III THE WORK OF EZRA AND THE INSTITUTION OF THE § 159. Artaxerxes's Commission to Ezra, Ezra 71-28 (I Esdr. 81-24) Chronicler's Introduction to the Ezra Narrative of Ezra band to Ezra 7 1Now after these things, in the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia, The there went up Ezra the son of Seraiah, the son of Azariah, the son of Hil- return kiah, 2the son of Shallum, the son of Zadok, the son of Ahitub, 3the son of and his Amariah, the son of Azariah, the son of Meraioth, 4the son of Zerahiah, the Jeruson of Uzzi, the son of Bukki, 5the son of Abishua, the son of Phinehas, the salem son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the chief priest. This Ezra went up from Babylon; and he was a scribe skilled in the law of Moses, which Jehovah, the God of Israel, had given. And the king granted him all his request, inasmuch as the hand of Jehovah his God was upon him. And some of the Israelites, and of the priests, the Levites, the singers, the porters, and the temple servants went up to Jerusalem, in the seventh year of Artaxerxes the king. And he came to Jerusalem in the fifth month, which was in the seventh year of the king. For on the first day of the first month he began the journey from Babylon, and on the first day of the fifth month he came to Jerusalem, since the good hand of God was with him. 10For Ezra had set his heart to seek the law of Jehovah, and to observe it and to teach in Israel statutes and ordinances. The Work of Ezra and the Institution of the Priestly Law.-Nehemiah's work was that of a pioneer. His unique position at the Persian court opened for him the door by which alone the favor of the absolute despot who ruled the empire could be won. Faithfully improving the rare opportunity thus given him, he prepared the way and established the precedents for the fundamental transformation in the domestic, social, ceremonial, and religious life of the Jews of Palestine. This fruition of Nehemiah's work the later tradition preserved in Ezra 7-10, Neh. 770-1039 associates with Ezra the priest and scribe. As has been shown in the Introd. (pp. 3134), its language, peculiar idioms, point of view and contents all demonstrate its close relationship with the midrashes of Chr. Unlike Nehemiah's memoirs, it is not a mere record of facts, it is idealized history. Probably embodying historical data, it represents, however, the tradition current in the very late priestly school, of which the Chronicler was the final editor, regarding the way in which the law and institutions of his day were put into force in Palestine. It possesses a great and permanent value because it makes concrete and vivid that movement which made the Jewish race what it was in New Testament times. It also reveals most clearly the interests and ideals which henceforth moulded Judaism. § 159 Vss. 1-10 contain the Chronicler's introduction to the Ezra narrative which follows. In 6-9 he briefly epitomizes the older source which he begins to quote in ". His love of symmetry led him to state that on the first day of the first month Ezra began the journey from Babylon, although the Ezra narrative dates it on the twelfth day, 831. In 81.31 we also anticipate from all analogies that the year of Artaxerxes's reign in which the events took place will be given. It is almost incredible that they were not found in the original. The simplest explanation is, perhaps, that the Chronicler suppressed them that he might date them in the seventh year of Artaxerxes, as he does with great elaboration in 7. 8, thus giving Ezra the precedence before Nehemiah. Cf. Introd., p. 32. If the date was not found in the original, he was left to his own conjectures. As in the Aram. document in 53-615, the decree is in Aram. It may be from the Chronicler, but more probably belonged to the original Ezra narrative. a71 So Gk, and I Esdr. 81. The verb is lacking in the Heb. b 78 July-August. 79 Heb., laid the foundation (of the journey). Artax erxes's decree con firming Ezra's author ity Ezra Narrative 11Now this is the copy of the letter that King Artaxerxes gave to Ezra the priest, the scribe, who copied the words of the commands of Jehovahd and of his statutes to Israel: 12 Artaxerxes, king of kings, to Ezra the priest, the scribe of the law of the God of heaven, greeting.e 13 And now I make a decree that anyone of the people of Israel, or their priests or Levites in my realm, who is willing to go to Jerusalem, shall go with you. 14Because you have been sent by the king and his seven counsellors, to institute an inquiry concerning Judah and Jerusalem on the basis of the law of your God which is in your hand 15and to carry the silver and gold which the king and his counsellors have freely offered to the God of Israel, whose dwelling is in Jerusalem, 16with all the silver and gold that you shall receive in all the province of Babylon, with the contributions of the people and priests, who contribute for the house of their God which is in Jerusalem, 17therefore you shall carefully buy with this money bullocks, rams, lambs, with their cereal-offerings and their libations, and shall offer them on the altar of the house of your God which is in Jerusalem. 