[Inyokern]

Since only ~50,000 Judeans returned from Babylon, that leaves another half million unaccounted for. Technically they are not Jews since only those who returned from Babylon were accorded that name, but they certainly were Judeans, and essentially the same people.

This is absolute nonsense. There is no difference in the Hebrew language between the words "Jew," "Judean" and "Tribe of Judah." They are the same thing.

The large number of Jews who remained in Babylonia, rather than return to Israel in the time of Ezra, are not unaccounted for, as you claim, but are well accounted for and were always fully accepted as Jews, as were the equally large number who had fled to Egypt and chose to remain.

[LostTribe]

>This is absolute nonsense. There is no difference in the Hebrew language between the words "Jew," "Judean" and "Tribe of
Judah." They are the same thing.

I'm sorry, but they are not at all the same thing.  Look at them on a historic time line.  The Tribe of Judah, named of course after Judah, goes way back to the time Judah was living.  There was no land of Judea at that time, and no Jews.  Judah himself was not a "Jew".  There would be no Jews for another ~1,500 years.  (See my Profile below for details of time and populations.)

>The large number of Jews who remained in Babylonia, rather than return to Israel in the time of Ezra, are not unaccounted for,
as you claim,

True.

>but are well accounted for

Howz that again?  Either they are or they are not.

>and were always fully accepted as Jews,

by whom?  Certainly not by history.