DOCSLIB.ORG

INTRODUCTION Esdras at a Glance E First Book of Esdras, Also

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
INTRODUCTION Esdras at a Glance E First Book of Esdras, Also INTRODUCTION Esdras at a Glance e First Book of Esdras, also known as Esdras, Esdras A, or Greek Ezra, is a text of the Septuagint and Christian Apocrypha. Unfortunately, in several canonical lists and modern versions, various writings go under the name “Esdras.” Bruce M. Metzger (Charlesworth : .) pro- vides a helpful chart of the various works of the Ezraic corpus: Paraphrase of Chronicles chs –; the whole book Old Testament of Ezra; Nehemiah :– Version/ Old Testament book of :; plus a tale about e Ezra Document book of Ezra Nehemiah Darius’s bodyguards Apocalypse Greek Bible* IIEsdras IEsdras (Septuagint) Latin Vulgate IEsdras IIEsdras IIIEsdras IVEsdras Bible Many later Latin IEsdras IIIEsdras IIEsdras = Manuscripts chs –† IVEsdras = chs – VEsdras = chs – Douay English IEsdras IIEsdras IIIEsdras IVEsdras Version (–) Russian Bible, IEsdras Nehemiah IIEsdras IIIEsdras Moscow Patriarchate () Geneva Bible e Book of e Book of IEsdras IIEsdras ‡ () Ezra Nehemiah Bishops’ Bible () King James Version () Revised Standard Version () introduction * In this volume, I shall distinguish Esdras of the Septuagint (= Ezra/Nehemiah) and Esdras of the Latin Apocrypha (= – Ezra) by identifying them as Esdras (LXX) and Esdras (Apoc.) respectively. † Also stratiÞed as Ezra (chs –), Ezra (chs –), and Ezra (chs –) in some modern versions. ‡ Other writings attributed to or named aer Ezra include Greek Apocalypse of Ezra, e Visions of Ezra, Questions of Ezra, Apocalypse of Sedrach, and the Revelation of Ezra, which are available in the Old Testament Pseudepigrapha (see introduction in Wright ). Esdras is a Greek recension of the biblical history of the reforms under both Josiah and Ezra and spans a period between the seventh to Þh cen- tury bce. It contains material that overlaps considerably with accounts in the Hebrew Bible (MT). It also diverges from the MT of Ezra in sev- eral distinct ways. Esdras includes the story of Josiah from Chronicles – as a preface to the Ezra material. e book contains special mate- rial such as the story of Darius’s three bodyguards in :–: and a few other smaller sections unique to the document (e.g., :–; :c; :c; :a; :; :b). ere is a reorganization of the letters to and from King Artaxerxes. At the very end of the book it also adds elements drawn principally from Nehemiah –. Using the versiÞcation of Rahlfs- Hanhart and the nrsv, the relationship of Esdras to Chronicles, Ezra, and Nehemiah is as follows: Esdr :– = Chr :–: Esdr :– = Ezra :– Esdr :– = Ezra :– Esdr :–: no parallel in the canonical texts Esdr :– = Ezra :– Esdr :– = Ezra :–: Esdr :–: = Ezra :–: Esdr :–: = Ezra :–: and Neh :–: ere are some interesting features about Esdras that make it standout against its MT counterpart. e parallels with the accounts in the Hebrew Bible are not always exact. Some material appears in a dierent order (e.g., Esdr :– = Ezra :–). Consequently, Esdras includes some rather confusing chronology at certain junctures especially in the order of letters and periods of certain kings. ere is an abrupt beginning and staccato ending to the document. e story of Darius’s bodyguards is unique to Esdras and stands apart from the rest of the narrative. e Greek of Esdras is more elegant and reÞned compared to Esdras (LXX). All of which makes for a composition that in its extant form has its own unique features and special qualities. is leads, as we shall see, to some very interesting proposals and concerted debates about.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • The New Revised Standard Version Bible with Apocrypha: Genuine Leather Black Pdf, Epub, Ebook
    THE NEW REVISED STANDARD VERSION BIBLE WITH APOCRYPHA: GENUINE LEATHER BLACK PDF, EPUB, EBOOK NRSV Bible Translation Committee | 1616 pages | 17 Oct 2006 | Oxford University Press Inc | 9780195288315 | English | New York, United States The New Revised Standard Version Bible with Apocrypha: Genuine Leather Black PDF Book Enter email address. This ebook is a selective guide designed to help scholars and students of criminology find reliable sources of information by directing them to the best available scholarly materials in whatever form or format they appear from books, chapters, and journal A: This Bible is printed in Korea. Approximately 85 alterations to the RSV text were authorized in and introduced into the printings. In an effort to further ecumenical relations, the more extensive 50th Anniversary Edition also included some of the preferred Catholic readings in the text and footnotes of the New Testament section. Review this product Share your thoughts with other customers. Featuring an attractive and sturdy binding, this pew Bible will give years of dependable service. Christian Living. This fascinating exploration of Leonardo da Vinci's life and work identifies what it was that made him so unique, and explains the phenomenon of the world's most celebrated artistic genius who, years on, still grips and inspires us. Color maps and a presentation page. Verified Purchase. Sign in or create an account. Harold W Attridge. Members save with free shipping everyday! Q: Is this a full catholic bible with all 73 books and in the right order? New Revised Standard Version. Large print. Main category: Bible translations into English. Related Searches.
