. The return of the deportees to Judah during the next 110 years is known as the return to Zion, an event by which Jews ever since have been inspired. 226: 677: 124: 66: 25: 664:
heavy Persian taxes. Nehemiah assembled a public hearing and urged the nobles to restore confiscated fields and houses and forgive loans. He was the first to do so, proclaiming that he and his close associates would forgive their debts. He put the nobles under oath to fulfill their promises. On the twenty-fifth day of the month of
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The biblical Book of Ezra includes two texts said to be decrees of Cyrus the Great allowing the deported Jews to return to their homeland after decades and ordering the Temple rebuilt. The differences in content and tone of the two decrees, one in Hebrew and one in Aramaic, have caused some scholars
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Ezra returned with the approval of the Persian government and license to spend all donations to the Jerusalem holy temple. He was also permitted to transfer the returned holy vessels to the Temple, and a decree allocated them government money, wheat, wine and oil. In addition, all who served in the
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Due to economic distress in Judea, Nehemiah faced a public crisis during the repairing of the walls of Jerusalem. Nehemiah heard the Jewish people's complaints and got angry at the profiteering of the Jewish nobles and officials, especially those serving in the holy temple who were exempt from the
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temple assistants. The count was completed by 652 people of unknown ancestry and another unspecified 90. The addition of 7,337 servants and handmaids boosted the population to 49,697. Their working animals included 736 horses (one for every 68 people), 246 mules (one per 202), 435 camels (one per
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emerged. Nehemiah's activities dated to the third quarter of the fifth century BCE, while the precise period of Ezra's activity remains a subject of debate. Their efforts to rebuild the social and spiritual life of the Jewish returnees in their ancestral homeland are chronicled in the
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holy temple, the priests, Levites and Nethinim were given tax exemption, and Ezra was authorized to appoint magistrates and judges and to teach the law of God to the people of Judah, as well as judicial authority to impose penalties of confiscation, banishment or execution.
452:. Traditionally attributed to Ezra, who presented the "Torah of Moses" to the people of Judah, possibly around 398 BCE, this process of creating a unified book of rules played an important role in fostering the distinctive identity of the Jews during this period. 609:
and included 42,360 people, not including servants or handmaids. Among them, there were 24,144 ordinary men (57%) and 12,452 women and children (29%). There were also 4,289
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In the middle of the 5th century BCE, the exiled Judean communities experienced a significant national awakening. It has been demonstrated that the Judean residents of
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11 All the vessels of silver and gold were five thousand, four hundred; Sheshbazzar brought up everything when the exiles were brought up from Babylon to Jerusalem.
660:, who was granted a leave of absence to rebuild Jerusalem and repair its city walls. He was given permission to cut down woods and was escorted by Persian troops. 1141: 582:
7 And King Cyrus took out all the vessels of the House of the Lord, which Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of Jerusalem and had placed them in the temple of his god;
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8 Now Cyrus, the king of Persia, took them out by the hand of Mithredath the treasurer, and he counted them out to Sheshbazzar, the prince of Judah…
874:, the "population" section of this article estimates a pre-exilic population of 1.8 million in Israel and Judah combined. referenced on 6/26/2018. 525:
The returnees settled in what became known as Yehud Medinata or Yehud. Yehud Medinata was a self-governing Jewish province under the rule of the
496: 1027: 1151: 1039: 903: 808: 188: 160: 724: 935: 167: 1066: 1007: 710:, the majority of whom had names of Babylonian origin, suddenly began giving their children Judean theophoric names. 272: 207: 105: 52: 1183: 867: 141: 38: 174: 145: 1203: 842: 156: 1193: 1101:
Talshir, David, “The Habitat and History of Hebrew during the Second Temple Period,” Pages 251-275 in
238: 1088: 1198: 382: 1188: 1173: 484:, was forced to watch his sons put to death, then his own eyes were put out and he was exiled to 134: 1116: 422: 285: 1056: 421:. These texts also document the interactions of the Jews with neighboring figures, including 354: 181: 449: 393: 358: 942:
on page 65 of 127, (last paragraph before footnotes), see last footnote on next page also.
