Unity and Disunity in Ezra-Nehemiah

Unity and Disunity in Ezra-Nehemiah
Author: Mark J. Boda
Publisher: Sheffield Phoenix Press Limited
Total Pages: 404
Release: 2008
Genre: Religion
ISBN:

Until the late 1960s the scholarly consensus was that Chronicles-Ezra-Nehemiah was a single, unified literary work. Then arguments began to be mounted for treating Chronicles as a distinct composition, and the majority of scholars were swayed by these arguments, though others retained the older consensus view. In recent years, some scholars have begun to suggest that Ezra and Nehemiah are distinct literary entities. This new debate is the occasion for the present volume. Here scholars from around the globe (Canada, Finland, Germany, Guatemala, Israel, Korea, the Netherlands, United Kingdom, United States) showcase current scholarly explanations for the final shape of this literary complex known as Ezra-Nehemiah. Fourteen scholars present their approach to the unity or disunity of this literature employing research methodologies that range from the diachronic to the synchronic. Critical responses to this emerging research are provided by three reviewers (Joseph Blenkinsopp, Tamara Eskenazi and Hugh Williamson) whose work laid the foundation in earlier decades for much of the discussion today. The result is a rich conversation which provides an enlightening resource for the study of these biblical books in particular as well as for reflection on the impact of one's interpretive framework on the study of ancient literature in general.

The Books of Ezra and Nehemiah

The Books of Ezra and Nehemiah
Author: Hannah K. Harrington
Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing
Total Pages: 699
Release: 2022-05-10
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1467464023

The books of Ezra and Nehemiah represent a significant turning point in biblical history. They tell the story not only of the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem but also of the resurrection of God’s people from the death of exile. Hannah Harrington thus begins her commentary with an evocative description of these books as “the story of a new Israel forged out of the old” and “the text of a people clinging to their genealogical past and attempting to preserve their heritage while walking forward into uncharted territory.” Throughout this commentary, Harrington combines analytical research on the language and culture behind the books of Ezra and Nehemiah with challenging thoughts for the Christian church today, bringing to bear a unique perspective on these books not as the end of Old Testament history but as early documents of the Second Temple period. Accordingly, Harrington incorporates a wealth of information from other Jewish literature of the time to freshly illuminate many of the topics and issues at hand while focusing on the interpretation and use of these books for Christian life today.

Ezra-Nehemiah: An Introduction and Study Guide

Ezra-Nehemiah: An Introduction and Study Guide
Author: Lena-Sofia Tiemeyer
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Total Pages: 145
Release: 2017-08-10
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0567675017

This guide to Ezra and Nehemiah showcases the latest developments and most up-to-date scholarship on these important texts. Ezra and Nehemiah tell the story of the people in Yehud in the 6th and the 5th centuries BCE. This was a time of economic hardship. The people living in and around Jerusalem were scratching out a living in a land that had been devastated by war. It was also a time of soul searching. Having lost their political autonomy and national identity, the people in Yehud had to find new ways of understanding and shaping their identity. Ezra and Nehemiah provide glimpses of these issues by way of an assortment of narratives, lists, letters, and other types of records. The readers encounter different voices and different opinions. Lena-Sofia Tiemeyer provides an overview of the various texts and the topics, concerns, and disputes that they reflect. The guide also zooms in on select key issues pertaining to the development of the text, its historical background(s), the quest for identity, and its afterlife in Jewish and Christian traditions.

Ezra and the Second Wilderness

Ezra and the Second Wilderness
Author: Philip Y. Yoo
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 289
Release: 2017-02-10
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0192509012

Ezra and the Second Wilderness addresses the relationship between Ezra, the Ezra Memoir, and the Pentateuch. Tracing the growth of the Ezra Memoir and its incorporation into Ezra-Nehemiah, Philip Y. Yoo discusses the literary strategies utilized by some of the composers and redactors operating in the post-exilic period. After the strata in Ezra 7-10 and Nehemiah 8-10 are identified, what emerges as the base Ezra Memoir is a coherent account of Ezra's leadership of the exiles from Babylon over the course of a single year, one that is intricately modelled on the multiple presentations of Moses and the Israelite wilderness preserved in the Pentateuch. Through discussion of the detected influences, allusions, and omissions between the Pentateuch and the Ezra Memoir, Yoo shows that the Ezra Memoir demonstrates a close understanding of its source materials and received traditions as it constructs the Babylonian returnees as the inheritors of torah and, in turn, the true and unparalleled successors of the Israelite cult. This study presents the Ezra Memoir as a sophisticated example of 'biblical' interpretation in the Second Temple period. It also suggests that the Ezra Memoir has access to the Pentateuch in only its constituent parts. Acknowledging not only the antiquity but also efficacy of its prototypes, the Ezra Memoir employs a variety of hermeneutical strategies in order to harmonize the competing claims of its authoritative sources. In closing the temporal gap between these sources and its own contemporary time, the Ezra Memoir grants authority to the utopic past yet also projects its own vision for the proper worship of Israel's deity.

