1 Esdras
1 Esdras is a book from the Septuagint Greek translation of Hebrew scriptures. Largely a recapitulation of other biblical texts, it is regarded as canonical in Eastern and Oriental Orthodoxy, but is considered as apocryphal by Jews, Catholics, and most Protestants. It is also listed among the Apocrypha in Article VI of the Thirty-Nine Articles of the Church of England.
"Esdras" is simply the Greek word for "Ezra," and it is from the Book of Ezra that 1 Esdras borrows most heavily, together with the books of Chronicles and Nehemiah. It also adds new material not found in Ezra, notably concerning the legendary background of the Jewish leader Zerubbabel while he was still living in Babylon. This material accounts for 99 additional verses, including a polished conclusion that the much shorter Book of Ezra lacks.
In the Slavonic editions of the Bible this book is called 2 Esdras; in the Vulgate it is called 3 Esdras, and in the Ethiopian Orthodox Bible it is called Ezra Kali which means 2 Ezra. For information about the book called 1 Esdras in the Vulgate and Slavonic editions, see the article on Book of Ezra.
Naming and numbering
Compiled by a Jewish writer in Egypt probably about 150 B.C.E., 1 Esdras is primarily a translation into Greek of older Hebrew texts, adding some new material and occasionally "correcting" older material. It was included in the Greek language collection of Jewish scriptures known as the Septuagint, which circulated widely among the Jews of the diaspora. After the destruction of the Temple of Jerusalem in 70 C.E., rabbinical authorities decided not to use the Septuagint as a basis for decided which scriptures were canonical. Thus 1 Esdras and the other works of the Apocypha came to be excluded from the Jewish canon of scripture. However, since educated Christians generally read Greek but not Hebrew, the Septuagint did become a basis for deciding what books belonged in the Christian version of the Old Testament.
The book now called 1 Esdras presents various problems of naming. In most editions of the Septuagint, the book is titled in Greek: Εσδρας Α′ (1 Esdras) and is placed before the traditional book of Ezra-Nehemiah, which are together titled in Εσδρας Β′. However, the Latin Vulgate version of the Bible titled the books of Ezra and Nehemiah as "1 and 2 Esdras," giving the current book the title "3 Esdras."
Since most modern translations use the more Hebraic transliteration of "Ezra" for the canonical Hebrew book, the Vulgate's 3 Esdras is called 1 Esdras in most English Bibles. The Vulgate's 4 Esdras, meanwhile, becomes 2 Esdras. Because it repeats so much material from other books universally considered canonical, the book is not not included in Catholic or Greek Orthodox collections of scripture. The Russian Orthodox Church, however, considers this book canonical.
Contents
The majority of the content of 1 Esdras closely parallels Ezra, Nehemiah, and II Chronicles. However, there are some exceptions, particularly regarding chapters 3-5. The contents are summarized as follows.
- Chapter 1 ( = 2 Chron 35:1-36:21). Josiah's institution of the celebration of Passover and his death, followed by the history of Jerusalem up to its destruction. One significant change from the version of Chronicles is that 1 Esdras states that it was the prophet Jeremiah, rather than Pharaoh Neco II, whom God inspired to warn Josiah not to attack Egyptian forces en route to Babylon. Josiah's death is thus attributed to his disobeying a command from God through a known prophet, rather than a warning from God given through the Egyptian king.
- Chapter 2:1-14 ( = Ezra 1:1-11). The edict of Cyrus authorizing the Jews of Babylon to return Jerusalem.
- Chapter 2:15-26 ( = Ezra 4:7-24). The first attempt of the returning Jews to rebuild the Temple is blocked by Samaritan opposition.
- Chapter 3:1-5:3 (original). Three courtiers of Darius dispute the question of what is the strongest thing in the kingdom. The winner of the dispute is to receive great honor from Darius. One of the courtiers is Zerubbabel, a descendant of King David. The three young men publicly debate the matter before the king and his court, the first holding that wine is the strongest, the second claiming that the king is the strongest, and Zerubbabel claiming that it is women who are strongest but that Truth is even stronger than women. Darius concurs with Zerubbabel and, at his request, appoints him to lead a new wave of Jewish exiles from Babylon to Jerusalem to complete the restoration of the Temple.
- Chapter 5:4-6 (original). Beginning of a list of the exiles who returned.
