Definition

Adjective: - Relating to the period after the Babylonian Exile: Pertaining to the era in Jewish history following the return from the Babylonian Captivity, beginning around 539 BC.

Usage

The term is used in historical, religious, and academic contexts to describe events, literature, theology, or social conditions from the period after the Jewish exile in Babylon.

Examples

• Adjective:
  • The books of Ezra and Nehemiah are important postexilic texts.
  • Scholars study the development of Jewish law during the postexilic period.
  • A major postexilic concern was the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem.

Advanced Usage

• As a historical marker: The term often serves to divide the study of ancient Israelite religion and history into pre-exilic, exilic, and postexilic periods.
  • The prophetic voice changed significantly in the postexilic community.

Variants and Related Words

• Postexile (noun, less common): The period or state of being after an exile.
  • The community struggled to rebuild during the postexile.
• Exilic (adjective): Of or relating to the period of exile itself.
• Pre-exilic (adjective): Of or relating to the period before the Babylonian Exile.

Synonyms

• Post-captivity
• Post-diasporic (in this specific historical context)

Antonyms

• Pre-exilic
• Exilic

Adjective

1. of or relating to the period in Jewish history after 539 BC (after the Babylonian Captivity)