CHAPTER 11 EXILE AND RETURN DATES AND BIBLICAL MATERIAL Dates 586 BC c. 400 BC This period is filled with historical detail that can get confusing. The following chronology presents landmark events that outline the period. 538 BC Cyrus the Great issues the decree permitting Jews to return to their homeland 538 BC Zerubbabel leads the first wave of returnees back to Judah 515 BC The rebuilt temple is dedicated in Jerusalem 479 BC Esther marries king Xerxes 458 BC Ezra returns to Jerusalem 445 BC Hanani, brother of Nehemiah reports on the bad conditions in Judah 444 BC Nehemiah makes his first trip to Jerusalem Biblical material Ezra/Nehemiah see pages 9 and 11 Ezra and Nehemiah were originally regarded as one book and the combined material was called Ezra Christian scholars in the 2 nd century AD divided the material into two books Ezra/Nehemiah and the books of Chronicles were all probably written by Ezra Esther see page 6 Prophets Ezekiel see page Error! Bookmark not defined. Daniel see page Error! Bookmark not defined. Haggai see page Error! Bookmark not defined. Zechariah see page Error! Bookmark not defined. Malachi see page Error! Bookmark not defined.
THE BABYLONIAN EXILE CONDITIONS IN THE EXILIC WORLD BABYLON Fall of Babylon on October 13, 539 BC Belshazzar was ruling Handwriting on the wall (Daniel 5) at a party where Belshazzar was using the sacred vessels captured from the Temple in Jerusalem On October 29, 539 BC, Cyrus II (the Great) captured Babylon 1 After 539 BC, Babylon continued to function as one province within the Persian empire PERSIA Herodotus (484-425 BC), known as the Father of History, provides some information for this period The Achaemenid Dynasty ruled over the Medo-Persian Empire until 358 BC and the rise of the Greeks Cyrus II (i.e. Cyrus the Great) (559-530 BC) issued a decree in 538 BC allowing the Jews to return (Ezra. 1:2-4) Cambyses II (530-522 BC) Extended Persian rule into Egypt helps us understand the Elephantine Jews Committed suicide on Mt. Carmel upon hearing of coup d état back home Darius I (522-486 BC) Implemented a governance bureaucracy that allowed local governors control over their districts Highest level of achievement of the Persian empire Built a canal connecting the Nile River with the Red Sea enabling ships to pass from the Red Sea into the Mediterranean Sea Failed in conquering Greece Darius I was defeated by the Greeks at the Battle of Marathon (near Athens, Greece) in 490 BC Built Persepolis (means city of the Persians ) work began in about 515 BC (about one year after the rededication of the temple in Jerusalem) 1 Cyrus claimed that he liberated Babylon.
Behistun Inscription Engraving on stone mountain 350 feet high Engraved in Persian, Elamite, and Akkadian - helped to unlock Akkadian cuneiform writing Built Susa - where Esther and Nehemiah lived Xerxes (486-465 BC) Son of Darius I Figure 1 Behistun Inscription Copied under the Creative Commons license Same as the biblical Ahasuerus, husband of Esther Artaxerxes I (464-424 BC) during the return of Ezra Darius II (423-404 BC) Artaxerxes II (404-358 BC) 480 BC avenged his father s death by invading Greece Battle of Thermopylae (defeat of the Spartans 2 ) and the burning of the Acropolis in Athens By 466 BC, the Greeks won back lost territories and expelled all Persian forces The Greeks were strengthened after their victory over Persia The Delian League a defensive alliance that lead to security of the Greek states The Greeks had defeated two Persian armies They learned that they were vulnerable when they were divided This helped prepare the stage for the rise of Alexander the Great a century later Artaxerxes I (465-424 BC) A son of Xerxes, but not the legitimate successor to the throne Faced rebellion and setbacks in Egypt, Greece, and Asia Minor in the 460s and 450s Was ruling when Ezra and Nehemiah returned 2 In 2006, Warner Bros. produced the movie, 300, to tell the story of the battle of Thermopylae.
