Post Babylon
The Book
According to the Ryrie Study Bible Introduction, this book and the books of Chronicles and Nehemiah formed one book. That would make sense for someone like me who came across the scrolls and felt like Nehemiah and Ezra completed the story that ends abruptly with the death of Judah. It gets even more intriguing, in the Vulgate (Latin Bible) Ezra and Nehemiah were named 1st and 2nd Esdras. And, in the apocryphal books, there is already a book title 1st Esdras. That book, the apocryphal 1st Esdras is also found in the Vulgate, but is titled 3rd Esdras. I don't know what any of that really means, but it is good to remember that we are to study of bibles, not just consume little pieces here and there. Men made choices along the way and it we are responsible to what the Holy Spirit tells us.
Ezra is not quoted in the New Testament.
Author
Ryrie also notes that Ezra does not identify himself as the author, but he is the principle character. They feel it was, likely him because of personal references.
Ezra means Jehovah helps, according to MacArthur Bible Commentary.
Ezra was a scribe-priest. A descendant of Aaron. This gave him access to priest documents and Royal Persian administrative documents, making it perfectly reasonable he would be able to chronicle the events.
MacArthur claims Ezra was the author of both Ezra and Nehemiah, which makes sens of some of the book information above. He might also have been the author of Chronicles, which also makes sense. Someone after the captivity, piecing together the whole story during the restoration.
MacArthur believes Ezra completed the first formally recognized canon of the OT. He also founded the Great Synagogue in Jerusalem. He led the second return from Persian and then spent the next few decades writing and collecting the books we all cherish and learn from every day.
Wow. He was kind of a bog deal. I'm surprised I don't know more about him. He was the people's historian. Capturing the past, captruing his present and that of Nehemiah, and then putting all of the books together. An unheralded hero.
The Times
It sounds like most Bible historians place this book around 456–444 BC. Some try to date it later, but it sounds like the language matches fifth century "Aramaic papyri" from Jewish communities in the region.
He lived during the same time period as Nehemiah.
After the end of Babylon, there were three returns to Jerusalem over a nine decade span.
- First led by Zerubbable in 538. (This is the period of the prophets Haggai and Zechariah) (Building the Temple)
- Zerubbable was directly from the line of David.
- Queen Esther's story probably falls between these two times.
- Ezra led the next group in 458. (Restoring the priestly Law to the people)
- Ezra was from the direct line of Aaron.
- Nehemiah led the third group in 445.
MacArthur adds this though: Complete uncontested political autonomy never returned.
Worldwide contemporaries of Ezra include Gautama Buddha in India, Confucius in China, and Socrates in Greece. Very interesting. A golden age of civilizations. God was on the move.
The Contents
We've now officially completed the end of Israel and Judah and the captivity. The 70 years, predicted by Jeremiah, are over. Now God promises to restore Israel to the promised land.
Three Persian kings contributed as God's instruments: Darius, Cyrus, and Artaxerxes. Cyrus signed a decree in 538 BC sending captives back to their homelands. Jewish leaders involved include Zerubbabel, Joshua, Haggai, Zechariah, and Ezra.
Only 50,000 Jews returned under Zerubbabel. They laid the foundation of the restored Temple, though not completed until 515 BC.
What to look for
- I'll be on the lookout for the parallel patterns between the Exodus from Egyptian bondage and Babylonian bondage.
- release
- building the Temple
- Moses = Zerubbable, Ezra, and Nehemiah combined
- local enemies
- the temptations of intermarrying and idolatry
- It looks different, though, because only a remnant choose to leave.
- This could look like a fresh start.