Temple Restoration in Early Achaemenid JudahIn the early Achaemenid Persian period, the Jews returned to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple of Yahweh. This volume investigates issues surrounding the rebuilding of this temple, focusing on the timing and purpose of the project, and the social and political circumstances in which it was undertaken. The study reflects on certain passages from the Old Testament, such as Ezra 1-6, Haggai, and Zechariah 1-8; early Achaemenid Persian administrative practices; and Judean hopes for restoration in order to question the contention that the Jerusalem temple was established as an economic and administrative centre around which competing groups struggled for socio-economic and political power. |
Contents
INTRODUCTION | 1 |
LIVING WITHOUT THE JERUSALEM TEMPLE | 41 |
Restoration Hopes and the Reformulation | 63 |
REBUILDING THE JERUSALEM TEMPLE | 85 |
The Cyrus Edicts | 111 |
The Policy of Cyrus | 132 |
Explaining the Delay | 157 |
Summary | 180 |
REIGN OF DARIUS I | 183 |
Temple Rebuilding as a Judean Initiative | 230 |
Summary | 298 |
| 311 | |
| 347 | |
| 353 | |
| 367 | |
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Common terms and phrases
Achaemenid Judah Achaemenid Judean society Achaemenid Persian administration Ahura Mazda Aramaic Aramaic edict Aramaic narrative Assurbanipal Babylon Babylonian exiles biblical texts Bürger-Tempel-Gemeinde Chronicles conflict context cult of Yahweh cultic community Cyrus Cylinder Cyrus's Darius deity Deutero-Isaiah Deuteronomistic Deuteronomistic History divine E. J. Brill early Achaemenid empire eschatology example exiled Judeans Ezek Ezekiel Ezra-Nehemiah Haggai and Zechariah Hebrew edict historical recurrence History idem indigenous inscriptions interpretation Israelite Jerusalem cult Jerusalem temple Jewish JSOTSup Judean exiles Judeans king kingdom of Judah kingship Kuhrt land legitimate Leiden Marduk Meyers monarchical period Nabonidus nations Nehemiah Old Testament Persian period political priest priestly Prophecy prophets rebuild the Jerusalem rebuild the temple reconstruction reign of Cyrus reign of Darius Religion repatriates restoration role royal Samaria Sheffield Sheshbazzar shrine social Studies temple of Yahweh temple rebuilding Theology tion tradition University Press Weinberg Williamson Yahweh Zech Zechariah 1-8 Zerubbabel Zion