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One of the significant achievements of the Persian period was the canonization of the
404:, appointed as governor of Judah by the Persian king, oversaw the construction of the 1147: 1062: 1035: 1003: 804: 744: 641: 526: 508: 501: 461: 426: 418: 386: 338: 1061:. The Library of Second Temple Studies. Vol. 1. T & T Clark. p. 355. 477: 465: 350: 803:] (in Hebrew). Vol. II. למדא: ספרי האוניברסיטה הפתוחה. pp. 329–331. 1178: 939: 871: 734: 366: 362: 301: 290: 984: 695: 688: 681: 520: 397: 370: 81: 76: 973: 962: 951: 919: 907: 1167: 892: 766: 749: 530: 405: 378: 801:
Archaeology of the Land of Israel: From the Neolithic to Alexander the Great
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explaining that he delayed his return to Judah to stay with his rabbi,
606: 550: 448:, a topic of enduring scholarly interest due to its profound impact on 401: 644:, a renowned disciple of Jeremiah who was too old and weak to travel. 473: 438: 374: 123: 797:מבוא לארכיאולוגיה של ארץ-ישראל: משלהי תקופת האבן ועד כיבושי אלכסנדר 657: 618: 558: 481: 409: 614: 485: 1002:. Leiden: Brill. p. 112 (Cyrus edict section pp. 111–131). 759: 707: 637: 441:, all of whom opposed Nehemiah's efforts to rebuild Jerusalem. 795:
Faust, Avraham; Katz, Hayah, eds. (2019). "9. התקופה הפרסית".
668:, 52 days after the work began, the whole wall was completed. 605:
The second migration recounted in the Book of Ezra is that of
610: 445: 430: 665: 632: 554: 413: 346: 329: 545:, the return to Zion occurred in several waves: those of 617:, 128 singer Levites, 139 gatekeeper Levites, and 392 930:
Babylonian Talmud: Order Moed, Tractate Megillah 16b
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Biblical Hebrew: Studies in Chronology and Typology.
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Biblical Hebrew: Studies in Chronology and Typology
148:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. 1058:Yehud - A History of the Persian Province of Judah 476:. According to the Hebrew Bible, the last king of 1105:Edited by Ian Young. London: T&T Clark, 2003. 1165: 910:at mechon-mamre.org (HE = Hebrew beside English) 541:According to the books of Ezra–Nehemiah in the 1030:. In Lipschitz, Oded; Oeming, Manfred (eds.). 289:Cyrus restoring the vessels of the temple, by 999:Temple Restoration in Early Achaemenid Judah 460:The Neo-Babylonian Empire under the rule of 77:texts from within a religion or faith system 1034:. Winona Lake, IN: Eisenbrauns. p. 8. 1032:Judah and the Judeans in the Persian Period 319: 53:Learn how and when to remove these messages 1021: 1019: 392:The Persian period marks the onset of the 1117:"#37 Fulfill the dreams of our ancestors" 1114: 1048: 886: 794: 577:at the behest of the Persian King Cyrus: 273:Learn how and when to remove this message 208:Learn how and when to remove this message 106:Learn how and when to remove this message 675: 533:inscribed with the three letters Y-H-D. 495: 284: 1025: 1016: 831:. Encyclopedia Britannica. 2 June 2023. 564: 1166: 1054: 763:of cooperative agricultural community) 600: 468:between 597–586 BCE and destroyed the 1139: 865:http://hirr.hartsem.edu/ency/jews.htm 622:114), and 6,720 donkeys (one per 7). 