In 539 BC the Persians conquered Babylon and in 537 BC

In 539 BC the Persians conquered Babylon and in 537 BC Cyrus the Great allowed Jews to return to Judea and rebuild the Temple. He did not, however, allow the restoration of the Judean monarchy, which left the Judean priests as the dominant authority. Without the constraining power of the monarchy, the authority of the Temple in civic life was amplified. It was around this time the Sadducee party emerged as the party of priests and allied elites. However, the Second Temple (completed 515 BC) had been constructed under the auspices of a foreign power, and there were lingering questions about its legitimacy. This provided the condition for the development of various sects or "schools of thought," each of which claimed exclusive authority to represent "Judaism," and which typically shunned social intercourse, especially marriage, with members of other sects. In the same period, the council of sages known as the Sanhedrin codified and canonized the Hebrew Bible (Tanakh), which, following the return from Babylon was read publicly on market-days.

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