    [Show full text]
  • Ezra and Nehemiah
    Ezra and Nehemiah by Daniel J. Lewis ©Copyright 1998 by Diakonos Troy, Michigan USA 2 Ezra-Nehemiah...........................................................................................................3 One Book or Two ..................................................................................................3 Languages ..............................................................................................................4 The Ezra-Nehemiah Chronology...........................................................................5 Authorship .............................................................................................................6 The Exile and the Promise of Restoration.............................................................6 Purpose...................................................................................................................7 Structure.................................................................................................................7 The Book of Ezra...............................................................................................7 The Book of Nehemiah......................................................................................7 The Book of Ezra.......................................................................................................8 The Return of Exiles with Sheshbazzar and Zerubbabel (1-2).............................9 The Restoration of Worship and the Building of the Second Temple (3-6)...... 12 Building the Great Altar and
    [Show full text]
  • Book of Nehemiah - Thorough
    Book of Nehemiah - Thorough In the earliest form of the Hebrew canon known to us the books of Ezra and Nehemiah were united in one, under the name of "The Book of Ezra." After a while, a division was made, and the two books which we now recognize were distinguished as "the First Book of Ezra" and "the Second Book of Ezra" Later still - probably not until toward the close of the fourth century - the Second Book of Ezra came to be known as "the Book of Nehemiah." The Book of Nehemiah is composed of four quite distinct sections: (1) Neh. 1-7 containing the record of the 20th year of Artaxerxes (or 445-444 B.C.), but composed by Nehemiah at least twelve years later Neh 5:14. (2) the second section of the work consists of Neh. 8-10, and contains a narrative of some events belonging to the autumn of 444 B.C. In this portion Nehemiah is spoken of in the third person; פחה he is called the Tirshatha (Neh. 8:9)," whereas in the earlier chapters his title is always pechâh ("governor") (Neh. 5:14); and Ezra holds the first and most prominent position. The style of this portion of the book is markedly different from that of the earlier and later chapters; and critics are generally agreed that it is NOT from the hand of Nehemiah. Some assign it to Ezra; others conjecture Zadok (or Zidkijah), Nehemiah's scribe or secretary Neh 13:13, to have been the author. (3) Neh. 11-12:26, which consists of six important lists.
    [Show full text]
  • Syllabus, Deuterocanonical Books
    The Deuterocanonical Books (Tobit, Judith, 1 & 2 Maccabees, Wisdom, Sirach, Baruch, and additions to Daniel & Esther) Caravaggio. Saint Jerome Writing (oil on canvas), c. 1605-1606. Galleria Borghese, Rome. with Dr. Bill Creasy Copyright © 2021 by Logos Educational Corporation. All rights reserved. No part of this course—audio, video, photography, maps, timelines or other media—may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage or retrieval devices without permission in writing or a licensing agreement from the copyright holder. Scripture texts in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, D.C. and are used by permission of the copyright owner. All Rights Reserved. No part of the New American Bible may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the copyright owner. 2 The Deuterocanonical Books (Tobit, Judith, 1 & 2 Maccabees, Wisdom, Sirach, Baruch, and additions to Daniel & Esther) Traditional Authors: Various Traditional Dates Written: c. 250-100 B.C. Traditional Periods Covered: c. 250-100 B.C. Introduction The Deuterocanonical books are those books of Scripture written (for the most part) in Greek that are accepted by Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches as inspired, but they are not among the 39 books written in Hebrew accepted by Jews, nor are they accepted as Scripture by most Protestant denominations. The deuterocanonical books include: • Tobit • Judith • 1 Maccabees • 2 Maccabees • Wisdom (also called the Wisdom of Solomon) • Sirach (also called Ecclesiasticus) • Baruch, (including the Letter of Jeremiah) • Additions to Daniel o “Prayer of Azariah” and the “Song of the Three Holy Children” (Vulgate Daniel 3: 24- 90) o Suzanna (Daniel 13) o Bel and the Dragon (Daniel 14) • Additions to Esther Eastern Orthodox churches also include: 3 Maccabees, 4 Maccabees, 1 Esdras, Odes (which include the “Prayer of Manasseh”) and Psalm 151.
