what next?

The period following the Jewish exile was a time of doubt and reassessment. People were unsure of where to turn next and exactly what to believe. The Second Temple Period began in 539 BCE and was documented by several biblical texts, even though there was little other texts and historical evidence to document this time. Chronicles, Haggai, Malachi, as well as Ezra, Nehemiah, and Second Isaiah dominated the time period, providing words of wisdom and signs of strength for the people of Jerusalem. 

Ezekiel was an especially important prophecy during this time. He had apocalyptic visions of the reemergence of God as a mobile entity, and explained his dream of a Utopian Jerusalem. His visions included the sight of water flowing from the temple once again and strange creatures protecting a new temple. These images were similar to things seen in the last temple that had just been destroyed. He concluded that since the temple was gone, there would be a mobile God among the people. Does this sound familiar? The Ark of the Covenant was considered a mobile entity of God and portrayed weird, protective creatures just as Ezekiel had envisioned. 

However, once the temple was built, it was deemed a solid ground for God's presence. And when that was destroyed, people doubted everything. They began to believe in a God that was somewhat removed and stayed within a cosmic distance of his people. So what happened when the people of Jerusalem were recovering from the exile and had hopes of constructing a new temple? Is God mobile...or not?!

First off, the people of Jerusalem were exiled to Persia by the Babylonians, but King Cyrus really didn't want these people in his land. He therefore re-exiled the people of Jerusalem back to their city. The stories of the Jerusalem re-exile differ between the Persian and biblical accounts.

Persian account:

Like most other rulers, King Cyrus kept document of his country.

He had a cylinder that he’d write his messages on.

On it, he announced the return of the people of Jerusalem to their homeland.

The Persians could continue to oppress the people of Jerusalem.

However, it’d be more beneficial to send them back home and make them pay taxes.

The Persians wanted to be portrayed as liberators, not conquerors.

Therefore, they fostered a friendship between themselves and the people of Jerusalem.

Biblical account:

Documented In Chronicles, Ezra, and Second Isaiah.

Their re-exile was solely due to the will of God.

King Cyrus is considered the anointed one for letting them return.

But how can this be if he's not part of the divine Davidic line?

The people were trying to rationalize history even if it involved someone unexpected.

The religions of Judah and Persia: Judaism and Zoroastrianism

After the re-exile, many people returned to Jerusalem with a different view of their religion. There were many similarities observed between Judaism and Zoroastrianism. Here are just a few:

Similar creation stories and commandments.

Judaism introduced the worship of angels.

Also, there was the introduction to dualism (the belief that there's an evil counterpart to God).

The controversy of resurrection became a principle of thought

Aramaic was introduced into the Hebrew Bible. 

So what’s life like when the people of Jerusalem get back?

Leading figures were reintroduced into the society. Kings, prophets, governors, and even a high priest were restored into the line of authority. A new temple was built between 520-515 BCE. The people worked really hard to earn the loyalty of Persia, as well as other neighboring countries and provinces. Some people were unhappy with the rebuilding of the temple. When the first one was initially destroyed, people either gave up or accommodated and redefined what it meant to be Jewish. When a temple was all of a sudden being imposed back on their lives, they had to again choose whether they believed in a stationary or mobile God. The latter was often preferred. People believed that following Jewish traditions such as praying, singing, celebrating holidays, interpreting the Torah, and following the laws of the religion were enough to show their devoutness. 

Around this same time, people from all over the region were requesting the construction of new temples. There was still this ongoing debate whether a temple was necessary, and many views could be expressed by means of writing. Scrolls and other texts were a common source of debate. These included documents such as the Elephantine Letter 30 and the Dead Sea Scrolls.

Meanwhile...

The population of Jerusalem was growing, but was still small. 

Most people were unhappy with the new temple because it just wasn't the same as before. 

Heavy taxation was being imposed by the Persians.

There were conflicts with returning exiles from Persia & the people that were already there.

So much controversy; what's going to happen, and who will be in control?

km.