Jerusalem and Judah in the Babylonian and Persian periods

305 E. 23rd Street,Austin TX 78712

14 November, 2022

Description

The Exilic Period after the Babylonian Destruction of Jerusalem is described in the Biblical accounts as a time when the land was empty, the people were in exile and Jerusalem was a ruin. It continued as such for about 50 years, until the Persian conquest of Babylon and the days of the return of exiles to Zion, the renewal of the Judean settlement in Jerusalem and the rebuilding of the temple. Is this indeed also the reality that is reflected in the archaeological find? Do these descriptions in the Old Testament reflect the historical reality as it was? Can we reconstruct another, alternative historical picture?