He plays a major role in the second half of the book, as well as in the book of Nehemiah, its sequel. In the Hebrew Bible, the two books were considered one work, though some internal evidence suggests they were written separately and joined together in the Hebrew canon and separated again in English translations.
Ezra was a direct descendant of Aaron the chief priest —5 , thus he was a priest and scribe in his own right.
The book of Ezra records two separate time periods directly following the seventy years of Babylonian captivity. Ezra 1—6 covers the first return of Jews from captivity, led by Zerubbabel—a period of twenty-three years beginning with the edict of Cyrus of Persia and ending at the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem — BC.
Ezra 7—10 picks up the story more than sixty years later, when Ezra led the second group of exiles to Israel BC. The book could not have been completed earlier than about BC the date of the events recorded in — The events in Ezra are set in Jerusalem and the surrounding area. The returning exiles were able to populate only a tiny portion of their former homeland. The book of Ezra provides a much-needed link in the historical record of the Israelite people. When their king was dethroned and captured and the people exiled to Babylon, Judah as an independent nation ceased to exist.
In the book of Ezra we witness the rebuilding of the new temple, the unification of the returning tribes as they shared common struggles and were challenged to work together.
But the problem that perplexed Ezra most was that many of the Judean settlers had taken heathen wives from among the neighboring peoples. Mixed marriages had become so prevalent as to threaten the very survival of the Jewish community. Ezra induced his people to divorce their pagan wives and to separate from the community those who refused to do so. Ezra's action was an extreme measure, but he felt that the critical situation warranted it. It aroused the ire of the Samaritans and other peoples, who resented the affront to their women.
In retaliation the Samaritans denounced Ezra to the Persian king for attempting to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, which he evidently was not authorized to do. The King stopped the work, and the rebuilt part was razed. Ezra convened an assembly of the people in Jerusalem ca.
Standing on a wooden pulpit, he read aloud a portion of the Law of Moses, which the Levites expounded. At that time, too, Ezra reinstituted the celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles. It is probable that he died shortly after this episode. On the other hand, if you are tempted to see yourself or your organization as a paragon of Christian virtue, beware!
God may be accomplishing more through those with less visible connection to him than you realize. God is using all things to work towards his kingdom, not necessarily towards our personal success.
When they arrived in Jerusalem, their first job was to build the altar and offer sacrifices on it Ezra This epitomizes the chief sort of work chronicled in Ezra and Nehemiah. It is closely associated with the sacrificial practices of Old Testament Judaism, which took place in the temple. Worship and work stride hand and hand through the pages of Ezra and Nehemiah. Thus, in a sense, the rebuilding of the temple was the work of all the people as they contributed in one way or another.
Ezra identifies political leaders in addition to Cyrus because of their impact, positive or negative, on the construction effort. For example, Zerubbabel is mentioned as a leader of the people. He was the governor of the territory who oversaw the rebuilding of the temple Haggai Other kings and officials show up according to their relevance to the rebuilding project.
The temple is what the project was about, but it would be a mistake to think that God blesses craftsmanship and material work only when it is devoted to a religious purpose. We will discuss this point further when we come to Nehemiah, who actually undertook the work beyond the temple.
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