![[Media/250px-thumbnail.jpg]] *Akkadian cuneiform inscription mentions the name of Jeconiah (Jehoiachin), King of Judah, and the Babylonian captivity.* After the death of Solomon, the Hebrew kingdom is split into Israel and Judah. Israel, with its capital at Samaria, was criticized for falling into the worship of calves and Baal and was conquered by the Assyrians in 722 BCE. The southern kingdom, Judah, with its capital at Jerusalem, maintained the Davidic dynasty but was criticized by prophets like Isaiah when the rich oppressed the poor. Judah was conquered by the Babylonians in 586 BCE and Solomon's Temple was destroyed. The Hebrew elites and a significant portion of the population was relocated to Babylon in what is known as the Babylonian Captivity. King Nebuchadrezzar II deported about 10,000 Hebrew elites (including the prophet Ezekiel) to Babylon in 597 BCE, and a similar number in 586 BCE. Common Judean people remained at home, under Babylonian occupation. The Captivity continued until Babylon was conquered in its turn by the Persian Empire, in 538 BCE. The first Persian Emperor, Cyrus the Great, released the Hebrews, helped many of them return to their homelands (many others moved to Persian cities, such as Isfahan), and helped them rebuild the Temple. ![[Media/Masada_051013_Synagogue_01.jpg]] *Ruins of the synagogue at Masada* Despite the rebuilding of Solomon's Temple, the Captivity shifted Hebrew religious practice from Temple worship to a focus community or synagogue practice. The emphasis on prayer, study, and communal reading of scriptures created a new faith centered on personal piety rather than temple ritual. And although they were relatively autonomous in Babylon (and overachievers like Daniel even became very important in the royal court), the trauma of exile redefined the Judean people as Jewish: people defined by a faith rather than the place they lived. Being surrounded by polytheistic Mesopotamians also helped strengthen the monotheism of the people and led them to compile their stories into the Torah and their cultural practices into the laws of Deuteronomy. ![[Media/Daniel's_Answer_to_the_King,_by_Briton_Riviere,_GMIII_MCAG_1937_123-001.jpg]] *1890 painting of Daniel in Babylon.* ----- Next: [[5.10 - Cyrus the Great]] Back: [[5.8 - Hebrew Kingdom]]