Ezra : a new translation with introduction and commentary /
Tamara Cohn Eskenazi.
- xix, 480 pages : maps ; 25 cm.
- The Anchor Yale Bible commentaries ; 14A .
- Bible. 2008 ; English. Anchor Yale Bible. v. 14A. .
Includes bibliographical references (pages 49-101) and indexes.
Introduction. I. A Brief Overview of Ezra-Nehemiah ; II. The Persian Empire (539-332 BCE) ; III. Judah and the Judeans in the Persian Period ; IV. Sources and Composition ; V. The Unity of Ezra-Nehemiah ; VI. The Theology of Ezra-Nehemiah ; VII. A History of Interpretation ; VIII. A Guide to the Commentary -- Notes and Comments. I. "To Build the House of YHWH" : the Call and the Agenda of the Book (1:1-11). A. The Commissioning : God's Command and Cyrus Decree (1:1-4) ; B. The People's Response (1:5-6) ; C. The Reclamation of the Temple Vessels (1:7-11) -- II. The List of Builders (2:1-70). A. Introduction and the List of Leaders (2:1-2a) ; B. The List of Israelites (2:2b-35) ; C. The Priests (2:36-39) ; D. Other Cult Personnel (2:40-58) ; E. Cases of the Undocumented (2:59-63) ; F. Summary, Conclusion, and Arrival (2:64-70) -- III. Building YHWH's House, Stage One: The Temple (3:1-6:22). A. Beginning of the Work : Restoring the Altar and Cult and Founding the Temple (3:1-13) ; B. The Obstacle : Outsiders Impede Rebuilding the Temple (4:1-24) ; C. Obstacles Overcome : Successful Rebuilding of the Temple (5:1-6:18) ; D. Celebrating the Conclusion of Stage One : Passover/Festival of the Unleavened Bread (6:19-22) -- IV. Building YHWH's House, Stage Two: The People (7:1-10:44). A. Introduction of Protagonists and Mission (7:1-8:14) ; B. Initial Implementation of the Task (8:15-36) ; C. The Obstacle : Marriages with the Peoples of the Lands (9:1-15) ; D. The Obstacle Overcome : the Community Resolves to Separate from Foreign Wives and Prohibit Exogamy (10:1-44).
"The book of Ezra is a remarkable testament to a nation's ability to survive and develop a distinctive identity under imperial rule. But Ezra is far more than a simple chronicle; it constitutes a new biblical model for political, religious, and social order in the Persian Empire. In this new volume, Tamara Cohn Eskenazi outlines how the book of Ezra documents the radical transformation that followed reconstruction after the fall of Jerusalem and Judah. The extensive introduction employs literary and historical methodologies to highlight the book's innovations, including its textualization of the tradition, as well as the unprecedented role of the people as chief protagonists. The translation and commentary incorporate evidence from ancient and contemporaneous primary sources from Egypt, Babylonia, Greece, and Persia, along with new archaeological studies of Judah. With great care and detail, Eskenazi demonstrates how the book of Ezra creates a blueprint for survival after destruction, shaping a new kind of society and forging a new communal identity." --