Babylonian Captivity

Babylonian captivity, in the history of Israel, the period from the fall of Jerusalem (586 B.C.) to the reconstruction in Palestine of a new Jewish state (after 538 B.C.). After the capture of the city by the Babylonians some thousands, probably selected for their prosperity and importance, were deported to Mesopotamia. The number of those who remained is disputed by scholars. Such deportations were commonplace in Assyrian and Babylonian policy. The exiles maintained close links with their kinsmen at home, as is clear from Ezekiel, the prophet of the early years of the Exile. In 538 B.C., Cyrus the Great, the new master of the empire, initiated a new attitude toward the nations and decreed the restoration of worship at Jerusalem. The century following this decree was critical in the history of the Jews, for it is the time of their reintegration into a national and religious unit. For parts of the period, Ezra and Nehemiah are the best sources. The prophesied 70 years of captivity were fulfilled when the new Temple was completed in 516 B.C. For the papal captivity at Avignon, which is also called the Babylonian Captivity, see papacy.

---

Babylonian Exile

 or Babylonian Captivity

Forced detention of Jews in Babylonia following Babylonian conquest of Judah in 598/597 and 587/586 BC. The first deportation may have occurred after King Jehoiachin was deposed in 597 BC or after Nebuchadrezzar destroyed Jerusalem in 586. In 538 BC the Persian Cyrus II conquered Babylonia and allowed the Jews to return to Palestine. Some Jews chose to remain in Babylonia, initiating the Jewish Diaspora. During the Babylonian Exile the Jews maintained their national spirit and religious identity despite cultural pressures in a foreign land, with Ezekiel and other prophets keeping hope alive. Petrarch and other writers designated the Avignon papacy as the Babylonian Captivity in the 14th century, and Martin Luther used the term in the title of one of his works attacking the papacy and the Roman Catholic church in the 16th century.

---

Babylonian Captivity 

the Avignon captivity of the papacy, the forced stay of the Roman popes at Avignon from March 1309 until January 1377 (with an interval in 1367–70). The captivity was preceded by the victory of King Philip IV of France over Pope Boniface VIII in the conflict over the prerogatives of the ecclesiastical and secular powers. Under pressure from Philip IV the Frenchprotégé, Pope Clement V (1305–14), in 1309 moved his residence to Avignon, which belonged to the king of Naples but was situated on French territory; in 1348, Avignon was bought by the pope.

The Babylonian Captivity was a manifestation of the decline of the power of the papacy, which was being undermined by the growing strength of the feudal monarchies. During the time of the Babylonian Captivity the papacy was fully dependent on the king of France (thus Clement V, bowing to the will of Philip IV, in 1312 disbanded the Knights Templars). Of the eight Avignon popes, seven were French. Under the Avignon popes the fiscal oppression of the Roman curia became even greater (such as sale of church offices and indulgences, collection of crusader tithes, annates, and so on). Vast sums were spent on the maintenance of the papal court. While residing in France, the popes did not discontinue their struggle for the subjugation of Italy (they unsuccessfully attempted to use the 1347 uprising of Cola di Rienzi toward that end) and continued to maintain close economic ties with her. Taking advantage of France’s difficulties during the Hundred Years’ War (1337–1453), Pope Gregory XI (1370–78) moved the papal residence back to Rome. This, however, did not improve the situation of the papacy, for the Great Schism soon began.

REFERENCES

Renouard, Y. La papauté à Avignon. Paris, 1954.
Renouard, Y. Les relations des papes d’Avignon et des compagnies commerciales et bancaires de 1316 a 1378. Paris, 1941.