The Second Temple period (586 BC-AD 70) is marked by the return of the Jews to Jerusalem after Cyrus King of Persia defeated Babylon. Jews were allowed to return to their homeland in Jerusalem. Life was not easy for the people that returned to Jerusalem. The majority of the Jews decided not to return to Jerusalem because they didn't want to start over. Seventy years of living in captivity under the control of the Babylonians has changed their outlook on God's law. The reinstated Jewish residents had completed building the Second Temple by 515 BC, and Zerubbabel, Ezra, and Nehemiah were the three-figure in their time that led the rebuilding of the Temple.
The Persian period (586-332 BC)
The Hellenistic period (332-63 BC): Alexander the Great defeated Persia, bringing Greek rule to the world. Alexander wanted the Greek culture to be promoted in every land he conquered.
After Alexander died, Greek civilization or culture continued to spread. Everything that was influenced by Greek culture is known as Hellenistic.
The Hebrew Old Testament translated into Greek is known as the Septuagint.
The Roman period ( 63 BC-AD 324): Rome conquered Israel, putting all of Judea under the control of the Caesars. Eventually, Herod was made king of Judea by the Roman Emperor and senate.
In in37 BC, King Herod enlarged the Temple Mount and refurbish the Temple with the public's consent.
Two important political and religious groups emerged in Israel during the Greek and Roman occupations. One group is called the Pharisees: They added to the Law of Moses through oral tradition and considered their own rules and laws to be more important than God's (Mark 7:1-23).
The other group is the Sadducees: They represented the aristocrats (Someone considered to be in the highest social class in society) and the wealthy. The Sadducees like to wield power through the Sanhedrin. They rejected all except for the Mosaic books of the Old Testament. They do not believe in the resurrection. Sanhedrin is an assembly of either twenty-three or seventy-one elders known as rabbis. A rabbi is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism.
