Wednesday, August 17, 2022

Judean intermarriage in ancient Babylonia

DR. LAURIE PEARCE: Jews Intermarried Not Only in Judea but Also in Babylonia (TheTorah.com).
The Bible describes the shock that Ezra and Nehemiah experience upon learning that the Judean locals had married non-Judeans. And yet, from Babylonian marriage documents uncovered in cities near Babylon, we learn that intermarriage was occurring back in Babylonia as well.
Judeans also intermarried with Egyptians in the Elephantine community in the fifth century BCE. See here, here, and here.

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