Exilic Jerusalem

     During the late 7th century and early 6th century the Babylonian Empire, under the leadership of King Nebuchadnezzar, was growing in power, and eventually defeated the previous powerhouse, the Assyrians. Josiah was killed by Pharoah Neco at Meggido in 609BCE. Jerusalem eventually fell to the Babylonians, and went through three exiles, but the 2nd Babylonian exile, in 586BCE, saw the destruction of Temple and the city. We also see the mention of Jews in a Babylonian tablet, showing some evidence that Jews were present in Babylon, and perhaps due to exile. Some evidence we have of the destruction of Jerusalem is burnt layers in a house, and a sharp decline in the population of the land. 
      During their exile, the Jewish people began to question God and their faith, because they were promised many things, such as a Davidic line, a land, which they no longer had. In addition, this entire time they thought that God resided in the temple, but now that it was destroyed they thought where did he go, or where does he live now? They went through a time of cognitive dissonance, where they held two opposing beliefs. A belief they thought they knew that God would always protect them and reside in the temple, but now with the exile and their temple destroyed they could no longer believe what they knew before. In order to maintain their faith they had to redefine the promises and their beliefs. Since they no longer had a temple to worship in, they did other things that helped continue their faith, such as eating only certain foods, and praying.