- Chapter 5:7-73 ( = Ezra 2:1-4:5). List of exiles returning. Beginning of the Temple's reconsctruction and rejection of Samaritan assistance followed by opposition and the interruption of building until Darius' time.
- Chapter 6-7:9 ( = Ezra 5:1-6:18). Correspondence between the governor of Syria and Darius clarifying the latter's authorization to rebuild the Temple, followed by details of the completion of construction.
- Chapter 7:10-15 ( = Ezra 6:19-22). Dedication of the Temple and the celebration of Passover.
- Chapter 8:1-9:36 ( = Ezra 7:1-10:44). Return of additional exiles under Ezra. Preaching and legislation against mixed marriages.
- Chapter 9:37-55 ( = Nehemiah 7:73-8:12). Ezra reads the Law.
Author and criticism
The primary purpose of the book seems to be the presentation of the story of Zerubbabel, who is depicted as a kind of Daniel-type figure in the dispute among the courtiers. Zerubbabel, a descendant of the Davidic dynasty, was a figure of great hope during the time of the early Second Temple, and he plays a semi-messianic role in the Book of Zechariah. Details from the other books are added to complete the story, which begins with Josiah—the Bible's greatest king since David—and ends with the coming of Zerubbabel followed by Ezra's work in renewing the Jewish commitment to the Law centering on the Temple of Jerusalem. The work may thus be said to constitute a summary of the historical vision of the establishment of Second Temple Judaism as the providential renewal of God's covenant with the Jews.
Since there are various discrepancies in the account, many scholars hold that the work was written by more than one author.
The first century C.E. Jewish historian Josephus mades use of the 1 Esdras in his accounts of Jewish history. Some scholars believe that the composition is likely to have taken place in the first century B.C.E. or even as late as the first century C.E. However, the majority place it earlier, around 150 B.C.E.
Many Protestant and Catholic scholars assign no historical value to the "original" sections of the book, which are thought to resemble the legendary accounts of the Book of Daniel. The citations of the other books of the Bible, however, provide a pre-Septuagint translation of those texts, which increases its value to scholars.
In the current Greek texts, the book breaks off in the middle of a sentence, and that particular verse thus had to be reconstructed from an early Latin translation. It is generally presumed that the original work extended to the Feast of Tabernacles, as described in Nehemiah 8:13-18. An additional difficulty with the text is the apparent ignorance of its author regarding the historical sequence of events. Artaxerxes is mentioned before Darius, who is mentioned before Cyrus. Finally, the person called "Attharias" and "Attharates" in the text (5:40; 9:49) is apparently a Greek transliteration of of a word meaning "governor," which is used for Nehemiah in the Book of Nehemiah (8:9; 10:1). The name Nehemiah does not appear in 1 Esdras.
Legacy
The book od 1 Esdras was widely quoted by early Christian authors, as well as Josephus. It also found a place in Origen's Hexapla, which placed various versions of the Old Testament side by side. However, it was not included in early canons of the Western Church.
In the late sixteenth century, Pope Clement VIII relegated it to an appendix following the New Testament in the Vulgate "lest [it] perish entirely." However, the use of the book continued in the Eastern Church, and it remains a part of the Eastern Orthodox canon.
ReferencesISBN links support NWE through referral fees
- Coggins, R. J., and Michael A. Knibb. The First and Second Books of Esdras. The Cambridge Bible commentary, New English Bible. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1979. ISBN 9780521097574
- Myers, Jacob Martin. I and II Esdras. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1974. ISBN 9780385004268
- Talshir, Zipora. I Esdras: From Origin to Translation. Atlanta, Ga: Society of Biblical Literature, 1999. ISBN 9780884140061
- Taylor, Leslie, John. Extra-Biblicals: Forgotten Books of the Bibles. [S.l.]: 1st Books, 2003. ISBN 9781410735676
External links
- Full text of 1 Esdras from the University of Virginia's Etext Center
- Various translations of 1 Esdras at the World Wide Study Bible
- Catholic Encyclopedia: Esdras: THE BOOKS OF ESDRAS: III Esdras
- Jewish Encyclopedia: Esdras, Books of: I Esdras
- 1 Esdras 1 -NRSV
- 1Esdras at earlyjewishwritings.com
| Preceded by: Chronicles |
Books of the Bible |
Succeeded by: Ezra |
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