    [Show full text]
  • The Psalms As Hymns in the Temple of Jerusalem Gary A
    4 The Psalms as Hymns in the Temple of Jerusalem Gary A. Rendsburg From as far back as our sources allow, hymns were part of Near Eastern temple ritual, with their performers an essential component of the temple functionaries. 1 These sources include Sumerian, Akkadian, and Egyptian texts 2 from as early as the third millennium BCE. From the second millennium BCE, we gain further examples of hymns from the Hittite realm, even if most (if not all) of the poems are based on Mesopotamian precursors.3 Ugarit, our main source of information on ancient Canaan, has not yielded songs of this sort in 1. For the performers, see Richard Henshaw, Female and Male: The Cu/tic Personnel: The Bible and Rest ~(the Ancient Near East (Allison Park, PA: Pickwick, 1994) esp. ch. 2, "Singers, Musicians, and Dancers," 84-134. Note, however, that this volume does not treat the Egyptian cultic personnel. 2. As the reader can imagine, the literature is ~xtensive, and hence I offer here but a sampling of bibliographic items. For Sumerian hymns, which include compositions directed both to specific deities and to the temples themselves, see Thorkild Jacobsen, The Harps that Once ... : Sumerian Poetry in Translation (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1987), esp. 99-142, 375--444. Notwithstanding the much larger corpus of Akkadian literarure, hymn~ are less well represented; see the discussion in Alan Lenzi, ed., Reading Akkadian Prayers and Hymns: An Introduction, Ancient Near East Monographs (Atlanta: Society of Biblical Literature, 2011), 56-60, with the most important texts included in said volume. For Egyptian hymns, see Jan A%mann, Agyptische Hymnen und Gebete, Orbis Biblicus et Orientalis (Gottingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1999); Andre Barucq and Frarn;:ois Daumas, Hymnes et prieres de /'Egypte ancienne, Litteratures anciennes du Proche-Orient (Paris: Cerf, 1980); and John L.
    [Show full text]
  • A New English Translation of the Septuagint. 15 1 Esdras
    15-1Es-NETS-4.qxd 11/10/2009 10:26 PM Page 392 1 ESDRAS TO THE READER EDITION OF THE GREEK TEXT The NETS translation of 1 Esdras is based on the standard critical edition prepared by Robert Hanhart (Septuaginta: Vetus Testamentum Graecum Auctoritate Academiae Scientiarum Gottingensis editum VIII.1: Es- drae liber I [Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1974]). OVERVIEW OF THE BOOK This book is known as Esdras A / in the Greek tradition and 1 Esdras in English translations. 1 Esdras and 2 Esdras (Esdras B /) are one pair of double traditions found in Septuagint collections (see as well the double traditions of Daniel and Esther). They represent material from the Hebrew-Aramaic 2 Chronicles (2 Supplements), Ezra (2 Esdras 1–10), and Nehemiah (2 Esdras 11–23); in addition, in 1 Esdras there is a story of three youths who served as bodyguards for King Darius of Persia. The general relationship of content among the various versions is as follows: 1 Esdras Chr-Ezra-Neh (NRSV) (Suppl–2 Esd [NETS]) 1.1–55 2 Chr (2 Suppl) 35.1–36.21 2.1–5 Ezra 1.1–3 // 2 Chr (2 Suppl) 36.22–23 2.6–14 Ezra 1.4–11 2.15–25 4.6–24 3.1–5.6 – 5.7–45 2.1–70 // Neh 7.7–73 (2 Esd 17.7–73) 5.46–70 3.1–4.5 6.1–9.36 5.1–10.44 9.37–55 Neh 7.73–8.12 (2 Esd 17.73–18.12) The relationship of this Greek book to the Hebrew-Aramaic biblical tradition, from a source-critical point of view, is unclear.
