ii. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND.—Deutero-Isaiah’s preps of the freeing of the people by Cyrus had been fulfilled in 538 after the conquest of Babylon. The edict of Cyrus granted permission to the exiles to return, and about 50,000, under the leadership of Zerubbabel and Joshua the priest, availed themselves of it. But the condition of things in the home so eagerly longed for did not answer the high-flown expectations of the returned exiles. The foreign domination still continued, and all energy was | psa | Ser by poverty and failure of crops, as well as by the ostility of the Jewish - heathen mixed population, which had gradually spread over the land during the Exile. Even if the cultus was resumed, immediately after the Return, by the re-erection of the altar of burnt-offering (Ezr 3°), it was not till the year 520 that, thanks to the energetic stimulation of Haggai and Zechariah, the work of building the temple was taken in hand in earnest, and finished in 516. Evidently, these prophets expected the dawn of the Messianic age after the building was finished, and at the same time saw in Zerubbabel the ‘shoot of David’ promised by Jeremiah (Hag 28- 208. Zec 3° 644, where in all probability there was originally mention only of a crowning of Zerubbabel). These hopes, too, were completely deceived. We possess, indeed, only very scanty traditions regarding the history of the post-exilic Jewish colony down to the time of Malachi (Ezr 4°83), but the Book of Malachi itself shows that the conditions had rather changed for the worse since 516. The offerings naturally suffered from the continued poverty of the people (3°*:), but no less from the unscrupulous character of the priests (15 35). The prophet also complains bitterly of the facile putting away of Jewish wives in order to contract new marriages with heathen women (2H), But the worst feature was the resigned, not to say despairing, disposition which had taken possession of the people. This showed itself in such blasphemous judgments as that ‘ Every one that doeth evil is well pleasing to Jahweh, and in such he hath his delight, or where is the God of judgment 2’ (2”, and still more fully in 3"), One ean readily conceive how to the priestly circles in the Diaspora, which had been for long following in the footsteps of Ezekiel in laying down new regu- lations for the cultus (see below, § VIII.), it might seem that the time had come for them to step in. But even Ezra, the leader of a second band of exiles (B.C. 458), soon had the conviction forced upon him that it was necessary first to attend to other tasks than the introducing of the priestly legislation he had brought with him from Babylon. His Draconic zeal in dissolving the numerous mixed mazriages so increased the hostility of the heathen and Jewish families thereby affected, that they obtained from Artaxerxes I. full powers to destroy the walls and gates of Jerusalem, which had been searcely yet completed by Ezra. How thoroughly this process was carried out does not indeed appear from the timid allusion in Ezr 4%, but is clear enough from the documentary report of Nehemiah (15% 212. 31%), The arrival of the latter at Jerusalem (445) had for its main result the solemn introduction of the priestly law - book (Neh 8, probably extracted in large part from the Memoirs of Ezra). Of the high significance of this act we shall have to speak in the next section. That all these occurrences, moreover, found an echo in prophecy is a priori probable, and is con- firmed especially by the contents of Trito-Isaiah. In this way the enigma in which Is 66 was formerly involved is very simply cleared up, when it is recognized that there we have to do with a polemic against the Samaritans, belonging to the time of Ezra-Nehemiah. From the second visit of Nehe-
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miah to Jerusalem (Neh 13%) in 432 [according to others, not till 412] OT tradition is silent till we reach the commencement of the Maccabee wars, even if a considerable portion of the above-men- tioned Prophetical literature may emanate from the intervening period. :
ill. CONCEPTION OF GOD, AND ETHICS.— The whole of the exilic and post-exilic literature with which we have here to do, bears almost without exception a secondary character, and—apart from the further colouring given to the hopes for the future—lives entirely upon the ideas of the older prophets, or simply takes these for granted. This comes out clearly in regard to the conception of God. The reason why the statements in this sphere are so scanty is that there was nothing to add to the message of the pre-exilic prophets. Belief in the solity and supramundane character of Jahweh is the common possession of the whole of this period. The apparent localizing of Him on Sinai (Hab 3°) can be regarded only as a poetical reminiscence of ancient descriptions, such as that of Jg 54. His omnipotence and omni- science are revealed in the creation of heaven and earth (Jer 10+); to Him nothing is impossible (32!”). The mighty Babylon is simply a hammer in His hand (51°°*).. He chose Israel because He loved it, whereas He hated Israel’s twin brother Esau (Mal 12); here there seems to be no attempt to trace the election to an ethical motive, asin Deutero-Isaiah. Jahweh shows Himself to be the father and saviour of Israel in a far deeper sense than Abraham or Jacob could claim to be (Is 6316 64"). But the old conception of the national God, Jahweh, who has His eye upon Israel alone, has | no longer any room left for it. Jahweh is great beyond the realm of Israel, His name is feared among the nations as that of a great king (Mal 1°: 4, Jer 10"); nay, the incense-offerings and pure