THE DECREE AND FIRST RETURNEES 538-445 BC The decree of Cyrus the Great "Thus says King Cyrus of Persia: The LORD, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he has charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem in Judah. Any of those among you who are of his people-- may their God be with them!-- are now permitted to go up to Jerusalem in Judah, and rebuild the house of the LORD, the God of Israel-- he is the God who is in Jerusalem; and let all survivors, in whatever place they reside, be assisted by the people of their place with silver and gold, with goods and with animals, besides freewill offerings for the house of God in Jerusalem." (Ezra 1:2-4) 50,000-150,000 Jews returned between 538-445 BC 3 New names for the lands of Judah and Israel Yehud - the Aramaic name for Judah The satrapy Beyond the River - the official name in Persian records (the river, of course, is the Euphrates River) THE RETURN FIRST WAVE OF RETURNEES 538 BC the return began with the decree of Cyrus the Great Question of which tribes returned Judah and Benjamin, priests and Levites (Ezra 1:5) Unknown others (Ezra 2:59) Ezra 6:17 says that sacrifices were made for each of the twelve tribes of Israel at the dedication of the Temple in 515 BC Led by Sheshbazzar, son of king Jehoiakim Zerubbabel and Shealtiel (Ezra 3:1) in the lineage of Jesus Christ (see Matthew 1:12) Cyrus II returned the vessels of the Temple and promised to pay for its reconstruction Work was begun on rebuilding the Temple The Temple was not completed due to opposition from neighboring peoples 3 Bright, A History of Israel, 4th ed., p. 377 argues for the lower range of 50,000. Yamauchi, Expositor s Commentary, Vol. 4, p. 568 argues for 150.000. Ezra 2:64-65 reports 49,897 returnees (42,360 returnees, 7,337 slaves, and 200 singers)
The Temple was finally completed on March 15, 515 BC during the reign of Darius I Some worship had resumed in the ruins of the temple (Ezra 4:12) Conditions of moral and religious faith The people were discouraged because they had been optimistic about the fulfillment of prophecies of a glorious return "This is what the LORD Almighty says: 'In this place, desolate and without men or animals in all its towns there will again be pastures for shepherds to rest their flocks. In the towns of the hill country, of the western foothills and of the Negev, in the territory of Benjamin, in the villages around Jerusalem and in the towns of Judah, flocks will again pass under the hand of the one who counts them,' says the LORD. "'The days are coming,' declares the LORD, 'when I will fulfill the gracious promise I made to the house of Israel and to the house of Judah. "'In those days and at that time I will make a righteous Branch sprout from David's line; he will do what is just and right in the land. In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety. This is the name by which it will be called: The LORD Our Righteousness. For this is what the LORD says: 'David will never fail to have a man to sit on the throne of the house of Israel, nor will the priests, who are Levites, ever fail to have a man to stand before me continually to offer burnt offerings, to burn grain offerings and to present sacrifices.' (Jer. 33:12-18) 4 Instead, the land was overrun with Arabs 5 I have turned his mountains into a wasteland and left his inheritance to the desert jackals. (Mal. 1:3b) Priests were offering imperfect animals as sacrifices (Mal. 1:6-14) The Sabbath was used for general business (Neh. 13:15-22) Non-payment of tithes forced Levites to abandon their duties (Mal. 3:7-10) The people saw no benefit in continuing to practice their religion (Neh. 13:10; Mal. 3:14-15) Marriage and divorce were no longer considered matters of religious conviction (Ezra 9:2; Neh. 13:23; Mal. 2:13-16) People had abandoned ethical and moral conduct (Mal. 3:5) Poor people could not hold on to their farms and had to resort to servitude (Neh. 5:1-5) SECOND WAVE OF RETURNEES 458 BC (Ezra 7:8) Led by Ezra Returns 75 years after the dedication of the Temple 4 See also Zeph. 3:9-20 5 Arabs, and the Arabic language, first appears in the Near East during this period. J.T. Hooker, Reading the Past: Ancient Writing from Cuneiform to the Alphabet. New York: Barnes and Noble, 1990, p. 246.