    [Show full text]
  • 1 and 2 Chronicles, Ezra and Nehemiah
    Introduction to the Old Testament , RLST 145 – Lecture 22 ‐ The Restoration: 1 and 2 Chronicles, Ezra and Nehemiah This lecture continues the discussion of the psalms, and the genres and forms in which they appear, such as psalms of praise and thanksgiving, divine king‐ ship, lament and petition, blessing and cursing, or wisdom. Another poetic book of the Bible is the Song of Songs, an erotic work the sexually explicit con‐ tent of which has been piously reinterpreted over the centuries. The second half of the lecture turns to the period of the Restoration when the Judean exiles returned to what was now the province of Yehud under Cyrus, the Persian ruler. The books of 1 and 2 Chronicles refer to some of the events of this time as well as the books of Ezra and Nehemiah. Ezra and Nehemiah are said to renew the Mosaic covenant with the Torah at its center, and to institute a number of social and religious reforms (including a universal ban on intermarriage that will ultimately fail) in order to consolidate the struggling community. Professor Christine Hayes, Yale Online Course 2006 Prayer looking at a psalm last time which seems to explicitly reject the Deuterono‐ Lord Jesus Christ, you have given your Church the mission to proclaim the gos‐ mistic interpretation of the national history and the national tragedy, depicting pel to all nations. May our efforts to fulfill this mission be led by the Holy Spirit Israel as innocent, and rebuking God for his inaction. so that we might be a leaven of New Life, salt of the earth, a light for the world, worthy missionaries and faithful to you.
    [Show full text]
  • Interesting Facts About Ezra.Pmd
    InterestingInteresting FactsFacts AboutAbout EzraEzra MEANING: Ezra means “Yahweh helps.” n Ezra was a godly man characterized by: AUTHOR: Ezra. • A strong trust in God. TIME WRITTEN: Probably between 457 and 444 B.C. • Moral integrity. POSITION IN THE BIBLE: • 15th Book in the Bible • Grief over sin. • 15th Book in the Old Testament n Ezra was a contemporary of Nehemiah who arrived in • 10th of 12 books of History Jerusalem in 444 B.C. (Joshua - Esther) n During the period covered by the Book of Ezra: • 51 Books to follow it. • Gautama Budda (560-480 B.C.) lived in India. CHAPTERS: 10 • Confucius (551-479 B.C.) lived in China. VERSES: 280 • Socrates (470-399) lived in Greece. WORDS: 27,441 n During the month of October in the year 539 B.C., King OBSERVATIONS ABOUT EZRA: Cyrus of Persia overthrew Babylon, and in 538 B.C. I The Book of Ezra continues the Old Testament narrative issued a decree that allowed the exiled Jews to where 2 Chronicles ends. return to their homeland that had been conquered by I Ezra shows how God fulfills His promise to return His Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians. people to the land of promise some 70 years after the n Two centuries before the Temple was rebuilt, Isaiah had exile. recorded in Isaiah 44:28 - “Who says of Cyrus, 'He is I The return from Babylon to Judea has been called Israel’s My shepherd, and he shall perform all My pleasure, “Second Exodus.” saying to Jerusalem, "You shall be built," And to the I Only a remnant choose to return after the seventy year temple, "Your foundation shall be laid.” period of Babylonian captivity ended.
    [Show full text]
  • The Preservation of 4Ezra in the Vulgate: Thanks to Ambrose, Not Jerome
    THE PRESERVATION OF 4EZRA IN THE VULGATE: THANKS TO AMBROSE, NOT JEROME Karina Martin Hogan One of the most dramatic moments in the reception history of 4Ezra was the publication in 1875 by Robert Bensly of a “missing fragment” of the Latin version, comprising the verses now numbered 36 to 106 of chapter 7, that he had discovered in a ninth-century codex containing five books of Ezra in Latin, in the Bibliothèque Communale of Amiens.1 These verses, though not entirely unknown in the West, since they had been translated in the 18th century from the Arabic version, were thought to be completely miss- ing from the Vulgate version.2 The source of the lacuna had been identified a decade earlier by a Professor Gildermeister, who discovered that a page had been excised from the Codex Sangermanensis, a Vulgate manuscript from the Benedictine monastery of St. Germain des Prés that is dated to “the eighth year of Louis le Débonnaire,” i.e., 821/2ce. “The inevitable conclu- sion,” Gildermeister had written to Bensly, “is that all known MSS [of 4Ezra], since none have been found without this lacuna, were derived from the Codex Sangermanensis.”3 Since Bensly’s discovery of the Codex Ambianen- sis, several Vulgate manuscripts that include the so-called missing fragment of 4Ezra have come to light, mostly of Spanish provenance.4 Still, the fact that a single manuscript with a page excised could have had such an impact on the transmission of 4Ezra in the West implies that the Latin version of 4Ezra was not very widely distributed in Europe prior to the ninth century.
