CultureThe Middle East
The Temple falls and exile begins
A religion survives the loss of its only holy place
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The exile is probably the decisive point in the formation of Judaism. Without temple and sacrifice, scripture, sabbath and law became load-bearing — a religion practicable anywhere. It is also here that monotheism sharpens from "our god is strongest" to "there is only one". The model — a text-based faith with no geographical requirement — was later inherited by Christianity and Islam.
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The Babylonians took Jerusalem, burned the Temple and carried the people into captivity. Normally that meant the end of a people's god. Instead the opposite happened: in exile the texts were gathered, and the faith became something portable.
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Part of Terra Saga — the story of Earth on a timeline. terrasaga.org