Babylonia under the auspices of their new Persian rulers. The very name “Jews” (derived from Judah) attests the importance of the survivors of the southern kingdom for the continued existence of the chosen people. Cyrus reversed the policies of the Assyrians (cf. 2 Kings 17) and Babylonians (cf. 2 Kings 24–25) by encouraging peoples to return to their homelands and by supporting local institutions under the oversight of the royal administration. Since the Hebrew order of the Old Testament books places
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