About 1,500 returnees During the reign of Artaxerxes I Ezra was appointed to reestablish the Law of the Lord as the official law of Judah (Ezra 7:25-26) Ezra won concessions from Artaxerxes I Return of the gold and silver that had been taken from the Temple Permission to draw from the satrap of Abar-nahara (region of Yehud) for additional funds that he might need Exemption of the Temple personnel from Persian taxation The right to appoint civil magistrates in the land of Judah and to enforce the Torah with power of life and death over the guilty Ezra was confronted with intermarriage among the Jews of Judah - he commanded a mass divorce THIRD WAVE OF RETURNEES 444 BC Led by Nehemiah Reconstruction of the walls around Jerusalem Opposed by some of the area peoples Sanballat, the Horonite Tobiah, an Ammonite Geshem, an Arab Completed the walls in 52 days Completed the gates and battlements in two years and four months EZRA/NEHEMIAH, AND ESTHER ESTHER Date Esther is considered first in this study of the exilic period because its story precedes that of Ezra/Nehemiah. The book of Esther helps us understand the conditions under which Jewish exiles lived in part of the Persian Empire. Two issues are important to understand before settling on a date for Esther:
The dates for the actual stories in Esther According to Esther 2:16, Esther became the wife of Xerxes (486-465 BC) in December of 479 BC (see footnote in NIV Study Bible) This would be the year after Xerxes returned from his defeat by the Greeks at the Battle of Thermopylae (see discussion on Xerxes, page 3) Yamauchi cites Herodotus as saying that Xerxes returned home from his defeat at Thermopylae and consoled himself with his harem. 6 The date at which the book came to be in its final form Scholars debate this date. The NIV Study Bible suggests that the book was written sometime after 460 BC (see introduction to Esther). Author Anonymous Probably a Jew living in Persia, the scene of the narrative Secular aspects of the book of Esther No reference to God No reference to prayer No reference to sacrifices Canonical importance Jewish perspective Maimonides (AD 1135-1204) viewed the book as important for Judaism, second in importance to the Torah 7 Christian perspective Martin Luther wished the book had never been written 8 Dead Sea Scrolls contains no copy of Esther The book was known during the Intertestamental period see reference to Mordecai s day in 2 Macc. 15:36 Comparisons by F.B. Huey, Jr. 9 Esther is one of two books named after a woman (the other being Ruth) Esther is one of two books that does not mention God (the other being the Song of Songs) 6 Yamauchi, Expositor s Bible Commentary, Vol. 4, p. 790 7 Raymond Dillard and Tremper Longman III, In Introduction to the Old Testament. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1994, p. 189 8 Ibid. 9 F.B. Huey, Expositor s Bible Commentary, Vol. 4, Background to Esther, p. 776
Events Esther explains the origin of Purim, one of two observances in modern Judaism that were not instituted by Moses the other being Hanukkah The events in Esther describe conditions for the exiled Jews during the period of Persian control (c. 479 BC and 460 BC) The central event in Esther is the anti-semitic plot led by Haman. Conditions for the Jews during the Babylonian exile were not bad The Persians were also tolerant of the Jews (as they were of all religious traditions) Haman used the legal system during the reign of Xerxes in an attempt to have the Jews exterminated legally (Esther 3) Haman s motivation was the long-running hatred between the Amalekites and the Jews (Haman was a descendant of Agag Esther 3:1) 10 It is important to note that these events (c. 460 BC) are only 20-30 years before the return Purim Message of Ezra (c. 458 BC) and Nehemiah (c. 445 BC). The status of Nehemiah before Artaxerxes (c. 444 BC) does not suggest the kind of tension described in Esther. The word Purim comes from the Akkadian word puru, meaning lot (see Esther 3:7) 11 Jewish celebrations of Purim are festive and lively the focus is on patriotism and nationalism these festivals are not part of ancient Yahwism To justify and legitimate Purim as something to be celebrated The command of Esther established these customs for Purim, and it was written in the book. (Esther 9:32) Providence of God Then Mordecai told them to reply to Esther, "Do not imagine that you in the king's palace can escape any more than all the Jews. "For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place and you and your father's house will perish. And who knows whether you have not attained royalty for such a time as this?" (Esther 4:13-14) Resolving the conflict between the house of Saul and the Amalekites Mordedai was a Jew whose name was Mordecai, the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, a Benjamite (Esther 2:5) 10 See the story of the struggle between Saul and Agag in 1 Samuel 15. See also Ex. 17:14,16, Deut. 25:19; 1 Sam. 28:18; 1 Chron. 4:41-43 11 Ibid,, p. 191