790: 788: 694:to question their authenticity. The 651: 219: 146:adding citations to reliable sources 117: 59: 18: 725:History of ancient Israel and Judah 536: 455: 305: 13: 701: 425:, likely the governor of Samaria, 14: 1215: 785: 671: 514: 491: 34:This article has multiple issues. 656:The fourth migration was led by 625: 408:. Later, prominent leaders like 383:a self-governing Jewish province 224: 122: 64: 23: 1133: 1108: 1095: 989: 978: 967: 956: 945: 924: 630:The third migration was led by 419:biblical books named after them 373:allowing the Jews to return to 365:. In 539 BCE, the Persian king 133:needs additional citations for 42:or discuss these issues on the 913: 897: 877: 858: 849: 835: 817: 1: 778: 84:that critically analyze them. 996:Bedford, Peter Ross (2001). 995: 573:first depicts the return of 529:which even issued their own 429:, who likely owned lands in 7: 713: 363:Persian conquest of Babylon 310: 306:שִׁיבָת צִיּוֹן or שבי ציון 237:to comply with Knowledge's 10: 1220: 1055:Grabbe, Lester L. (2004). 843:"2 Kings 25 at chabad.org" 686: 518: 507:According to the books of 337:) is an event recorded in 1140:Young, Ian (2003-11-01). 1115:Webmaster (2022-10-30). 904:Ezra 1:7–8 at chabad.org 769:(today a city in Israel) 250:may contain suggestions. 235:may need to be rewritten 1184:6th-century BCE Judaism 933:Megilah PDF in English 684: 598: 595:Book of Ezra 1:7–8,11 587: 504: 423:Sanballat the Horonite 293: 1026:Becking, Bob (2006). 825:"Temple of Jerusalem" 679: 588: 579: 499: 357:—were freed from the 355:Neo-Babylonian Empire 288: 80:without referring to 1204:Babylonian captivity 565:Sheshbazzar's return 450:Western civilization 394:Second Temple period 359:Babylonian captivity 142:improve this article 88:improve this article 720:Gathering of Israel 601:Zerubbabel's return 427:Tobiah the Ammonite 353:—subjugated by the 938:2010-11-24 at the 870:2018-06-24 at the 829:www.britannica.com 730:History of Zionism 685: 613:(10%), 74 generic 505: 435:Geshem the Arabian 294: 1153:978-0-8264-6841-3 1146:. A&C Black. 1041:978-1-57506-104-7 810:978-965-06-1603-8 745:Pre-Modern Aliyah 652:Nehemiah's return 642:Baruch ben Neriah 527:Achaemenid Empire 502:Achaemenid Empire 462:Nebuchadnezzar II 381:, which was made 283: 282: 275: 265: 264: 239:quality standards 218: 217: 210: 192: 116: 115: 108: 82:secondary sources 57: 1211: 1158: 1157: 1137: 1131: 1130: 1128: 1127: 1112: 1106: 1099: 1093: 1092: 1086: 1082: 1080: 1072: 1052: 1046: 1045: 1023: 1014: 1013: 993: 987: 982: 976: 971: 965: 960: 954: 949: 943: 928: 922: 917: 911: 901: 895: 890: 884: 881: 875: 862: 856: 853: 847: 846: 839: 833: 832: 821: 815: 814: 792: 596: 537:Biblical account 466:Kingdom of Judah 456:Babylonian exile 351:Kingdom of Judah 336: 333: 327: 324: 321: 317: 314: 307: 278: 271: 260: 257: 251: 228: 220: 213: 206: 202: 199: 193: 191: 157:"Return to Zion" 150: 126: 118: 111: 104: 100: 97: 91: 68: 67: 60: 49: 27: 26: 19: 1219: 1218: 1214: 1213: 1212: 1210: 1209: 1208: 1199:Cyrus the Great 1164: 1163: 1162: 1161: 1154: 1138: 1134: 1125: 1123: 1113: 1109: 