ESDRAS, First Book of. This is the first of the apocrj'phal books in the English translations of the Bible (viz., Coverdale, Mattliews, Taverner, the Ge- neva Bible, Cranmer's Bil)le, the Bishops' Bible, the A. v.), which follow Luther and the translators of the Zurich version, who were the first that separated the apocryphal from the canonical books. It must, how- ever, be observed that Luther himself never translated the apocryphal portions of Ezra, because he regarded them as unworthy of a place among the apocryplia (see below, sec. 5).
I. Title and Position. — This book has different titles. In some editions of the Sept. it is called o 'lipivQ, the Priest (Cod. Alex.), which is equivalent to Ezra, who, bj' waj' of eminence, was styled " the priest" or " the scribe,'" in others it is designated "EtrJoac, £'2'"n, while in the Vatican and many rnodern editions of the Sept., as well as in the old Latin and the S\'riac, it is called '^tkejirst book of Ezra," and accordingly is placed be- fore the canonical Ezra, whicli is called "<Ae second book of Ezra," because the history it gives is in part anterior to that given in the canonical Ezra. In the Vulg., again, where Ezra and Nehemiah are respective- \y styled the first and second book of Ezra, this apocry- phal book, which comes immediately after them, is called " the third book of Ezra." Others, again, call it " the second book of Ezra" (Isidore, Origg. vi, 2), be- cause Ezra and Nehemiah, which it follows, were to- gether styled '■'■the first book of Ezra," according to a very ancient practice among the Jews, who, b}' putting the two canonical books together, obtained the same number of books in the Scriptures as the letters in the Hebrew alphabet; and others call it Pseudo-Ezra, in contradistinction to the canonical Ezra. The name first Esdras given to it in the A. V. is taken from the Geneva Bible; the older English translations (viz. Coverdale's Bible, Matthew's Bilile, the Bishops' Bi- ble), as well as the sixth article of tlie Church of Eng- land (1571), following Luther and the Zurich Bible, call it the third Esdra, according to tlie Vulg. Since the Council of Trent (154G), tliis book lias been removed from its old position to the end of tlie volume in the Sixtine and Clementine editions of the Vulg. In the list of revisers or translators of the Bishops'' Bible, sent by Archbishop Parker to Sir William Cecil, with the portion revised by each, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, and the apocr3'phal books of Esdras seem to be all com- prised under tlie one title of Esdras. Barlow, bishop of Chichester, was the translator, as also of the books of Judith, Tobias, and Sapientia {Corresp. of Archbp. Parker, Park. Soc. p. 335).
II. Design and Contents. — The object of this book, as far as its original portion is concerned (iii, 1-v, 0), is to excite the heathen rulers of Juduja to liberality and kindness towards the Jews, by depicting the good ex- ample of Darius, from whom Zerubbabel ol)tained per- mission, by the aid of wisdom, to return witli his breth- ren to Palestine, and to rebuild the city and tlie Tem- ple. This design is worked out in the following at- tractive story. Darius, having given a sumptuous feast to alibis subjects in the second year of his reign,
retired to rest (iii, 1-3) ; when asleep, his three body, guards, Zerubbabel being one of tliem, proposed each to write a maxim stating what he thought M'as the most powerful thing, in the hope that the Iving would reward the wisest writer (ver.4-9). Accordingly, they all wrote: one said "Wine is the most powerful;" the other, "A king is the most powerful;" while Zerub- babel wrote, "Women are verj' powerful, but truth conquers all." The slips containing these maxims were put underthe king's pillow, and were given to him when he awoke (ver. 10-12). When he had read them he immediately sent for all his magnates, and, having read these maxims before them (ver. 13-15), called upon the three youths to explain their sayings (ver. 16, 17). The first spoke elaborately about the great power which wine manifests in different waj's (ver. 18-24) ; the sec- ond descanted upon the unlimited power of royaltv, illustrating it by various examples (iv, 1-12) ; while Zerubbabel discoursed upon the mighty influence of women, frequently contravening the power of wine and monarchs, and then burst forth in praise of truth so eloquently, that all present exclaimed, " Great is truth, and mightiest above all things" (ver. 13-41). Darius then offered to Zerubbabel anything he should ask (ver. 42), whereupon he reminded the king of his vow to rebuild Jerusalem and return the sacred vessels when he ascended the throne (ver. 43^7). The king stood up, kissed Zerubbabel, wrote to all officials to convey him and all his brethren to Palestine, and to supply all the necessaiy materials for the rebuilding of the Temple (ver. 48-G3).
This is preceded and followed by descriptions of events Avhich present the whole as one continuous nar- rative, relating in historical order the restoration of the Temple-service first under Josiah, then under Zerubba- bel, and finally under Ezra, and which are compiled from the records contained in the books of Chronicles, Ezra, and Nehemiah, as follows :