The History of Judaism

Jewish ritual had, for centuries, centered on the temple in Jerusalem. It was destroyed by the Babylonians in the 6th century BC but soon thereafter rebuilt when control over Jerusalem passed to the more benign Persians. This ushered in the period known as 2nd Temple Judaism which ended in scenes of carnage and despair when the Romans wrecked the 2nd Temple in 70 AD. The land of Judea was also devastated in this period with a significant loss of population. We might assume that the coming of Christianity would mean further bad news for the Jewish faith - we are wrong.