I thought there were two waves of returns to Jerusalem - the return by Shesh-bazzar and a "small company" of Jews allowed back by Cyrus in 538 BC and who completed the Temple in 516 BC and the considerably larger company of religious reformers led by Ezra during the reign of Xerxes or possibly Artaxerxes. My possibly erroneous assumption was that the major influx of Jews happened in the years following Ezra's return leading up to Nehemiah's appointment as Governor of Judaea.
I'm not in a position to push one argument over another, although I'm not particularly keen on the simultaneous evolution of common ideas. Sue, there are plenty of syncretic gods in the period, but the relevant factor (in my view) is the adoption of the city-state as the basis for religious culture. There is a clear difference between Yahweh the god who appeared in deserts, burning bushes and atop mountains, and the Elohim that dwelt at the heart of the Temple of Jerusalem. Once Jerusalem is re-established the next century or two see a clear policy of displacement as Aramaic replaced Hebrew as the popular language and the Samaritans are sidelined and ultimately destroyed.
I certainly agree with what you say about Zoroastrianism as a religion, but in the context of the Kings who promoted it, its surely a different story. Didn't both Cambyses and Darius use their military campaigns to promote Zoroastrianism?
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2007-02-05 10:07 pm (UTC)I'm not in a position to push one argument over another, although I'm not particularly keen on the simultaneous evolution of common ideas. Sue, there are plenty of syncretic gods in the period, but the relevant factor (in my view) is the adoption of the city-state as the basis for religious culture. There is a clear difference between Yahweh the god who appeared in deserts, burning bushes and atop mountains, and the Elohim that dwelt at the heart of the Temple of Jerusalem. Once Jerusalem is re-established the next century or two see a clear policy of displacement as Aramaic replaced Hebrew as the popular language and the Samaritans are sidelined and ultimately destroyed.
I certainly agree with what you say about Zoroastrianism as a religion, but in the context of the Kings who promoted it, its surely a different story. Didn't both Cambyses and Darius use their military campaigns to promote Zoroastrianism?