The Exile and After
When Jerusalem was captured by the armies of Nebuchadnezzar and the inhabitants of Judah were deported to Babylon, the worshipers of Yahweh were put to a severe test. To many, it must have appeared that the gods of Babylon had triumphed over the god of the Hebrews. If Yahweh still retained his power, he must have forsaken his people, for they were now subject to a foreign government. The survival of the Hebrews' religion was due in no small measure to the work of the two great prophets of the exile, Ezekiel and Deutero-Isaiah, who provided an interpretation of the captivity that accorded with their understanding of the nature of Yahweh. They kept alive the hope of a return to the Hebrews' own land and the prospects for a glorious future of the restored state.
The captivity lasted for a long time. Eventually, the Babylonian empire was overthrown by the Persians, who exhibited a more tolerant attitude toward the Jews. Cyrus, the head of the new empire, granted the captives permission to return to their own land, and he even aided them in their preparations for the journey back. But the return of the exiles did not prove to be the happy event that they had anticipated. They found the Temple in ruins, and the country was desolate; the land was plagued with drought and pestilence; their neighbors were often hostile; and, in many respects, their lot was now more difficult than it had been while they were in captivity. Prophets offered explanations for the way things were and did their best to encourage the people to look for a brighter future. Priests were especially active, and a new emphasis was given to the ritualistic aspect of their religion. Literary productions were numerous, and legalism became dominant in the religion of Judaism.
Politically, the affairs of the restored state grew steadily worse. The Persian empire was overthrown by the Grecian armies under the leadership of Alexander the Great, whose conquests included Palestine. He was tolerant of the Jews, allowing them to continue their religious activities so long as they did not interfere with his political ambitions. After Alexander's death, the Jews experienced some of the most severe persecutions they had ever known, for Antiochus, the ruler of Syria, tried to obliterate completely the long-established customs and traditions of the Jewish faith. Antiochus' efforts sparked the Maccabean wars. When these wars were finally over, the Jews enjoyed a brief period of political independence, but ultimately they became subjects of the Roman government.
