Yehud Medinata

Yehud Medinata (Aramaic for the State of Judah), or simply Yehud, was part of the Persian Achaemenid Empire. It was within the satrapy of Eber-Nari.

Yehud State Yehud Medinata
c. 539 BCE–c. 332 BCE
Obverse of Jewish Yehud, a silver coin from Persian period
Yehud Medinata (in pink) under the Persian Empire
Status	Province of the Achaemenid Empire
Capital	Jerusalem 31°47′N 35°13′E
Common languages	Aramaic, Hebrew, Old Persian
Religion	Second Temple Judaism
History
• Cyrus' invasion of Babylonia	c. 539 BCE
• Wars of Alexander the Great	c. 332 BCE
Currency	Daric, siglos
Preceded by Succeeded by Yehud (Babylonian province) Coele-Syria
Today part of	Israel  Palestine

It was roughly like the older kingdom of Judah but had less land. The area of Yehud Medinata is roughly the same as the previous Babylonian province of Yehud, which was created after the kingdom of Judah was invaded by the Neo-Babylonian Empire (c. 597).

Yehud Medinata continued to exist for two centuries, until Alexander the Great conquered it and made it part of his empire.

History

Exact times for Babylonian and Persian rule do not have complete agreement. Other dates are plausible.

Year	Event
587 BCE	Conquest of Jerusalem by Babylonians; second deportation (first deportation in 597); Gedaliah installed as governor in Mizpah
582? BCE	Assassination of Gedaliah; refugees flee to Egypt; third deportation to Babylon
562 BCE	Jeconiah, king of Judah deported and imprisoned in Babylon in 597, released; remains in Babylon
539 BCE	Cyrus the Great (Cyrus II, ruled c.550-530 BCE) conquers Babylon
538 BCE	"Declaration of Cyrus" allowing Jews to return to Jerusalem
530 BCE	Cambyses II (ruled 530-522 BCE) succeeds Cyrus
525 BCE	Cambyses conquers Egypt
522 BCE	Darius I (ruled 522-486 BCE) succeeds Cambyses
521 BCE	Negotiations in Babylon between Darius and the exiled Jews
520 BCE[1]	Return to Jerusalem of Zerubbabel as governor of Yehud and Joshua as High Priest
520-515 BCE[1]	Rebuilding of the Temple (Second Temple)
458? BCE	Arrival in Jerusalem of Ezra (7th year of the reign of Artaxerxes I, king 465-424 BCE)
445/444 BCE	Arrival in Jerusalem of Nehemiah (20th year of the reign of Artaxerxes I)
397? BCE (possible)	Arrival in Jerusalem of Ezra (7th year of the reign of Artaxerxes II, king 404-358 BCE)
333/332 BCE	Alexander the Great conquers the Mediterranean provinces of Persian Empire; beginning of Hellenistic age

Related pages

• Judea (Roman province)

References

1. Rainer Albertz, Israel in Exile: The History and Literature of the Sixth Century BCE, (2003)

Other websites

Maps

• Yehud Medinata map, CET – Center For Educational technology
• Yehud Medinata Border map, CET – Center For Educational technology

Books

• Bob Becking; Marjo Christina Annette Korpel (1999). The crisis of Israelite religion: transformation of religious tradition in exilic and post-exilic times. BRILL. ISBN 90-04-11496-3.
• Bedford, Peter Ross (2001). Temple Restoration in Early Achaemenid Judah. BRILL. ISBN 90-04-11509-9.
• Berquist, Jon L. (2007). Approaching Yehud: New Approaches to the Study of the Persian Period. Society of Biblical Literature. p. 195. ISBN 978-1-58983-145-2.
• Blenkinsopp, Joseph (2009). Judaism, the First Phase: The Place of Ezra and Nehemiah in the Origins of Judaism. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. ISBN 978-0-8028-6450-5.
• Grabbe, Lester L. (2006). A History of the Jews and Judaism in the Second Temple Period (vol. 1): The Persian Period (539-331BCE). Bloomsbury Academic. p. 85. ISBN 978-0-567-04352-8.
• Levine, Lee I. (2002). Jerusalem: Portrait of the City in the Second Temple Period (538 B.C.E. ? 70 C.E.). Jewish Publication Society. p. 196. ISBN 978-0-8276-0750-7.
• Lipschitz, Oded (2005). The Fall and Rise of Jerusalem: Judah Under Babylonian Rule. Eisenbrauns. ISBN 978-1-57506-095-8.
• Lipschitz, Oded; Oeming, Manfred (2006). Judah and the Judeans in the Persian Period. Eisenbrauns. ISBN 978-1-57506-104-7.
• Lipschitz, Oded; Knoppers, Gary N.; Albertz, Rainer (2007). Judah and the Judeans in the Fourth Century B.C.E. Eisenbrauns. p. 75. ISBN 978-1-57506-130-6.
• Middlemas, Jill (2005). The Troubles of Templeless Judah. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-928386-6.
• Stackert, Jeffrey (2007). Rewriting the Torah: Literary Revision in Deuteronomy and the Holiness Legislation. Mohr Siebeck. ISBN 978-3-16-149298-3.
• Nodet, Etienne (1997). A Search for the Origins of Judaism: From Joshua to the Mishnah. A&C Black. ISBN 978-1-85075-445-9.
• Vanderkam, James C. (2001). An Introduction to Early Judaism. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. ISBN 978-0-8028-4641-9.