In this period of return, Judah is given a chance to live as the chosen people of God. During their time in Babylon (seventy years) the people of Israel were without the sacrificial system of the temple. Kosher laws of the family took on more importance of faith. The return from captivity is a common theme in salvation history.

Review Questions

Who was the king of Babylon who took the people into exile?

Nebuchadnezzar

Who taught the people the Law of God when they returned?

Ezra

Who are the three prophets who preached during the Return time period?

Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi

Ezra was deeply distressed to find that the people of God had intermarried with the local inhabitants, which the Law had forbidden. What did Ezra command?

Nullifying these relationships

Who financed the rebuilding of the Temple after the return from exile?

King Cyrus of Persia