The social history of the miserable in Yehud

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.7213/2175-1838.17.003.DS05

Keywords:

Período persa, Yehud, Miséria, Violência, História antiga

Abstract

the article presents the possibility of verifying the increase in misery in the province of Yehud during the Persian period. The Persian period was marked by increased misery and exploitation, as well as internal and external conflicts, which increased the misery of the vast majority of the province's inhabitants. Yehud was a small province, with a subsistence economy, mainly covering the mountains of Judah approximately fifteen miles north and south of Jerusalem. Objective: to describe, from the Persian period onwards, a social history of the miserable, of those voices that are not captured in history, voices that are often silenced, miserable people who have left no material evidence, but who help us to reflect on a sociology of absences. Method: to articulate approaches from literary analysis of biblical texts, historiography and archaeology in order to understand the social contexts that produce misery. Results: We hope to determine the potential for misery in Yehud, based on the peasants' experiences of greater suffering, such as sexual violence, the pledging of human beings, endemic hunger, etc. Conclusion: In the absence of material records about the miserable and their miseries in Yehud, we are left with the archaeology of the words of women, their daughters and sons, sold, raped and enslaved, which makes the cry of the miserable poor audible to this day, and it is possible to achieve a new understanding of society by looking at the schemes that structure the positions and relationships between groups or social contexts.

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Author Biography

Luiz Alexandre Solano Rossi, PUCPR

Mestre em Teologia pelo ISEDET. Doutor em Ciências da Religião pela UMESP e pós-doutor em História Antiga pela UNICAMP e em Teologia pelo Fuller Theological Seminary. Professor no mestrado e doutorado em Teologia da PUCPR e na UNINTER.

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Published

2025-12-09

How to Cite

Rossi, L. A. S. (2025). The social history of the miserable in Yehud. Pistis Praxis, 17(3), 447–459. https://doi.org/10.7213/2175-1838.17.003.DS05