    [Show full text]
  • Ezra at a Glance
    Scholars Crossing The Owner's Manual File Theological Studies 11-2017 Article 15: Ezra at a Glance Harold Willmington Liberty University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/owners_manual Part of the Biblical Studies Commons, Christianity Commons, Practical Theology Commons, and the Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion Commons Recommended Citation Willmington, Harold, "Article 15: Ezra at a Glance" (2017). The Owner's Manual File. 31. https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/owners_manual/31 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Theological Studies at Scholars Crossing. It has been accepted for inclusion in The Owner's Manual File by an authorized administrator of Scholars Crossing. For more information, please contact [email protected]. EZRA AT A GLANCE This book records the return decree of the Persian Emperor Cyrus which resulted in two groups of Jewish pilgrims leaving Persia and returning to Jerusalem, the first being led by a political official named Zerubbabel, and the second (some 60 years later) by a priest and scribe named Ezra. Upon Zerubbabel’s return, the second temple was completed, and following Ezra’s arrival, a great revival occurs. BOTTOM LINE INTRODUCTION TO GOD BE THE GLORY! THE HOSTAGES ARE FREE! In Exodus God brought his people out of Egypt by a death angel (Exod. 12), but in Ezra he will bring them out of Babylon and Persia through a decree (Ezra 1). In Exodus God used Moses and Aaron to accomplish the deliverance. Here in Ezra he employed Zerubbabel and another Joshua to do the same thing.
    [Show full text]
  • Five Shadowy Time Gaps Related to Ezra-Nehemiah
    Scholars Crossing LBTS Faculty Publications and Presentations Fall 2003 Skullduggery in the Silences: Five Shadowy Time Gaps Related to Ezra-Nehemiah A. Boyd Luter Liberty University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/lts_fac_pubs Part of the Biblical Studies Commons, Comparative Methodologies and Theories Commons, Ethics in Religion Commons, History of Religions of Eastern Origins Commons, History of Religions of Western Origin Commons, Other Religion Commons, and the Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion Commons Recommended Citation Luter, A. Boyd, "Skullduggery in the Silences: Five Shadowy Time Gaps Related to Ezra-Nehemiah" (2003). LBTS Faculty Publications and Presentations. 314. https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/lts_fac_pubs/314 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by Scholars Crossing. It has been accepted for inclusion in LBTS Faculty Publications and Presentations by an authorized administrator of Scholars Crossing. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Faith & Mission 2111 (Fall 2003) 67-76 Skullduggery in the Silences: Five Shadowy Time Gaps Related to Ezra-Nehemiah I·j I A. Boyd Luter c= = Professor of Biblical Studies TIle Criswell College 4010 Gaston Ave. Dallas, Texas 75246 = ""'" I. Introduction: When Silence Is Anything but "Golden" hen there is much being said, or there is constant or grating noise, and it has been that way for some time, it is indeed true that "silence is Wgolden," a very
    [Show full text]
  • The Third Book of Esdras and the Tridentine Canon
    218 THE JOURNAL OF THEOLOGICAL STUDIES THE THIRD BOOK OF ESDRAS AND THE TRIDENTINE CANON. THE question why the Church of Rome does not consider the Third Book of Esdras to be canonical has recently attracted fresh attention. Sir Henry Howorth in the April number in the last volume of this JOURNAL has presented one view of the question. But it is possible that there is another, as I shall endeavour to shew.1 His article was entitled 'The Modern Roman Canon and the Book of Esdras A', and in it he drew certain conclusions adverse to the Fathers of Trent and Florence. Before, however, examin­ ing his statements and the conclusions at which he arrives, we must be clear as to what is meant by Esdras A. In the LXX MSS Alexandrinus and Vaticanus we find two books entitled respectively Esdras A and Esdras B. The latter, Esdras B, is the Esdras and Nehemias of the Vulgate and Douay versions, the Ezra and Nehemiah of the Authorized and Revised versions. The former, Esdras A, often called the Greek Esdras, is not found in the Douay Bibles, but is the book known as 'Esdrae Tertius Liber ',and printed in the Clementine Vulgate as an appendix, together with ' Esdrae Quartus Liber' and ' Oratio Manassae '. In order to avoid confusion we may give the nomen­ clature as follows :- Esdras A in the Greek Bibles is III Esdras of the Clementine Vulgate, and is known as the Greek Esdras. Esdras B in the Greek Bibles is the I and II Esdras of the Vulgate, the Ezra and Nehemiah of the English versions.
    [Show full text]