Agag was Haman, the son of Hammedatha the Agagite (Esther 3:1) EZRA Date Ezra arrived in Jerusalem in 458 BC (Ezra 7:8) the 7 th year of Artaxerxes I (465-424 BC) Date of the writing of the book probably after 440 BC Author The book is anonymous Ezra is traditionally (and probably) the author The word I is used 27 times in the book. Note the discussion in Literary Form and Authorship in the introduction to Ezra in the NIV Study Bible the similarities between the books of Chronicles, Ezra, and Nehemiah suggest that Ezra wrote these books Genealogy of Ezra Ezra 7:1 (note 16 generations are given that links Ezra with the legitimate priesthood through Aaron) There are some first person references to Ezra (Ezra 7:27-28; 8:1-34; 9) Much of Ezra and Nehemiah is made up of official lists of people (see introduction to Ezra in the NIV Study Bible) Ezra also contains seven official documents (see introduction to Ezra in the NIV Study Bible) Events On October 29, 538 BC, Cyrus the Great issued a decree that permitted Jews to return to their homeland (compare 2 Chron. 36:22-23 and Ezra 1:1-4) Conditions in Judah at the time of the return were not good Jerusalem and the temple complex were in rubble note that Nehemiah did not return until c. 430 BC, and he found nothing but ruins (Neh. 2:11-17) The area available for settlement was only about 25 miles by 32 miles (c. 800 sq. miles) and about 1/3 of this area was unusable desert. 12 In December, 445 BC, Hanani, brother of Nehemiah, traveled to Persia and reported the deplorable conditions of Judah to Nehemiah (Neh. 1:2-3) Work on the temple began two years after the decree of Cyrus (Ezra. 3:8) Work on the temple was stopped for about 16 years when opposition arose among indigenous neighbors (Ezra 4) 12 Edwin Yamauchi. The Expositor s Bible Commentary, Vol 4. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Corp., 1988, p. 570
The temple was finally completed and dedicated in 516 BC Ezra arrives in Jerusalem in 458 BC 58 years after the temple was dedicated Nehemiah arrives in Jerusalem in 444 BC The walls around Jerusalem are rebuilt in 444 BC Message Validation of the Old Testament prophets Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah (Ezra 1:1a) The sovereignty and providence of God the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he sent a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and also put it in writing, saying: "Thus says Cyrus king of Persia, 'The LORD, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and He has appointed me to build Him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. (Ezra 1:1b-2) Blessed be the LORD, the God of our fathers, who has put such a thing as this in the king's heart, to adorn the house of the LORD which is in Jerusalem (Ezra 7:27) Religious exclusivism the determination of the Jews to exclude foreign influences from their restored religious tradition Now when the enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that the people of the exile were building a temple to the LORD God of Israel, they approached Zerubbabel and the heads of fathers' households, and said to them, "Let us build with you, for we, like you, seek your God; and we have been sacrificing to Him since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assyria, who brought us up here. But Zerubbabel and Jeshua and the rest of the heads of fathers' households of Israel said to them, "You have nothing in common with us in building a house to our God; but we ourselves will together build to the LORD God of Israel, as King Cyrus, the king of Persia has commanded us. (Ezra 4:1-3) To establish that the Aaronic priesthood has been legitimately reestablished Now after these things, in the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia, there went up Ezra son of Seraiah, son of Azariah, son of Hilkiah, son of Shallum, son of Zadok, son of Ahitub, son of Amariah, son of Azariah, son of Meraioth, son of Zerahiah, son of Uzzi, son of Bukki, son of Abishua, son of Phinehas, son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the chief priest. (Ezra 7:1-5) 13 The narrative of mass divorce (Ezra 9-10) demonstrates the extent of Ezra s determination to purify the temple, the priesthood, and the people 13 Only 16 generations from Aaron to Ezra are named. If we assume 25 years per generation, this would account for 400 years. However, the period from Aaron to Ezra is closer to 988 years (assuming the early date for the Exodus (i.e. 1446 BC) and given that Ezra returned to Jerusalem in 458 BC). Clearly, this genealogical record is not intended to be exhaustive.
