Historical Background and Political History (520-332 BCE)

1. From Text to Tradition
   1. Historical and Archaeological Background
   2. Political Affairs
   3. The Second Temple
2. Historical Surveys
   1. James D. Purvis, and Eric Meyers. “Exile and Return- From the Babylonian Destruction to the Reconstruction of the Jewish State.”
3. Primary sources
   1. Ezra 1-1-4- Inaugurating the Return from Babylonia
   2. The Declaration of Cyrus – The Rebuilding of Ancient Shrines
   3. Ezra 1:5-11- The Vessels of the Temple
   4. Elephantine Temple Papyrus- The Destruction of the Temple Elephantine
   5. Elephantine Passover Papyri- The Observance of Passover
   6. Nehemiah 1-6- Rebuilding the Wall and Gates of Jerusalem
   7. Ezra 3 – The Beginning of Sacrifice
   8. Ezra 7-8 – The Arrival of Ezra
   9. Nehemiah 7-8 – The Reading of the Torah
   10. Ezra 9-10 Expulsion of Foreign Wives
   11. Ezra 6 – The Order to Rebuild
4. Secondary sources
   1. Big City, Few People, David Ussishkin, Biblical Archaeology Review (31:4), Jul/Aug 2005.
   2. Cyrus the Messiah, Lisbeth S. Fried, Bible Review (19:5) 2003.
   3. Did the Ark Stop at Elephantine? Bezalel Porten, Biblical Archaeology Review (21:3), May/Jun 1995.
5. Images
   1. Cyrus Cylinder, 535 BCE.
   2. The Passover Papyrus from Elephantine, 419 BCE
   3. Contract from Elephantine, 451 BCE