Israel in the Persian Period

Although the Persians are seldom mentioned explicitly in the Hebrew Bible the Persian period (539331 B.C.E.) gave new shape to ancient Israel as the biblical text evolved and the foundations of the Judeo-Christian tradition were laid. Therefore contrary to earlier views Persian politics culture and religion were the setting within which the nascent Jewish community lived and took shape. Against the backdrop of the history and intellectual world of Persia Gerstenberger describes this exciting 200-year period in the history of Israel which saw both the creation of biblical literature (historical prophetic and poetic writings especially the Psalms) and important theological developments (e.g. the shape and characteristics of the Jewish community monotheism and new means of shaping one''s world).