| |
Books of the Bible |
Generally accepted to be the Scribe Ezra.
Most likely around 450 B.C. to 430 B.C., immediately after the events of Ezra and Nehemiah occurred.
Ezra is primarily intended to reveal how God worked in the exiles who returned to the promised land from Babylon and to show how they restored true worship and made every effort to do what God called them to do.
First return (1-6)
The decree of Cyrus (1)
The rebuilding of the temple (3-6)
Second return (7-8) - There is a 78 year gap between these returns
The decree of Artaxerxes (7)
The return with Ezra (8)
Ezra's confession for the people and the divorce of the pagan wives (9-10)
The first return occurs in 538 B.C. after the Israelites have been captive in Babylon for about 50 years. The events that led to their return center around the defeat of the Babylonians by the Persian empire. The Persians allowed the nations they had enslaved to live in their own lands under a Persian Governor and to worship as they saw fit. Note that between the first and second returns the events of the book of Esther occur.
The decree of Cyrus; first return under Zerubbabel; worship at Jerusalem; restoration of the temple began; restoration of the temple opposed and halted; restoration of the temple resumed and completed; the Passover celebrated in Jerusalem; second return under Ezra; putting away of the pagan wives.
Cyrus, king of Persia; Zerubbabel; Darius, king of Persia; Haggai; Zechariah; Artaxerxes, king of Persia; Ezra the scribe
Theologically, Ezra is significant for its emphasis on the restoration of the temple – that is to say, proper worship – and for revealing how the power of God extends even to those who do not believe in Him.