Orients_ (2nd ed., Leipzig, 1906-1907); and _Babylonisches im Neuen
Testament_ (Leipzig, 1905). On the religious literature of Babylonia and
Assyria, see also chapters xv. to xxiv. in Jastrow's work (German and
English edition), Carl Bezold's _Ninive and Babylon_ (Bielefeld, 1905),
chapters vi. to xii., and the same author's monumental catalogue of the
cuneiform tablets in the Kuyunjik collection of the British Museum (5
vols., London, 1889-1899).

(M. JA.)

BABYLONIAN CAPTIVITY, the name generally given to the deportation of the
Jews to Babylon by Nebuchadrezzar. Three separate occasions are mentioned
(Jer. lii. 28-30). The first was in the time of Jehoiachin in 597 B.C.,
when the temple of Jerusalem was partially despoiled and a number of the
leading citizens removed. After eleven years (in the reign of Zedekiah) a
fresh rising of the Judaeans occurred; the city was razed to the ground,
and a further deportation ensued. Finally, five years later, Jeremiah
(_loc. cit._) records a third captivity. After the overthrow of Babylonia
by the Persians, Cyrus gave the Jews permission to return to their native
land (537 B.C.), and more then forty thousand are said to have availed
themselves of the privilege. (See JEHOIAKIM; JEHOIACHIN; ZEDEKIAH;
EZRA-NEHEMIAH and JEWS: _History_.)

BABYLONIAN LAW. The material for the study of Babylonian law is singularly
extensive without being exhaustive. The so-called "contracts," including a
great variety of deeds, conveyances, bonds, receipts, accounts and, most
important of all, the actual legal decisions given by the judges in the law
courts, exist in thousands. Historical inscriptions, royal charters and
rescripts, despatches, private letters and the general literature afford
welcome supplementary information. Even grammatical and lexicographical
works, intended solely to facilitate the study of ancient literature,
contain many extracts or short sentences bearing on law and custom. The
so-called "Sumerian Family Laws" are thus preserved. The discovery of the
now celebrated Code of Khammurabi (Hammurabi)[1] (hereinafter simply termed
[v.03 p.0116] "the Code") has, however, made a more systematic study
possible than could have resulted from the classification and
interpretation of the other material. Some fragments of a later code exist
and have been published; but there still remain many points upon which we
have no evidence.

This material dates from the earliest times down to the co