ABSTRACT
To implement their policy of repatriation, the Persians appointed Sheshbazzar as governor of Judah. Other returning exiles included Joshua the priest and Zerubbabel, the grandson of Jehoiachin, who supervised the repair and restoration of the Temple. According to the Book of Jeremiah, after Nebuchadnezzar’s invasion worshippers continued to make a pilgrimage to the Temple site. These Jews offered their assistance to Zerubbabel, but he refused since he did not regard them as real Jews: they were of uncertain racial origins and their worship was suspect. These Judaean inhabitants and the people of Samaria recognized that the returning exiles were intent on forming a state in which they would have no role. Having their offer of cooperation rejected, they persuaded the Persian officials responsible for the western empire that the plans of restoration were illegal, thereby delaying work on the Temple for ten years or more. This was the start of the enmity between the Jews and the Samaritan people which continued for many hundreds of years and is reflected in the New Testament.
