Book of Ezra

  • Book of Psalms
  • Job
  • Book of Proverbs
  • Joshua
  • Judge
  • Rut
  • 1 Samuel (1 Kings )
  • 2 Samuel (2 Kings )
  • 1 Kings ( 3 Kings)
  • 2 Kings ( 4 Kings)
  • 1 Chronicles
  • 2 Chronicles
  • Ezra
  • Nehemiah ( 2 Esdras )
  • Tobit ( Tobias )
  • Judit
  • Ester additives
  • 1 Maccabees
  • 2 Maccabees

Name after the ÖVBE. Bracketed names are followed by the Septuagint. Kursiviert: Deuterocanonical books, in Protestant Bibles Apocrypha

Ezra is part of the Jewish Tanakh or Christian Old Testament of the Bible. Since the Middle Ages, it is divided into ten chapters. It forms one unit together with the book of Nehemiah. In addition, be attributed exist in the canon of the Septuagint and the Vulgate other books that Ezra. As specified in the modern parlance with Ezra book knows the Septuagint as Esdras β, the Vulgate as I Ezrae.

Content

The book can be roughly divided into two parts:

  • Chapter 1-6 Zerubbabel - story: rebuilding of the Temple under Zerubbabel and Jeshua
  • Chapter 7-10 Ezra narrative: train to Jerusalem and constitution of the Jewish community

The individual parts will cover areas:

  • Ezra 1 permission to return of the Jews from Babylonian exile by Cyrus II and the return of the temple vessels
  • Ezra 2 List of returned from exile ( cf. Neh 7)
  • Ezra 3:1-7 erection of an altar and setting up the burnt offering, the celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles
  • Ezra 3:8-13 start of construction of the temple
  • Ezra 4 Faults build the temple
  • Ezra 5 new beginning construction of the temple
  • Ezra 6:1-18 edict of Cyrus and completion of the construction of the temple under Darius I.
  • Ezra 6.19 to 22 celebration of Passover
  • Ezra 7 Ezra commissioned by Artaxerxes
  • Ezra 8.1 to 14 directory of returnees with Ezra
  • Ezra 8.15 to 36 train Ezra to Jerusalem
  • Ezra 9 Ezra's prayer of repentance
  • Ezra 10 Resolution of mixed marriages

Language

The main text of the book is written in Hebrew. 4.8 to 6.18 and from 7.12 to 26 Ezra, however, are written in Aramaic. The Aramaic of Ezra - book differs from the book of Daniel. That is, for example, the form of the personal of the second person singular masculine in Ezra אנת, while in Daniel the consonantal text has the form אנתה.

Ezra - Nehemiah

In the early Greek and Jewish tradition, the books of Ezra and Nehemiah were seen as a unit, as can be seen from information on the Canon and the manuscript tradition. So, for example, noted the massorah in Codex Leningradensis the book center on the number of verses in Nehemiah 3.32. Also lacks a colophon at the end of Ezra.

This relationship is also given factual. Both books cover the events from the beginning of the Persian period about the rebuilding of the temple, the construction of the city wall of Jerusalem and the establishment of the Judaic or Jewish religious community. In Neh 8 Ezra occurs again, Neh 8.9 and 12.26 call Ezra and Nehemiah side by side, so that the impression of simultaneous activity occurs. In addition there are literary macrostructures that suggest a well-planned structure of the Ezra - Nehemiah - book: How the penitential prayer of Ezra (Ezra 9) is associated with the penitential prayer of Nehemiah (Nehemiah 1) and the penitential prayer of the people (Nehemiah 9). Both the action of Ezra and Nehemiah is in close contact to the Persian Great King and is by royal decree legitimized (Ezra 1, 7, Neh 2).

The separation of a separate book of Nehemiah is motivated by the introduction Neh 1.1: " words of Nehemiah the son Chachaljas ..." and is first found in Origen.

Ezra - Nehemiah, and Chronicles

Ezra - Nehemiah also has strong factual and theological references to the Book of Chronicles. So Ezra 1:1-3 repeats verbatim the final 2 Chr 36,22 f Ezra - Nehemiah can thus be read as a continuation of 1/ 2 Chr. It is noteworthy that the words that content touch with the proclamation of Second Isaiah, be introduced as a prophecy of Jeremiah.

Together Ezra - Nehemiah and 1/ 2 Chr is still interest in genealogies, the cult and the cult personnel, celebrations and prayers. Similarities also arise on compositional changes in the level of narratives and lists. These observations led to the hypothesis of a Chronicler's historical work.

In recent times, this thesis is partly disputed. The chronological order 1/2 Chronicles - Ezra / Nehemiah is offered only in very few manuscripts. In addition, there are also a number material differences. The position of the Davidic royal family plays in Ezra - Nehemiah not matter, while it is significant for 1/2 Chr.

For the definition of the relationship of Ezra - Nehemiah and 1/ 2 Chr then occur in several ways:

  • The books form a common work of an author.
  • Ezra - Nehemiah are an older, compared to 1/2 Chr work by the same authors group.
  • Ezra - Nehemiah are younger compared to 1/2 Chr work by the same authors group ( Update).
  • Ezra - Nehemiah and 1/ 2 Chr are initially separate works, which are connected to each other late at editorial level.

Ezra in early Christianity

In the New Testament Ezra will not be quoted.

Five Megillot Book of Genesis Book of Exodus Book of Leviticus Book of Numbers Book of Deuteronomy Book of Joshua Book of Judges Book of Judith Babylonian captivity Leningrad Codex Leopold Zunz Greek Apocalypse of Ezra Bibleserver.com Integrated Authority File
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