Nebuchadnezzar's Babylonians burn Jerusalem and the First Temple and exile Judah's leadership to Babylon; the catastrophe becomes the theological crisis out of which exilic and post-exilic Judaism is formed.
Tagged: Conservative Judaism Jewish Orthodox Judaism Reconstructionist Judaism Reform Judaism Secular Judaism
The Event
- Date
- 586 BCE (exact)
- Era
- Biblical; Standard periodization of Jewish history
- Location
- Jerusalem
- Traditions
- Judaism
- Streams
- Orthodox Judaism, Conservative Judaism, Reform Judaism, Reconstructionist Judaism, Secular Judaism
- Key figures
- Nebuchadnezzar II, Jeremiah
- Key texts
- 2 Kings 25, Lamentations
Primary Sources
- 2 Kings 25
- Lamentations
Secondary Sources
- Goodman, A History of Judaism (Princeton, 2018)
- Schiffman, From Text to Tradition: A History of Second Temple and Rabbinic Judaism (Ktav, 1991)
Provenance: HIST-0106; confidence 0.95; accessed 2026-10-27.
Related on This Site
- Cyrus' Edict of Return History Event
- David's Reign History Event
- Exodus and Sinai History Event
- Fall of Samaria; the Northern Kingdom Destroyed History Event
- First Temple Dedicated History Event
- Maccabean Revolt History Event
- Patriarchal Period History Event
- Second Temple Completed History Event