1100: 1096: 1084: 1083: 1074: 1073: 1069: 1053: 1049: 1042: 1024: 1017: 1010: 994: 990: 983: 979: 972: 968: 961: 957: 950: 946: 940:Wayback Machine 931: 929: 925: 918: 914: 906: 902: 898: 891: 887: 882: 878: 872:Wayback Machine 863: 859: 854: 850: 841: 840: 836: 823: 822: 818: 811: 793: 786: 781: 735:Jewish diaspora 716: 704: 702:In the diaspora 691: 674: 654: 633:Ezra the scribe 628: 603: 597: 594: 586: 583: 567: 539: 523: 517: 494: 458: 367:Cyrus the Great 345:, in which the 334: 328: 325: 322: 312: 279: 268: 267: 266: 261: 255: 252: 242: 229: 214: 203: 197: 194: 151: 149: 139: 127: 112: 101: 95: 92: 85: 69: 65: 28: 24: 17: 12: 11: 5: 1217: 1207: 1206: 1201: 1196: 1191: 1189:Land of Israel 1186: 1181: 1176: 1174:Return to Zion 1160: 1159: 1152: 1132: 1107: 1094: 1067: 1047: 1040: 1015: 1008: 988: 977: 966: 955: 944: 923: 912: 896: 885: 876: 857: 848: 834: 816: 809: 783: 782: 780: 777: 776: 775: 770: 764: 752: 747: 742: 737: 732: 727: 722: 715: 712: 703: 700: 696:Cyrus Cylinder 689:Cyrus cylinder 687:Main article: 682:Cyrus Cylinder 673: 672:Cyrus cylinder 670: 653: 650: 627: 624: 602: 599: 592: 580: 566: 563: 538: 535: 521:Yehud Medinata 519:Main article: 516: 515:Yehud Medinata 513: 493: 492:Return to Zion 490: 488:(2 Kings 25). 457: 454: 437:, king of the 398:Jewish history 387:Persian Empire 385:under the new 371:Edict of Cyrus 361:following the 298:return to Zion 281: 280: 263: 262: 232: 230: 223: 216: 215: 130: 128: 121: 114: 113: 72: 70: 63: 58: 32: 31: 29: 22: 16:Biblical event 15: 9: 6: 4: 3: 2: 1216: 1205: 1202: 1200: 1197: 1195: 1194:Ezra–Nehemiah 1192: 1190: 1187: 1185: 1182: 1180: 1177: 1175: 1172: 1171: 1169: 1155: 1149: 1145: 1144: 1136: 1122: 1118: 1111: 1104: 1098: 1090: 1078: 1070: 1068:9780567089984 1064: 1060: 1059: 1051: 1043: 1037: 1033: 1029: 1022: 1020: 1011: 1009:9789004115095 1005: 1001: 1000: 992: 986: 985:Nehemiah 6:15 981: 975: 970: 964: 959: 953: 948: 941: 937: 934: 927: 921: 916: 909: 905: 900: 894: 889: 880: 873: 869: 866: 861: 852: 844: 838: 830: 826: 820: 812: 806: 802: 798: 791: 789: 784: 774: 771: 768: 765: 762: 761: 756: 753: 751: 750:Proto-Zionism 748: 746: 743: 741: 738: 736: 733: 731: 728: 726: 723: 721: 718: 717: 711: 709: 699: 697: 690: 683: 678: 669: 667: 661: 659: 649: 645: 643: 639: 635: 634: 626:Ezra's return 623: 620: 616: 612: 608: 591: 585: 578: 576: 572: 562: 560: 556: 552: 548: 544: 534: 532: 531:Yehud coinage 528: 522: 512: 510: 509:Ezra–Nehemiah 503: 498: 489: 487: 483: 479: 475: 471: 467: 464:occupied the 463: 453: 451: 447: 442: 440: 436: 432: 428: 424: 420: 415: 411: 407: 406:Second Temple 403: 399: 395: 390: 388: 384: 380: 379:Land of Judah 376: 372: 368: 364: 360: 356: 352: 348: 344: 340: 339:Ezra–Nehemiah 331: 316: 311:Shivat Tzion 303: 299: 292: 287: 277: 274: 259: 249: 245: 240: 236: 233:This article 231: 227: 222: 221: 212: 209: 201: 190: 187: 183: 180: 176: 173: 169: 166: 162: 159: –  158: 154: 153:Find sources: 147: 143: 137: 136: 131:This article 129: 125: 120: 119: 110: 107: 99: 89: 83: 79: 78: 73:This article 71: 62: 61: 56: 54: 47: 46: 41: 40: 35: 30: 21: 20: 1142: 1135: 1124:. 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