Session 9 | The Persian Rule and the Judean-Samarian Conflict
#35-41

#35. Introduction

Ancient Persia was located in modern-day Iran. The Persian period in Palestine lasted from 539 BCE, the fall of Babylon to the Persian ruler Cyrus the Great, until 332 BCE, the arrival of Alexander the Great to Palestine. During this time, Israel/Palestine was steeped in a social, political, and religious quarrel between the Judeans and the Samaritans. It was a battle, moreover, which resurfaced in the centuries following the Persian rule. A proper understanding of the roots of this conflict will create a firm foundation for subsequent studies in this course; hence, the readings for this lecture will revolve around this issue and will be comprised of portions from the Bible, Josephus, as well as Aramaic texts from Egypt.

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#36. Ezra and Nehemiah

The biblical books Ezra and Nehemiah occur in the English Bible just after the books of 1 and 2 Chronicles – this sequence is based upon the order of books in the Septuagint, a Greek version of the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament. They describe the affairs of the returning deportees living in Israel/Palestine during the Persian period, doing so from a Judean point of view with special emphasis upon the relationship between the Judeans and their neighbors. In the forefront of such descriptions are the figures Ezra and Nehemiah. Ezra was a scribe and priest who returned from Babylon and became a religious leader for the returnees. As for Nehemiah, he was the cupbearer for the king of Persia who went to Jerusalem and oversaw the construction of the city’s fortifications. In readings #37-38, take notice of the language employed by the biblical authors in describing the neighbors of the Judeans.

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#37. Ezra

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#38. Nehemiah with Ezra

This reading is a combination of portions from Nehemiah and Ezra.

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#39. Josephus

Josephus, the great Jewish historian of the 1st century CE, is known for his history of the Jewish revolt against the Romans in 66 CE-70 CE as well as his comprehensive history on the lives of the Jews – a portion of which is provided below – which reaches back in time well before Josephus’ era. He was a native of Jerusalem and a general in the Jewish army who betrayed his fellow Jews by joining the Romans. When reading the following narrative, be mindful of the points of comparison between the information conveyed by Josephus and the readings from Ezra and Nehemiah just examined.

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#40. Elephantine Island

Several documents were discovered in the 19th and 20th centuries CE at the site of Yeb (Elephantine Island), Egypt. Here there was a Jewish colony of mercenaries living during the Persian era. These texts were written in Aramaic, an official language of the Persian Empire akin to Hebrew, and date to the end of the 5th century BCE. They discuss the appeal of the Jews from the colony to the Persian authorities for the purpose of having their temple to YHWH rebuilt – notice that Jerusalem was not the only place where one could worship the god of Israel. The three letters chosen for this reading outline this appeal and the response given to their request. Note the points of divergence between Ezra/Nehemiah and these documents concerning the ways in which the Samaritans were perceived.

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#41. Ephraim Stern

As is always the case concerning the ancient world, archaeological finds supplement our knowledge of the past. The following piece was written by an Israeli archaeologist who has spent a great deal of time examining the material remains of our region in the Persian period. In reading his article, examine the ways in which Stern measures written sources upon the rule of archaeological data.

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