Daniel and Judith:
Gender and Jewish Identity in Second Temple Judaism
THE BOOK OF DANIEL IN HISTORICAL CONTEXT:
THE BABYLONIAN EXILE AND JEWISH DIASPORA
- Selected Timeline:
- 606-535 BCE - Approximate era in which the Book of Daniel is set
- 597 BCE - Nebuchadnezzar besieges Jerusalem; first Exile of Jews to Babylon
- 586 BCE - Nebuchadnezzar razes Jerusalem; second (larger) Exile of Jews to Babylon
- 539 BCE - Cyrus the Persian conquers Babylon and liberates Judea; Jews return to the Land, now living under Persian rule and the Jerusalem Temple is rebuilt.
- 333 BCE - Persian Empire conquered by Alexander the Great, Jews under Greek (Ptolemaic and then Seleucidic) rule
- 164-167 BCE - Maccabean Revolt
- 168-167 BCE - Current scholarly consensus for the composition of the latest portions of the Book of Daniel (Dan 7-12) and their compilation together with the earlier portions (Dan 1-6)
- Foreign rulers in the Book of Daniel:
- Babylonians:
- Dan 1-4: Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon (605-562 BCE)
- Dan 5, 7, 8: Belshazzar of Babylonian (co-regent of Babylon with Nabonidus: 549-539 BCE)
- Medes:
- Dan 6, 9: "Darius the Mede" (non-existent ruler; possibly referring to Cyrus' successor, Darius I: 522-486 BCE)
- Persians:
- Dan 10-12: Cyrus of Persia (550-530 BCE)
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