NEHEMIAH Date Nehemiah returned to Jerusalem in 444 BC (Neh. 2:1) during the 20 th year of Artaxerxes I (465-424 BC) 14 The date of the writing of the book of Nehemiah is the same as for the books of Chronicles and Author Ezra i.e. after 440 BC Parts of Nehemiah are autobiographical the word I is used 111 times in the text However, it is generally believed that Ezra gathered and edited the material for the books of Events Chronicles, Ezra, and Nehemiah See other events under Ezra Nehemiah requested leave from service to Artaxerxes to return to Judah to assist in restoring Jerusalem (Neh. 2:5). This was an amazing request since it would require the reversal of Artaxerxes decree in Ezra 4:18-24 (an order to stop all reconstruction work in Jerusalem). It took Nehemiah five years (445-440 BC) from the time of his brother s report until he arrived in Jerusalem. Completion of the walls around Jerusalem it took only 52 days to reconstruct the walls (Neh. 6:15) Message God helps His people So the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth of the month Elul, in fifty-two days. When all our enemies heard of it, and all the nations surrounding us saw it, they lost their confidence; for they recognized that this work had been accomplished with the help of our God. (Neh. 6:15-16) Trust in God, but be prepared to fight When I saw their fear, I rose and spoke to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people: "Do not be afraid of them; remember the Lord who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives and your houses." (Neh. 4:14) God expects his people to act ethically towards others 14 This would make the story of Ezra/Nehemiah contemporaneous with the Golden Age in Athens, Greece the time of Socrates, Plato, Pericles, and Aeschylus
I consulted with myself and contended with the nobles and the rulers and said to them, "You are exacting usury, each from his brother!" Therefore, I held a great assembly against them. I said to them, "We according to our ability have redeemed our Jewish brothers who were sold to the nations; now would you even sell your brothers that they may be sold to us?" Then they were silent and could not find a word to say. Again I said, "The thing which you are doing is not good; should you not walk in the fear of our God because of the reproach of the nations, our enemies? (Neh. 5:7-9) The importance of Scripture in worship see Neh. 8 POST-EXILIC JUDAH Biblical silence (but not historical silence) from about 400 BC to about 175 BC (when 1 and 2 Maccabees resumes the story) Emergence of Synagogue Sanhedrin Samaritans Samaritan Temple on Mt. Gerizim completed by about 330 BC Samaritan Pentateuch completed in the late 2 nd century BC 15 Use of Aramaic official language of the Persian empire Judaism Temple - centrality of the Law Nation the survivability of Israel was assured with the return Dynasty - the Davidic Covenant was relegated to Messianic hope The process of canonization of the Hebrew scriptures continued during this period Prominence of high priest the line of priests from Zadok were legitimized by Ezra 15 Bright, An Introduction to the Old Testament, 4 th ed., p. 409