The Jewish Temple(s) In Egypt. (Circa 5th Century BCE)

by fulltimestudent 11 Replies latest jw friends

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  kepler

  Mephis,

  Not sure that I'm following you. My understanding here is that there is a Jewish temple ( i.e., a facility for religious observances ) located on the Upper NIle on Elephantine Island and that there are archeological remains or documents associated with it. This facility was for Judeans located there. Some of the inhabitants were supposedly Judean soldiers in garrisons of the Persian Empire. The Persian empire moved into Egypt during the reign of Cambyses.

  Now a request "to rebuild the temple": Are you referring to the Jerusalem Temple or a structure on the Egyptian Upper Nile at Elephantine Island?
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  Mephis

  I'm referring to this temple in Egypt. It was destroyed in 410 BC and the Jewish community there requested it be rebuilt. In that letter they state that the temple pre-dates the Persian takeover of Egypt as it was spared by Cambyses even though he destroyed Egyptian temples. This is supported by a 2nd century BC document which claims that there were multiple waves of Jewish emigres into Egypt, beginning in 650 BC in support of the Egyptians campaign against Nubia (Elephantine Island is a fort on that border) but also those which are mentioned in the OT such as after the Babylonian invasions of Palestine. Hence the dating of the site is pre-Persian at the moment and requires evidence of it not being so to date it solely to the Persian period.

  (the essay linked as a reference earlier in the thread covers most of this).