At the rivers of Babylon there we sat down

by TheWonderofYou 3 Replies latest watchtower bible

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  TheWonderofYou

  "By the rivers of babylon, there we sat down
  

  Ye-eah we wept, when we remembered zion.s

  Boney M. – Rivers Of Babylon Lyrics,1978

  A large part of the judaen population was deported to babylonia after the destruction of Jersualem and the temple in the year 586 B.C.E, especially the leading population stratum. This experience of the exil became a central part of jewish identity.

  Which "books" of the bible were written in Babylon and what kind of writiing was typical, was it reconstruction or completely new creative text and what role played these "books" in the religious discussion or service? Any information appreciated.
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  zeb

  Cant help youwith your request but the date that is the centre pin of the wt ideology being 607bc is well covered in the excellent work;

  "The Gentile Times Reconsidered. Chronology and Christs return" by Carl Olof Jonsson.

  ISBN 0-914675-06-0 Commentary Press.

  Jonsson was an Elder who did a lot of research and found the passion for 607 to be misdirected as the date is not correct. I rate his book on a par with Crisis of Conscience and and easier to read.
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  snowbird

  Hi.

  I'm doing research that points to Jerusalem's destruction by the Babylonians occurring around the year 403 BCE.

  One day, I'm going to publish what I've been blessed to find.

  Ezekiel and Daniel seem to have been written during the Babylonian exile, and Esther and Nehemiah during the subsequent Persian rule.

  The books were written to chastise and encourage the Jewish people who looked forward to restoration to their homeland.

  This is all the input I have for now.

  I love the 137th psalm.

  Here it is in its entirety from The Message Bible.

  Psalm 137
  

  1 Alongside Babylon's rivers we sat on the banks; we cried and cried, remembering the good old days in Zion.

  2 Alongside the quaking aspens we stacked our unplayed harps;

  3 That's where our captors demanded songs, sarcastic and mocking: "Sing us a happy Zion song!"

  4 Oh, how could we ever sing God's song in this wasteland?

  5 If I ever forget you, Jerusalem, let my fingers wither and fall off like leaves.

  6 Let my tongue swell and turn black if I fail to remember you, If I fail, O dear Jerusalem, to honor you as my greatest.

  7 God, remember those Edomites, and remember the ruin of Jerusalem, That day they yelled out, "Wreck it, smash it to bits!"

  8 And you, Babylonians - ravagers! A reward to whoever gets back at you for all you've done to us;

  9 Yes, a reward to the one who grabs your babies and smashes their heads on the rocks!
  
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  Phizzy

  I recommend reading "The Bible Unearthed", it shows that the Bible as we have it emerged much later than originally thought, post Babylonian exile.

  Basically, one way or another, the Bible is a fraud from start to finish.

  It is though a unique and, to me, fascinating collection or Writings