18 And whatever shall seem good to you and to your kinsmen to do with the rest of the silver and the gold, so do according to the will of your God. 19And the vessels that have been given you for the service of the house of your God, deliver them all before your God at Jerusalem.f 20And whatever more shall be needed for the house of your God, which you shall have occasion to bestow, bestow it out of the king's treasury. 21 And the decree is given by me, Artaxerxes the king, to all the treasurers of the province beyond the River, that whatever Ezra the priest, the scribe of the law of the God of heaven, shall require of you, let it be carefully done, 22up to a hundred talents of silver, a thousand bushels of wheat, eight hundred gallons of wine, eight hundred gallons of oil, and salt to any amount. 23 All that is commanded by the God of heaven must be exactly done for the house of the God of heaven; for why should there be wrath against the realm of the king and his sons? 24 Also be it known to you that it is not lawful to impose tribute, custom, or toll on any priests, Levites, singers, porters, temple-servants, or servants of this house of God. 25 And you, Ezra, according to the wisdom of your God that is in you, appoint magistrates and judges to judge all the people beyond the River, all such as know the laws of your God, and teach such as do know them. 26And whoever will not obey the law of your God, and the law of the king, let strict justice be executed upon him, whether it be death, or banishment, or confiscation of goods, or imprisonment. Heb. d 711 Gk., reader of the law of God. 712 So I Esdr. 8°. The usual word for, peace or greeting, has apparently fallen out of the f719 So Luc. Heb., before the God of Jerusalem. 8 722 Heb., one hundred cors. 722 Heb., one hundred baths. 160. Return of Ezra and his Company, Ezra 727-836, Neh. 770-73a Ezra Narrative grati vah Ezra 7 27 Blessed be Jehovah the God of our fathers, who hath put such Ezra's a thing as this into the king's heart, to beautify the temple of Jehovah which tude to is at Jerusalem, 28and hath granted me favor before the king and his coun- Jehosellors and before all the king's high officials. And I was strengthened, since the hand of Jehovah my God was with me, and I gathered chief men from Israel to go up with me. 7And of the those with 8 1Now these are the heads of their fathers' houses, and this is the gene- List of alogy of those who went up with me from Babylon in the reign of Artaxerxes who rethe king: 2Of the sons of Phinehas, Gershom. Of the sons of Ithamar, turned Daniel. Of the sons of David, Hattush 3the son of Shecaniah.i Of the Ezra sons of Parosh, Zechariah, and with him were reckoned by genealogy a hundred and fifty men. 4Of the sons of Pahath-moab, Eliehoenai the son of Zerahiah, and with him two hundred men. 5Of the sons of Shecaniah, the son of Jahaziel, and with him three hundred men. 6And of the sons of Adin, Ebed the son of Jonathan, and with him fifty men. sons of Elam, Jeshaiah the son of Athaliah, and with him seventy men. 8And of the sons of Shephatiah, Zebadiah the son of Michael, and with him eighty men. 9Of the sons of Joab, Obadiah the son of Jehiel, and with him two hundred and eighteen men. 10 And of the sons of Banias,k Shelomith the son of Josiphiah, and with him a hundred and sixty men. 11 And of the sons of Bebai, Zechariah the son of Bebai, and with him twenty-eight men. 12And of the sons of Azgad, Johanan the son of Hakkatan, and with him a hundred and ten men. 13 And the sons of Adonikam, the last,1 and these are their names: Eliphelet, Jeuel, and Shemaiah, and with them sixty men. 14 And of the sons of Bigvai, Uthai and Zakkur, and with them seventy men. the re 15 And I gathered them together to the river that flows toward Ahava." AssemAnd there we encamped three days, while I reviewed the people and the bly of priests; I found there none of the sons of Levi. 16Then I sent for Eliezer, turning Ariel, Shemaiah, Elnathan, Jarib, Nathan, Zechariah, and Meshullam, chief men; also for Joiarib, and Elnathan, who were teachers. 17And I sent $160 Nehemiah's memoirs were probably kept in the temple at Jerusalem and were doubtless accessible to the school of the Chronicler. Their tendency to present their teachings in the form of dialogues is amply illustrated in Chr. Cf. Introd., p. 4. It was natural that, influenced by the example of such an epoch-making man as Nehemiah, they should add to their literary equipment, not only the royal decree, but also the personal memoir. That it was merely a literary form is strongly suggested by the abruptness and facility with which the narrative passes from the first person singular to the third, and in Neh. 10 to the first person plural without any apparent reason. The account of the arrival ends abruptly in 86. On the other hand, Neh. 770-73a has no connection with its context. Joined together, these two torsos, with the sequel of Neh. 773a, make a complete and consistent narrative. text. i83 Following I Esdr. 829 in combining and correcting the otherwise unintelligible Heb. i83 Lit., males. * 810 Completing the Heb. from the parallel, I Esdr. 86. 1813 The text is unintelligible. Possibly it is due to an early scribal error. 814 The versions and the marginal reading of the Heb. give but one son of Bigvai, Zakkur. 815 The identification is unknown. 816 I Esdr. 844 completes its list of ten men with, leaders and men of understanding. P 816 In the Heb. Elnathan is introduced twice. exiles |