Temple Restoration in Early Achaemenid Judah

Leiden: Brill, 2001. First edition. Hardcover. Near fine. Octavo. xiii, 369, (1)pp. Indices and 34 page bibliography. Blue cloth, gilt, publisher's device on front cover. An ex-library copy with minimal rubber stamping on title & at bottom of text block, and a library pocket on rear pastedown.

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. (Publisher)

Contents: I.; Introduction --; II.; Living Without the Jerusalem Temple -- In Judah and Babylonia --; III.; Rebuilding the Jerusalem Temple of Yahweh in Achaemenid Judah I: The Reign of Cyrus II --; IV.; Rebuilding the Jerusalem Temple of Yahweh in Achaemenid Judah II: The Reign of Darius I --; V.; Conclusion. (OCLC)

Volume 65 of the Brill series, "Supplements to the Journal for the Study of Judaism." (J.S.J.S.).