| Ezra 1 | |
|---|---|
 Cyrus Restores the Vessels of the Temple (Ezra 1:1–11) | |
| Book | Book of Ezra |
| Category | Ketuvim |
| Christian Bible part | Old Testament |
| Order in the Christian part | 15 |
Ezra 1 is the first chapter of the Book of Ezra in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible,[1] or the book of Ezra–Nehemiah in the Hebrew Bible, which treats the book of Ezra and book of Nehemiah as one book.[2] Jewish tradition states that Ezra is the author of Ezra–Nehemiah as well as the Book of Chronicles,[3] but modern scholars generally believe that a compiler from the 5th century BCE (the so-called "Chronicler") is the final author of these books.[4]
Ezra 1 contains a narrative of the Edict of Cyrus and the initial return of exiles to Judah led by Sheshbazzar as well as the restoration of the sacred temple vessels.[5] It also introduces the section comprising chapters 1 to 6 describing the history before the arrival of Ezra in the land of Judah [5][6] in 468 BCE.[7] The opening sentence of this chapter (and this book) is identical to the final sentence of 2 Chronicles.[8]
- ^ Halley 1965, p. 232.
- ^ Grabbe 2003, p. 313.
- ^ Babylonian Talmud Baba Bathra 15a, apud Fensham 1982, p. 2
- ^ Fensham 1982, pp. 2–4.
- ^ a b Grabbe 2003, p. 314.
- ^ Fensham 1982, p. 4.
- ^ Davies, G. I., Introduction to the Pentateuch in Barton, J. and Muddiman, J. (2001), The Oxford Bible Commentary Archived 2017-11-22 at the Wayback Machine, p. 19
- ^ Levering 2007, p. 39.