Imprisonment of Jewish Leaders

Several Jewish men and women (and perhaps non-Jews as well) were arrested and imprisoned in Elephantine and Thebes, having apparently broken into some houses and taken property from them. They returned the goods, but it is not clear whether they were then released from prison. What led to this event is unknown, but perhaps it was related to the ongoing conflict with the priests of Khnum (see “Request about the Rebuilding of the Elephantine Temple”). This letter dates to the last decade of the fifth century BCE.