Negotiating Power in Ezra-Nehemiah

Negotiating Power in Ezra-Nehemiah
Author: Donna Laird
Publisher: SBL Press
Total Pages: 419
Release: 2016-10-03
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0884141632

Donna Laird examines Ezra and Nehemiah in the light of modern sociological theorist Pierre Bourdieu. How did this context of hardship, exile, and return change what Ezra and Nehemiah viewed as important? How did they define who was a part of their community, and who was an outsider? It goes on to explore how the books engaged readers at the time: how it addressed their changing circumstances, and how different groups gained and used social power, or the ability to influence society. Features Chapters dedicated to penitential prayer and to the role of ritual Illustrations of how the writers used past traditions to justify dividing those who belong, the repatriates, from the local population Demonstration of how shifting strategies of discourse in the various sections of Ezra-Nehemiah reflect the changing political and social contexts for the community and the authors

Reconsidering Nehemiah's Judah

Reconsidering Nehemiah's Judah
Author: Deirdre N. Fulton
Publisher: Mohr Siebeck
Total Pages: 288
Release: 2015-09-08
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 9783161538810

In this work, Deirdre N. Fulton examines the differences in the MT and LXX texts of Nehemiah 11-12. She portrays the rebuilding of Judah by focusing on the people who settled in Jerusalem, a catalog of settlements in Judah, a list of temple personnel, and a narrative of the dedication and procession around the walls of Jerusalem. In this systematic study the author analyzes the textual divergences and changes these chapters underwent over time. While both traditions cast Nehemiah 11-12 in Persian period Judah, the textual divergences between the MT and LXX reveal intentional changes that occurred during the Hellenistic period.

Ezra-Nehemiah

Ezra-Nehemiah
Author: Donna Petter
Publisher: Zondervan Academic
Total Pages: 513
Release: 2021-01-19
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0310492882

The NIV Application Commentary helps you communicate and apply biblical text effectively in today's context Ezra-Nehemiah chronicles the return of the exiles to Jerusalem during the Persian Period. Empowered by the Persian authorities, Ezra and Nehemiah came on the scene in Jerusalem to restore the worship of the "God of Heaven" and the sanctity of Zion and His people. God's sovereignty over temporal powers, confession of sin and repentance, and worship according to Yahweh's holiness undergird the account. In the face of tremendous odds, opposition and betrayal, both Ezra and Nehemiah displayed selflessness and devotion by following their calling and trusting God's plan. In the commentary, Donna and Thomas Petter lead us through this narrative of restoration and help us discover how to apply Scripture to our lives today. To bring the ancient messages of the Bible into today's context, each passage is treated in three sections: Original Meaning. Concise exegesis to help readers understand the original meaning of the biblical text in its historical, literary, and cultural context. Bridging Contexts. A bridge between the world of the Bible and the world of today, built by discerning what is timeless in the timely pages of the Bible. Contemporary Significance. This section identifies comparable situations to those faced in the Bible and explores relevant application of the biblical messages. The author alerts the readers of problems they may encounter when seeking to apply the passage and helps them think through the issues involved.

Prophecy and Prophets in Stories

Prophecy and Prophets in Stories
Author: Bob E.J.H. Becking
Publisher: BRILL
Total Pages: 291
Release: 2015-03-20
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 900429113X

The fifth meeting of the Edinburgh prophecy network focussed on the presence of prophets and prophecy in narrative texts. The papers in this volume scrutinize the image of prophecy through the analysis of narrative processes. The papers deal with a great time span: from the Hittite Empire, via the Hebrew Bible, Judaism and Islam, up to the early Modern Period. Although all sorts of variations could be detected - especially due to the variety of temporal contexts, some features are recurring especially in view of the anthropological phenomenon of prophecy and its function in narratives.

Chronicles and the Priestly Literature of the Hebrew Bible

Chronicles and the Priestly Literature of the Hebrew Bible
Author: Jaeyoung Jeon
Publisher: Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG
Total Pages: 477
Release: 2021-11-08
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 3110707047

In der Reihe Beihefte zur Zeitschrift für die alttestamentliche Wissenschaft (BZAW) erscheinen Arbeiten zu sämtlichen Gebieten der alttestamentlichen Wissenschaft. Im Zentrum steht die Hebräische Bibel, ihr Vor- und Nachleben im antiken Judentum sowie ihre vielfache Verzweigung in die benachbarten Kulturen der altorientalischen und hellenistisch-römischen Welt. Die BZAW akzeptiert Manuskriptvorschläge, die einen innovativen und signifikanten Beitrag zu Erforschung des Alten Testaments und seiner Umwelt leisten, sich intensiv mit der bestehenden Forschungsliteratur auseinandersetzen, stringent aufgebaut und flüssig geschrieben sind.

Reverberations of the Exodus in Scripture

Reverberations of the Exodus in Scripture
Author: R. Michael Fox
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
Total Pages: 231
Release: 2014-05-12
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1620325764

Inner-biblical studies is a blossoming field. Within this growing specialization, Reverberations of the Exodus in Scripture is a unique and refreshing contribution. Unlike most studies in this area focusing either solely on how Old Testament passages interact with other Old Testament texts or on the use of the Old Testament in the New Testament, this volume examines how a central and paradigmatic biblical event--the exodus from Egypt--resurfaces time and again in both testaments. Furthermore, the collaborative nature of this project has allowed specialists to construct each chapter. Readers of Reverberations of the Exodus in Scripture will gain a better understanding of the role of the exodus throughout the biblical canon and a deeper appreciation for its place in biblical theology.