User:EliFJ/sandbox

In 410 BCE a revolt erupted at Elephantine, where an established Jewish community lived along with the native Egyptians, and where the two communities had their local temple, that of Yahu and Khnum respectively. Jews were well tolerated by Arsames and by the Persian occupants in general. However, conflict erupted with the priests of Khnum and the temple of Yahu was destroyed. According to an appeal from the Jewish leaders, the priests of Khnum corrupted a local military commander, Vidaranag while Arsames was absent and destroyed the Temple of Yahu. The interpretation of these events has disputed. It has been argued that the Jewish practice of sacrificing goats to their god was perceived as an insult by the clergy of the neighbouring temple of the Egyptian ram-headed deity Khnum. Arsames did not allow animal sacrifice in his letter granting support for the rebuilding of the Temple. Due to the limited and biased nature of the evidence, this series of events have also been seen as rather a legal dispute following removal of a section of the Temple of Yahu which had expanded into the land of the temple of Khnum. Although Arsames granted support for rebuilding, the multiple pleas by the Elephantine Jews for the reconstruction of their temple seem to have remained unheard for some years by the notables in Judah and Jerusalem to whom they had written.