Babylonian Exile גלות בבל (jan 1, 587 BC – jan 1, 537 BC)

Description:

The first of the traditional four exiles.

The First Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed by the Babylonian emperor, and the leading citizens of the Kingdom of Judah were taken in captivity to Babylon. Jerusalem was destroyed, as described in the book of Eichah (Lamentations) in the Tanakh. Deprived of a center of religious worship and of sacrifices, Judaism began to take shape as a religion based on law and prayer. When the Persian Empire destroyed the Babylonian Empire, the descendants of these captive citizens were allowed to return to the Land of Israel (reuniting with the Jewish population which had remained there) and rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem, bringing this Exile to an end. Many chose to remain in Babylon under Persian rule, becoming the ancestors of the Iraqi Jews.

Important figures: Jeremiah, Ezra, Nehemiah

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