Babylon Misunderstood: The Exile That Preserved Jewish Life
For many Bible readers, the word "Babylon" has an evil connotation. However, the ancient Jewish communities in Babylon built traditions that preserved Jewish life and even inspired the church in unknown ways.
In some circles, the mention of the words "Babylonian Talmud" can trigger a negative reaction.
For many Bible readers, the word "Babylon" has an evil connotation, connecting with idolatry. For Christians and many Messianic Jews, the word conjures thoughts of the "harlot" of Revelation. And a similar suspicion arises when readers find that the Hebrew calendar shares months with the Babylonian.
But in Jewish history, Babylon holds a surprising and important place as it was the home for a thriving community for about a thousand years. This community would become one of the most important, whose traditions helped preserve Jewish life into modernity, even influencing the church in surprising ways.
But how did they get there, and why did they stay?
The Exilic Period
The Jewish people did not choose to live in Babylon; they were sent there against their will.
A quick recap: the northern tribes were exiled by the Assyrians between 732 and 722 BC. The Assyrians were known for sifting conquered people thoroughly enough to prevent them from regrouping into rebellions. This is likely why many of the northern tribes were unable to consolid in large numbers.
Later, the Babylonian Empire conquered the Assyrians and eventually set its sights on Jerusalem. The southern tribes were eventually exiled in waves between 605 BC and 586 BC, and eventually, the first Temple was destroyed.
The exile was tragic, and entire families were resettled in the lands around the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. However, unlike the northern tribes, the people were able to regroup.
The Book of Daniel tells us about Judah's exile, even recording Daniel's rise to power in the kingdom. It is evident that the Jewish community was able to live distinctly from their neighbors¹.
By the time we get to Esther², it seems the Jewish community had become quite prolific throughout the region. The fact that they stood out as different (Esther 3:8) indicates they enjoyed - and maintained - some degree of cultural and religious freedom.
The Return?
From the time they were exiled to Babylon, these lands would change hands many times between various nations. When the Persians took over in 539 BC, Cyrus allowed the Jewish people to return to Jerusalem to rebuild. But not everyone did.
In fact, most did not.
From Ezra and Nehemiah onward, the Hebrew Bible sharpens its focus to the land of Israel, and Jerusalem in particular. The Apostolic writings follow suit, and later, journey with Paul through the Roman Empire.
But we hear very little of the eastern communities.
Israel In Turmoil
Throughout much of the Second Temple period, those in the land of Israel were in conflict with the ruling powers. The Greek Empire brought conflict, and the Romans turned conflict into catastrophe.
The Roman-Jewish war led to the Second Temple's destruction in 70CE, and successive wars in the following years continued to chip away at the surviving communities. Each war cost the Jewish people a generation and kept them in tension.
Nevertheless, conflict between the Romans and Jewish people increased in the following centuries as the Roman Empire became entangled with Christianity.
The situation was different in the east.