Reading for November 15th

EZRA'S iNQUIIRY In Ch. 7-10: With little in the way of transition, a first-person narrative recounts the conditions under which Ezra was authoritzed to undertake a trip to Jeusalem, and his initial concerns once there. The use of a first-person narrative may be the result of the author's use of an authentic source (an "Ezra memior") or may be a lterary device intended to give immedicy and emotional power to the narrative. Rea Ezra 7.1-10. In 7.1-10: Introduction to the mission of Ezra. The purpose of this third person narration is to give the reader a sense of who Ezra was and what was significant about his role in relation to the community. In verse 5: Son of Eleazar, son of the chief priest Aaron: Ezra is given a distinguished lineage, concluding with the most important of the primary line of priests in ancient Israel. In verse 6: A scribe skilled in the law: The ability to read and write led people to expect scribes could also explain legal issues. Law of Moses: apparently the Pentatuech in some form. The king granted him all that he asked for the hand of the Lord his God was upon him: There is no explanation of how a person who was a specialist in a religious tradition whose followers were a small minority whithin the empire could get repeated access to the king. Hand of the Lord ... was upon him: A common expression of the presence of God in some sense guiding a person's career. In verse 7: Some of the people of israel: Presumably only a small portion of the Jewish community in Babylonia chose to return to Jerusalem. Life in Exile was more likely not too difficult, and the prospect of returning to a land devasted by warfare and economic ruin not very attractive. The seventh year of King Artaxerxes would be 458BCE if this was Artaxerxes I of Persia. Since Ezra's opposition to intermarriage receives no mention in the account of Nehemiah, and Nehemiah addresses the same issues as if they had never been raised before, some have argued Ezra really came under Artaxerxes II (the seventh year being 398 BCE). The confusion over Ezra's chronological relation to Nehemiah comes about from trying to read Ezra-Nehemiah as straight history rather than as an apologetic. The author intends the reader to believe that Ezra came first. In verse 10: Ezra had set his heart to study the law of the Lord, and to do it: Not only was Ezra a student of the law, but he sought to observe its requirements in his everytday life. Out of his study and experience, Ezra would teach the people. Comments or Questions..