Babylon and Persia
What was the Religion of the Persian Empire?
Zoroastrianism
Who led the first return back to Jerusalem?
Zerubbabel
What is Ezra's lineage?
Ezra was a Levite from the Priestly line of Aaron
What was the purpose of the third return?
To rebuild the walls
What age was Alexander the Great when he became king?
20 years old
How was Babylon conquered?
Cyrus the Great of Persia rerouted the Euphrates River
What was the purpose of the First return?
To rebuild the temple (and reinstate sacrifice)
What was the purpose of the second return?
To teach the law and rebuild the people
What were Nehemiah's jobs?
Cupbearer to the King and Governor of Judah
What is the name of the dynasty that came out of the Maccabean revolt?
Hasmonean Dynasty
What was the common language of the Persian Empire?
Aramaic
Who were the prophets to the people rebuilding the temple?
Haggai and Zechariah
When Ezra gathered the people, who was missing?
The Levites!
Why did walls matter in the Ancient Near East?
Walls created a boundary and was apart of a city's identity and the condition of the walls was a matter of pride or shame and reproach
Define Hellenism.
- The national character or culture of Greece, especially ancient Greece.
- The study or imitation of ancient Greek culture
- Greek thought , values, and culture that was brought into all the areas they conquered.
What was an important Rabbinic Text that was written during the Babylonian Exile?
The Babylonian Talmud
What important items were missing from Zerubbabel's Temple?
The Ark of the Covenant and cherubim
How many people returned with Ezra?
1,754 people
How long did it take to rebuild Jerusalem's Walls?
52 days.
How did Antiochus defile the temple?
He (a gentile and not a Levite) sacrificed a pig to Zeus on YHWH's altar in the Jewish temple.
What is the Persian capital city called?
Persepolis or Parsa
What is the number of people who returned?
49,897 people
Where did Ezra gather the returning Exiles before leaving Babylon?
Ahava River
What are all the terms and conditions of the Vow of Faithfulness?
They wouldn’t intermarry with the nations around us
They wouldn’t buy or sell on the sabbath and honor the sabbath year
Tithe to the temple
Give God the first born and first fruits
Care for the Levites by giving them the tithe
Name for of the generals that divided Alexander the Great's empire.
Cassander, Ptolemy, Antigonus, and Seleucus