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Return to Zion

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508: 709:, 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. 297: 522:, 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. 237: 688: 135: 77: 36: 675:
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.
463:. 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. 507: 620:
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.
671:, 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. 1152: 593:
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…
885:, 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. 536:
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
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Talshir, David, “The Habitat and History of Hebrew during the Second Temple Period,” Pages 251-275 in
460: 404: 369: 730: 480: 258: 55: 1087: 740: 495:, was forced to watch his sons put to death, then his own eyes were put out and he was exiled to 445: 1127: 519: 429: 349: 1158: 1073: 1067: 1046: 1014: 815: 755: 652: 537: 512: 472: 437: 397: 432:. These texts also document the interactions of the Jews with neighboring figures, including 488: 476: 361: 192: 1189: 1099: 953:
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
415:, appointed as governor of Judah by the Persian king, oversaw the construction of the 1178: 777: 760: 541: 416: 389: 687: 1072:. The Library of Second Temple Studies. Vol. 1. T & T Clark. p. 355. 783: 750: 581: 553: 353: 814:] (in Hebrew). Vol. II. למדא: ספרי האוניברסיטה הפתוחה. pp. 329–331. 765: 585: 557: 134: 995: 984: 973: 962: 930: 918: 617: 561: 412: 903: 812:
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,
625: 496: 459:, a topic of enduring scholarly interest due to its profound impact on 655:, a renowned disciple of Jeremiah who was too old and weak to travel. 770: 718: 648: 808:מבוא לארכיאולוגיה של ארץ-ישראל: משלהי תקופת האבן ועד כיבושי אלכסנדר 686: 621: 506: 456: 441: 295: 1013:. Leiden: Brill. p. 112 (Cyrus edict section pp. 111–131). 676: 643: 565: 424: 357: 340: 452:, all of whom opposed Nehemiah's efforts to rebuild Jerusalem. 806:
Faust, Avraham; Katz, Hayah, eds. (2019). "9. התקופה הפרסית".
679:, 52 days after the work began, the whole wall was completed. 616:
The second migration recounted in the Book of Ezra is that of
230: 128: 70: 29: 556:, the return to Zion occurred in several waves: those of 254: 98: 628:, 128 singer Levites, 139 gatekeeper Levites, and 392 941:
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
159:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. 1069:Yehud - A History of the Persian Province of Judah 487:. According to the Hebrew Bible, the last king of 1116:Edited by Ian Young. London: T&T Clark, 2003. 921:at mechon-mamre.org (HE = Hebrew beside English) 599: 590: 552:According to the books of Ezra–Nehemiah in the 1041:. In Lipschitz, Oded; Oeming, Manfred (eds.). 300:Cyrus restoring the vessels of the temple, by 8: 1010:Temple Restoration in Early Achaemenid Judah 471:The Neo-Babylonian Empire under the rule of 88:texts from within a religion or faith system 1045:. Winona Lake, IN: Eisenbrauns. p. 8. 1043:Judah and the Judeans in the Persian Period 330: 64:Learn how and when to remove these messages 1032: 1030: 403:The Persian period marks the onset of the 1128:"#37 Fulfill the dreams of our ancestors" 588:at the behest of the Persian King Cyrus: 284:Learn how and when to remove this message 219:Learn how and when to remove this message 117:Learn how and when to remove this message 544:inscribed with the three letters Y-H-D. 842:. Encyclopedia Britannica. 2 June 2023. 795: 1095: 1085: 774:of cooperative agricultural community) 479:between 597–586 BCE and destroyed the 876:http://hirr.hartsem.edu/ency/jews.htm 633:114), and 6,720 donkeys (one per 7). 7: 801: 799: 705:to question their authenticity. The 157:adding citations to reliable sources 736:History of ancient Israel and Judah 316: 436:, likely the governor of Samaria, 25: 45:This article has multiple issues. 667:The fourth migration was led by 419:. Later, prominent leaders like 394:a self-governing Jewish province 235: 133: 75: 34: 641:The third migration was led by 430:biblical books named after them 384:allowing the Jews to return to 376:. In 539 BCE, the Persian king 144:needs additional citations for 53:or discuss these issues on the 1: 95:that critically analyze them. 1007:Bedford, Peter Ross (2001). 584:first depicts the return of 540:which even issued their own 440:, who likely owned lands in 374:Persian conquest of Babylon 321: 317:שִׁיבָת צִיּוֹן or שבי ציון 248:to comply with Knowledge's 1231: 1066:Grabbe, Lester L. (2004). 854:"2 Kings 25 at chabad.org" 697: 529: 518:According to the books of 348:) is an event recorded in 1151:Young, Ian (2003-11-01). 1126:Webmaster (2022-10-30). 915:Ezra 1:7–8 at chabad.org 780:(today a city in Israel) 261:may contain suggestions. 246:may need to be rewritten 1195:6th-century BCE Judaism 944:Megilah PDF in English 695: 662: 636: 611: 609: 606:Book of Ezra 1:7–8,11 598: 575: 515: 434:Sanballat the Horonite 304: 1037:Becking, Bob (2006). 836:"Temple of Jerusalem" 690: 510: 368:—were freed from the 366:Neo-Babylonian Empire 299: 91:without referring to 1215:Babylonian captivity 576:Sheshbazzar's return 461:Western civilization 405:Second Temple period 370:Babylonian captivity 153:improve this article 99:improve this article 731:Gathering of Israel 612:Zerubbabel's return 438:Tobiah the Ammonite 364:—subjugated by the 949:2010-11-24 at the 881:2018-06-24 at the 840:www.britannica.com 741:History of Zionism 696: 624:(10%), 74 generic 516: 446:Geshem the Arabian 305: 1164:978-0-8264-6841-3 1157:. 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Shivat tzion
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verification
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"Return to Zion"
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Gustave Doré
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Zion
Ezra–Nehemiah
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