Babylonian Exile (587-539 B.C.E.)

A. Babylonian Exile (587-539 B.C.E.)

The demise of Jerusalem entailed major loss and massive disorientation among the Judeans. Many died in the destruction of Jerusalem in 587. Many others were deported to Babylonia in the event called the exile. Those left in Palestine were destitute and lacked direction. The survivors had lost everything which previously defined them.
    1. Independence. Judea was now a backwater province of the Babylonian empire. It would not regain national sovereignty until the time of the Maccabees in the second century B.C.E.
    2. King. The leader of the Davidic dynasty was unable to lead. Previously God had channeled national blessing through the house of David, but now the Davidic king was in a Babylonian prison.
    3. Temple. The temple was the focus of their religious life, and now it, along with the royal palace and the entire city of Jerusalem, lay in ruins. The sacrifices that kept them right with God could not be offered.
    4. Land. The Promised Land had been the preeminent evidence of God's favor, and now it was no longer in their hands. Many of those who survived the war of 587 B.C.E. had been taken captive to Babylonia, and those who remained had no resources or leadership.
    But this tragedy was more than just a national defeat. According to the religious outlook of this period, each nation was protected by its patron god. Yahweh was the God of Israel, and was presumed to be the real power behind the nation. Nebuchadnezzar's victory could only imply that Marduk, the patron god of Babylon, was supreme. Israel's military defeat became a crisis of faith.
    The prophetic tradition provided a frame of reference for understudying why the disaster had happened. Jeremiah in Judah (see Chapter 11) and Ezekiel in Babylonia (see Chapter 12) interpreted the events as divine judgment for the people's faithlessness to Yahweh.

---

Ancient Babylon, a reconstruction. The Neo-Babylonian empire was the demise of an independent Judea. Nebuchadnezzar, its most notable ruler, destroyed Jerusalem in 587 B.C.E. and took many Judeans prisoner to Babylon. He kept them there in exile until Cyrus conquered Babylonia and freed the Jews. From Unger (1931) Other views of ancient Babylon: Foundation of the palace at the ancient city of Babylon. Reconstruction of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon Reconstruction of Etemenanki, the tower of Babylon, and the city.

---

    The great miracle of the Babylonian exile was that faith in Yahweh did survive. Prophets such as Jeremiah and Ezekiel were instrumental in interpreting Yahweh's reason for allowing it to happen. The priestly tradition rekindled Israel's faith out of the ashes. The temple service and animal sacrifices that could not be performed in exile gave way to Sabbath worship and the study of the Torah as religious activities. A Davidic king no longer ruled, but a new sense of the kingship of Yahweh took hold. The land was lost, but circumcision became a symbol of transformed hearts whereby the faithful could enter a new spiritual kingdom.
    This time of exceptional national crisis gave rise to some of the Hebrew Bible's most sublime and significant literature. The book of Lamentations (see Chapter 16) agonizes over the demise of Jerusalem. Second Isaiah (see Chapter 10) and Ezekiel (see Chapter 12) inspire hope with triumphant visions of a new glorious future. The Priestly document of the Torah (see Part 1) came out of the exile, as probably did the final form of the Torah itself. Also, sometime during the exile the final edition of the Deuteronomistic History, which consisted of Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings, was completed.