Marriage, to Ezra, was not simply a matter of social arrangement, but one which involved obedience to the Law of God. Many of the Jews, including the priests and Levites, had taken foreign wives ( Ezra 9:1). Some of the people had grown prosperous ( Haggai 1:4), but spirituality was largely missing. They could testify that, ".the hand of our God was upon us, and he delivered us from the hand of the enemy and from ambushes by the way" ( Ezra 8:31).Įzra did not find the populace enthusiatic about the measures which were close to his heart. Shortly after their arrival in Jerusalem, Ezra and his company brought their treasures to the Temple and offered special sacrifices on the altar in the Temple court. Ezra, armed with his official rescript, was responsible for Jewish affairs in the province of Abar-nahara, i.e. In modern language we might designate him, "Minister of State for Jewish Affairs." 2 The Persians were tolerant of the many religions in their empire, but they did wish them to be regularized under responsible authority. No details are given concerning the journey itself, but we know that Ezra entrusted the silver, the gold, and the vessels which were to be brought to the Jerusalem Temple into the hands of the priests and Levites ( Ezra 8:24-30).Īs a delegated representative of the Persian crown in Jerusalem Ezra bore the title, "Scribe of the law of the God of heaven" ( Ezra 7:12). The group fasted and prayed ( Ezra 8:23) before starting out on a journey of four months. Having assured Artaxerxes of his confidence in divine protection, Ezra did not feel justified in requesting the usual military escort ( Ezra 8:22). Their reluctance to come may indicate that they were comfortably settled in Persia and felt no emotional ties with Jerusalem. Artaxerxes in his decree had exempted priests and Temple servants from the Persian tax. A special appeal was made and thirty-eight priests and two hundred and twenty Temple servants joined the party ( Ezra 8:15-20). As the group gathered at Ahava, Ezra noted that there were no priests in the company. In all, about eight hundred men and their families responded to Ezra's appeal ( Ezra 8:1-14). The provincial rulers were told, "Whatever Ezra the priest, the scribe of the law of the God of heaven, requires of you, be it done with all diligence" ( Ezra 7:21). Empowered in this way, Ezra was not merely a pious pilgrim but a representative of the Persian government with power to act. The Law was to be rigorously enforced by imprisonment, confiscation of property, banishment, or even death ( Ezra 7:26). Ezra was further authorized to appoint magistrates and judges and to teach the Law of God and the king to any who might not be familiar with it. Authority was also given to draw upon the royal treasury of the province of Syria if necessary ( Ezra 7:20). The remainder could be spent as Ezra and his brethren saw fit ( Ezra 7:17-18). Ezra was instructed to use it to purchase sacrificial animals. Ezra was authorized to take with him offerings for the Jerusalem Temple sent both by Artaxerxes and by the Jewish community. The king granted his request ( Ezra 7:11-26) and authorized Ezra to assemble such Jews as would volunteer to join him on the journey to Palestine. As a lover of Zion, Ezra appealed to Artaxerxes for help in making it possible for a fresh company of exiles to return to the land of their fathers. Such a man was Ezra, a pious Levite who had devoted his life to the study of God's Law. Earlier resolves to live lives of separation from their neighbors had been quietly forgotten and mixed marriage was common.īack in Babylon and in other parts of the Persian Empire there were numerous Jews who still looked with fond associations to Jerusalem as the center of their religious life and their spiritual hopes. Their city had no walls and it was open to attack from their numerous enemies. Although successful in building the Temple, the Palestinian Jews were certainly not a prosperous group during this period. Over fifty years pass in silence between the dedication of the second Temple (515 B.C.) and the arrival of Ezra in Palestine in the seventh year of Artaxerxes (457 B.C.). 1 The traditional order, maintained in the Masoretic Text of Scripture, fits it well with our knowledge of the Post-Exilic age and may be adhered to until convincing evidence to the contrary is produced. There has been considerable disagreement concerning the date of Ezra, for some very able scholars feel that our texts have been dislocated and that Nehemiah should be placed before Ezra. Among the Biblical characters of the Post-Exilic period none assumes a greater historical importance than Ezra.
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