Out of Exile, not out of Babylon

Exile and the disruptioon of the exilic period are prominent
features in scholarly reconstructions of what influenced the shaping of
biblical books and the development of theological thinking. The
Babylonian golah community, as an exilic community, is credited by a
growing number of scholars with influencing large parts of the Hebrew
Bible. This study addresses the question whether the redactions show
signs of an exilic mindset (first generation exiles) or are better
understood as a reflection of a diaspora mindset (second/third and
subsequent generations). This study also reviews all known
archaeological diaspora findings from Mesopotamia in the pre-Hellenistic
period (aided by insights from Elephantine) in order to build an as
comprehensive as possible picture of Jewish diaspora life in
Mesopotamia.