The term “Diaspora” refers to the dispersion or scattering of people from their original homeland. In the context of the Bible, it specifically refers to the exile and dispersion of the Jewish people from the land of Israel. There are several references to the Diaspora throughout the Old and New Testaments.
The most well-known Diaspora described in the Bible is the exile of the Jews to Babylon in 586 BC. This occurred when the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar conquered the kingdom of Judah and destroyed the city of Jerusalem and the Jewish temple (2 Kings 25). Nebuchadnezzar deported many of the Jews to Babylon, where they lived in exile for around 70 years before being allowed to return to Judah (Ezra 1:1-4). This period of exile had a profound impact on the Jewish people and their faith, as seen in many of the Psalms which express lament over being displaced from the Promised Land.
Prior to the Babylonian exile, the Assyrian empire conquered the northern kingdom of Israel in 722 BC, scattering those tribes throughout their empire in what is sometimes referred to as the Assyrian captivity (2 Kings 17:6). This marked the end of the northern kingdom of Israel, leaving only the southern kingdom of Judah until the Babylonian conquest.
Even after the return from Babylon, many Jews remained scattered throughout the Persian empire and did not return to Judah. By the first century AD, it is estimated that the majority of Jews were already living outside of Israel, dispersed throughout the Roman empire and beyond. The Jewish population center had shifted from Jerusalem to other major cities around the Mediterranean like Alexandria, Ephesus, and Rome.
The New Testament refers to and addresses these dispersed Jewish communities living outside of Israel:
- On the day of Pentecost, Jews from all over the Roman world were present in Jerusalem and heard the disciples speaking in their own native languages (Acts 2:5-11). These Diaspora Jews brought the gospel back with them to their homelands when they left Jerusalem.
- The book of James is addressed to “the twelve tribes in the Dispersion” (James 1:1). Peter also addresses Christians living “in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia” (1 Peter 1:1).
- Paul himself was a Diaspora Jew from Tarsus (Acts 9:11) and his missionary journeys focused on bringing the gospel to Jews living outside of Israel.
The destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans in AD 70 and the Bar Kokhba revolt in AD 132-135 further dispersed the Jewish population and contributed to the Diaspora.
By the end of the first century, the majority of early Christians were also from non-Jewish backgrounds. Thus, the Diaspora contributed to the spread of Christianity by scattering Jews and Jewish Christians throughout the Roman world.
In summary, the biblical term “Diaspora” refers primarily to the exile and dispersion of the Jewish people from ancient Israel leading up to and during the time of Jesus. Some key points about the Diaspora in the Bible:
- It began with the Assyrian and Babylonian captivities which exiled the Israelites and Judahites from the Promised Land.
- After the return from Babylon, many Jews remained scattered throughout the Persian and later Roman empires.
- By the 1st century AD, the majority of Jews already lived outside ancient Israel.
- The New Testament addresses Jewish Christians living in the Diaspora.
- The Diaspora accelerated the spread of early Christianity.
- Later destruction of Jerusalem and exile further dispersed the Jewish population.
So in summary, the biblical concept of the Diaspora refers to the forced exile and subsequent voluntary dispersion of Jewish people beyond the land of Israel. This proved to be a major formative event in Jewish history that also facilitated the rapid spread of the gospel throughout the Roman world.
The Diaspora continued over the centuries as Jews migrated or were driven out of regions due to antisemitism. By the 19th and 20th centuries, Jewish communities were spread across Europe, the Middle East, and eventually North and South America as well. So the term Diaspora broadly applies to the global phenomenon of Jews living outside of the homeland. But the original context and theological significance is rooted in the biblical period exiles from ancient Israel.
Beyond just referring to a historical event, the biblical concept of Diaspora also took on theological significance. The exile was understood to be a form of God’s judgment on Israel’s disobedience. But it also birthed a longing among the Jewish people for the restoration of Israel. The Diaspora created a sense of communal grief and longing for homecoming to the Promised Land.
This sense of exile and desire to return is reflected in several Psalms:
- “By the waters of Babylon, there we sat down and wept, when we remembered Zion” (Psalm 137:1).
- “Restore our fortunes, O LORD, like streams in the Negeb!” (Psalm 126:4).
- “Blessed shall he be who takes your little ones and dashes them against the rock!” (Psalm 137:9). This is a gruesome cry of anguish over the pain of exile.
The books of Ezra and Nehemiah further reflect this hope of return from exile. The prophets also promised that God would one day regather and restore his scattered people:
- “Fear not, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east, and from the west I will gather you. I will say to the north, Give up, and to the south, Do not withhold; bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the end of the earth” (Isaiah 43:5-6).
- “For I will take you from the nations and gather you from all the countries and bring you into your own land” (Ezekiel 36:24).
So in biblical theology, the Diaspora exiled the people from the land of promise but also kindled the hope that God would bring them back and restore the nation. This longing for restoration finds its ultimate fulfillment in Jesus Christ and the inclusion of people from all nations into the people of God.
The New Testament applies language and concepts from the Diaspora when explaining the work of Christ. Jesus refers to the diaspora of Israel in a passage about the end times:
- “And they will fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive among all nations, and Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled” (Luke 21:24).
And James sees the inclusion of the Gentiles as the fulfillment of restoration promises, with Jesus as the rebuilt Temple:
- “After this I will return, and I will rebuild the tent of David that has fallen; I will rebuild its ruins, and I will restore it, that the remnant of mankind may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who are called by my name” (Acts 15:16-17).
So the concept of Diaspora runs throughout the biblical narrative, beginning with the exile of Israel and culminating with the Gentile mission that spreads the gospel back to scattered Jews and out to the nations. The exile brought grief but also kindled messianic hope. And in Christ, the Bible declares that exile has given way to homecoming and the fragmented people are made one again under Jesus, the great Shepherd who gathers the flock.