January
02
/ 2020
The twelve tribes of ancient Judaism were united into a single kingdom under the reigns of Saul, David, and Solomon. The destruction of this kingdom and the forced exile of its population is known as the Captivity. It is often perceived as a single event, beginning when Jerusalem was destroyed 587 BC and ending in 539 BC, when Cyrus declared that the Jews could return to Jerusalem. Oh, that history could be that simple! The Captivity really began with the first Assyrian incursions around 870—850 BC, progressed through the destruction of the ten Northern Tribes in 722 BC, then continued until the destruction of Jerusalem in 587 BC, and concluded when Ezra and Nehemiah finally rebuilt Jerusalem around 440 BC
