EZRA, Book of. This is manifestly a continua- tion of the books of Chronicles, as, indeed, it is called by Hilary, bishop of Poitiers, Sermones dierum Esdrce (ap. Cosin's Canon of Script, p. 51), and as was early conceded (Huetius, Dem. Evang. iv, 14, p. 341). See Chronicles (Books of).
I. Contents.— Tho, book of Ezra contains aTTOjuv >j^o- vtvfiara, memoralilia, or records of events occurring about the termination of the Babylonian exile. It contains accounts of the favors bestowed upon the Jews by the Persian kings ; of the rebuilding of the Temple ; of the mission of Ezra to Jerusalem, and his regulations and reforms. Such records forming the subject of the book of Ezra, we must not tie surprised that its parts are not so intimately connected with each other as we might have expected if the author had set forth his intention to furnish a complete his- tory of his times (see Pemble, Persian Monarchy, in his Worlis, Lond. 1635, p. 345). The events narrated in the book of Ezra are spread .over the reigns of
Years. Months.
Cyrus 7 0
Canib3ses 1 5
M.igiis, or P.seudo-Smerdis 0 7
Darius Hystaspis 30 0
Xerxes Vi 5
Artabanus 0 T
Art;ixer.\e3 (in the eighth year of wliose) o r.
reiga the records of Ezra uease) j
Total TO 0
The arrangement of tlie facts in the book of Ezra is chronological. The book may be divided into two portions. ^\\q first consists of chapters i-vi, and con- tains the history of the returning exiles and of their rebuilding of the Temple, arid comprises the period from the first year of Cyrus, B.C. 536, to the sixth year of Darius Hystaspis, B.C. 515. The second por- tion contains the personal history of the migration of Ezra to Palestine, in the seventh year of Artaserxes. This latter portion, embracing chapters vii-x, is an autobiographj' of Ezra during about twelve or thirteen months, in the seventh and eighth years of the reign of Artaxerxes Longimanus.
II. Plan. — The course of events recorded in these ten chapters appears to be as follows : First, the decree of king Cyrus, putting an end to the Baliylonish cap- tivity, and instructing the returning Israelites to re- build the Temple and restore the worship of Jehovah (ch. i). Second, the consequent proceedings of the people (ch. ii, iii). Third, the liinderances to which they were exposed by the jealousy of the Persian gov- ernment, stimulated as this was by the hatred of the neighbors of the Jews, until Darius discovered the original decree of Cyrus, and confirmed and extended it, so that the Temple was fully rebuilt, and the wor- ship restored according to the law (ch. iv, v, vi). Fourth, the mission of Ezra, who was botli a priest and a scril)e, and was empowered by king Artaxerxes not only to maintain the prescribed worship, but, greatlj' more than that, to restore the entire theocratic admio'
EZRA
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istration, only reserving the temporal supremacy of the rersiau monarchy (ch. vii, viii). Lastly, the re- construction of this theocratic state, which Ezra effect- ed so completely that he carried the people with him in remodellinj^ the family relations by the law against intermarriage with certain races (ch. ix, x).
III. Unily. — This is a complete narrative in itself; and there is no room for tiie hj'pothesis that Clironi- cles, Ezr:i, and Nehemiah, taken together, form one great historical work. The arguments for this hy- jmthesis arc of no weight in themselves for establish- ing the conclusion ; but in so for as they are state- ments of fact, they are willingly put forward by us as circumstances worthy of consideration in themselves, and apart from the illogical purpose to which they have been applied. 1. The three books have a large number of words and phrases in common, wliich are not met with at all, or at least not frequently, in other parts of Scripture. Tliis agrees well with their com- position at a new epoch in the history of the Hebrew nation and its literature, hy men who had been brought up in the land of Assyria or Babylon, perhaps brought up together at tlie same Persian court, Ezra and Ne- hemiah being also most intimate friends and fellow- workers. The opinion is also probable that the Chron- icles were compiled by Ezra, as well as the book to which his own name has been given. 2. There is a predilection for genealogical details running through all these books. This seems to have been character- istic of the age ; and it was probably necessarj', con- sidering the efforts to restore the old arrangements as to the holding of property, the administration of gov- ernment, and the preservation of ancient national feel- ing, all of which objects were likeh' to force genealog- ical questions upon the notice of men. 3. There is a similar prominence given to details about the priests and Levites. This is unavoidable in anj- treatment of the people of Israel, unless their character as the Church of God is to be overlooked. Especially, in whatever proportion there were difficulties felt as to the revival of the more political aspects of the theoc- racy, in that same proportion must the greater atten- tion have been given to its ecclesiastical arrange- ments.
IV. Atilhorship. — A late ingenious writer (Rev. and Lord Hervej', in Smith's Did. of the Bible, s. v.) thus pronounces on tliis question : " Like the two books of Chronicles, it consists of the contemporarj' historical journals kept from time to time by the prophets, or other autliorized persons, who were eye-witnesses for the most part of what they record, and whose several narratives were afterwards strung together, and either abridged or added to, as the case required, In' a later hand. That later hand, in the book of Ezra, was doubt- less Ezra's own, as appears by the last four chapters, as well as by other matter inserted in the previous chapters. While, therefore, in a certain sense, the whole book is Ezra's, as put together by him, yet strictly only the last four chapters are his original work. Nor will it be difficult to point out with toler- alde certainty several of the writers of whose writings the first six cliapters arc composed." Accordingly, that writer, in imitation of many Rationalists, proceeds to dissect the book for tliis purpose. 1. Cliap. i he as- signs as being imdoubtedly by Daniel, on accomit of the otherwise unaccountabie silence of tliat prophet re- specting the decree of Cyrus, and the phraseology of Ezra in referring to that event. 2. Chap, ii is assign- ed to Nehemiah, as being identical with Neh. vii. P.. Cliap. iii, 2-vi (except iv, (:-23), he thinks belongs to Haggai, on account of certain coincidences of expres- sion in that propliet. 4. Cliap. iv, G-23, he regards as a parenthetic addition made in the reign of Artaxerxes Longimanus. 5. Chaps, vii-ix are unquestionably Ezra's own production. A stjll later critic (Dr. Da- vidsou, in tlie new edit, of Kit'to's Cydopceclia of Bihl. Lit. s. V.) is even bolder in distributing various por- \