Temple Restoration in Early Achaemenid Judah

Download or read book Temple Restoration in Early Achaemenid Judah written by Peter Ross Bedford and published by BRILL. This book was released on 2001 with total page 394 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the early Achaemenid Persian period, the Jews returned to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple of Yahweh. This volume investigates issues surrounding the rebuilding of this temple, focusing on the timing and purpose of the project, and the social and political circumstances in which it was undertaken. The study reflects on certain passages from the Old Testament, such as Ezra 1-6, Haggai, and Zechariah 1-8; early Achaemenid Persian administrative practices; and Judean hopes for restoration in order to question the contention that the Jerusalem temple was established as an economic and administrative centre around which competing groups struggled for socio-economic and political power.