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Ezraעזרא
480 BCE – 440 BCE · Babylon/Jerusalemsecond-temple
Description
Ezra is the main character of the Book of Ezra. According to the Hebrew Bible, he was an important Jewish scribe and priest in the early Second Temple period. In the Greek Septuagint, the name is rendered as Ésdrās, from which the Latin name Esdras comes. "Ezra" is probably a shortened Aramaic form of the Hebrew name עֲזַרְיָהוּ, meaning "Yah helps".
Facts
| Honored in | Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox Church |
| Feast | 13 July (Catholic), Sunday of the Holy Forefathers (Eastern Orthodox) |
Life & work in brief
Summarised by section — one row per topic, for fast reading.
| Topic | Summary |
|---|---|
| Life | The canonical Book of Ezra and the Book of Nehemiah are the oldest sources for the activity of Ezra. |
| In later Second Temple period literature | 1 Esdras, probably from the late 2nd/early 1st centuries BCE, preserves a Greek text of Ezra and a part of Nehemiah distinctly different from that of Ezra–Nehemiah – in particular it eliminates Nehemiah from the story and gives some of his deeds to Ezra, as well as telling events in a different order. |
| In rabbinic literature | Traditionally Judaism credits Ezra with establishing the Great Assembly of scholars and prophets, the forerunner of the Sanhedrin, as the authority on matters of religious law. |
| In Christian traditions | In Christian tradition, Ezra is considered to be the author of the book of Ezra and 1 and 2 Chronicles. |
| In Islam | In Islam, he is known as Uzair (Arabic: عزير, romanized: ʿUzayr). |
| Academic view | Scholars debate the dating of Ezra's mission due to textual emendations and lack of extrabiblical evidence, with proposed timelines placing his activity either during the reign of Artaxerxes I or Artaxerxes II, complicating the historical context and relationship with Nehemiah. |
Prophecies
Key prophetic utterances and visions attributed to Ezra, with sources.
| Prophecy / vision | Source |
|---|---|
| Return to Jerusalem and rebuild the house of God | Ezra 1:3 |
| Separate from the peoples of the land; keep the Torah and do it | Ezra 10:11 |