From the return of the exiles, B. C. 536, to the final destruction of
the Jew'ish state by the Ro'mans, A. D. 70, the history of the chosen
people is closely interwoven with that of the East in general. During
most of this time Ju-de'a was a subject province, belonging to the great
empires which rose and fell in succession. For a brief but brilliant
period it was an independent state, with its own rulers. As most of this
period comes between the Old and New Testaments its events are less
familiar to Bible readers than the other portions of Is'ra-el-ite
history. We therefore give more space than usual to the facts, selecting
only the most important, and omitting all that have no direct relation
with the development of the divine plan in the Jewish people.