Babylonian Captivity

Babylonian Captivity. The so-called Babylonian or Babylonish Captivity or Exile, which supposedly began with the taking of Jerusalem by the Chaldeans under Nebuchadnezzar in 586 B. C., with the destruction of Solomon’s Temple, forms the ritualistic background for the Royal Arch Degree, the Royal Master Degree, the Select Master Degree, and is the whole subject matter of the Super Excellent Master Degree of the York Rite and, of course, affords the background for the 13th Degree, Royal Arch of Solomon, in the Scottish Rite. For ritualistic purposes, it is immaterial whether or not a story is historically accurate or even conforms to legends, since a ritual may create a legend of its own. The whole facts about the Captivity or Exile are probably not deducible from the Old Testament. Mature study indicates that there was more than one capture and (comments removed), as was the custom in ancient times, both for the purpose of having the aliens where they could be closely watched, and for the purpose of settling up the territory of the conquerors. This may not sound so strange if we but consider the national policy of C*mmunist Russia in the 20th century. It may even be that, in ancient times, a victorious king would desire to appropriate the most intellectual members of the conquered country to enrich the culture of his own, somewhat as the Russians welcomed, bribed, and k*dnapped German scientists after W*rld W*r II and thus greatly advanced Russia’s work in atomic energy and aerodynamics.

It is well known that there was an estrangement and separation among the 12 Tribes of Israel (some say there were 14), 10 tribes taking the richer lands in the northern part of Palestine and calling themselves Israel, leaving the tribes of Judah and Benjamin to inhabit the poorer (and incidentally the less accessible to an invader) lands in the South. This breach occurred in the confusion following the d*ath of Saul and reached the culmination of estrangement on the d*ath of Solomon. So desperate was the situation that Israel actually made an alliance with Syria against her own people of Judah, and the latter appealed to--of all people--the Chaldeans, who took both Israel and Syria. As results of this conflict, there were two (comments removed), one in 733 B. C. and the other between 721 and 719 B. C.

A century and a quarter passed before there was another exile of any consequence in Palestine, but the second was also in two installments, one in 598 B. C. and the other in 586 B. C., on these occasions deporting the Hebrews of Judah in the South. The last of these was more or less s*vage and vindictive, for the reason that Zedekiah, ruler over Judah, who had been placed or tolerated on the throne as the vassal of the conquerors in 598 B. C., b*trayed his trust and made an alliance with Egypt.

Use of the word, captivity, has given the wrong impression of the operation, for the Hebrews were not only not ensl*ved, but some received high honors, such as Daniel and Esther. The Hebrew rabbis and students were brought into contact with the rich spiritual literature of the East. After 70 years, and upon the accession of Cyrus and Darius to the throne of Persia, the conquered people were allowed to return to Palestine and, thereafter, were called Jews. What became of the Ten Tribes of Israel is unknown, and they are not mentioned as joining in the repatriation. They are commonly said to have been irretrievably lost, but there seems to be nothing improbable about their survival. It is supposed that some of the Old Testament books were written in Babylon or after the exile.

Just as the building of King Solomon’s Temple forms the material for the rituals of certain degrees, so the destruction of the Temple and the building of the Second Temple form the basis for even a larger number of Masonic degrees. See DEGREES, CLASSIFICATION OF.