Babylonian captivity

American  

noun

1. the period of the exile of the Jews in Babylonia, 597–538 b.c.

2. the exile of the popes at Avignon, 1309–77.

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Babylonian captivity British  

noun

1. the exile of the Jews in Babylonia from about 586 to about 538 _bc

2. the exile of the seven popes in Avignon (1309–77)

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Example Sentences

Nebuchadnezzar, I remembered, had destroyed the first temple in Jerusalem, forcing the Jews into the Babylonian captivity.

From The Guardian • Mar. 23, 2017

It lives in Babylonian captivity for a while but then it grows back.

From Salon • Feb. 14, 2016

History further demonstrates that after the Babylonian captivity, Judaism was never without a Diaspora, never without Jews—some of them important thinkers—in parts of the world other than Israel.

From Time Magazine Archive

Corner, a self-righteous scold who must have seen proof sheets from the Book of Jeremiah, prophesied the fall of the city, the Babylonian captivity, and destruction of the conquerors.

From Time Magazine Archive

It was generally adopted by the Jews from the time of the Babylonian captivity.

From The Destiny of the Soul A Critical History of the Doctrine of a Future Life by Alger, William Rounseville