1. Restoring the Covenant Community Ezra & Nehemiah

2. Composition These two documents actually form a single unified literary work It is obvious that the final version was created from a variety of source materials: Personal journals Organizational lists Government pronouncements Historical records These have been crafted into four major sections: 1-6 (Ezra): Zerubbabel & the Restoration of the Temple 7-10 (Ezra): Ezra & the Restoration of the Covenant Practices 1-6 (Nehemiah): Nehemiah & the Restoration of the City 7-13 (Nehemiah): Ezra & Nehemiah & the Restoration of the Covenant People

3. Chronology 539 – Capture of Babylon by Medo-Persia (Daniel 5:30) 538 – Cyrus’ first year, “Homelands” edict (Ezra 1:1-4) 537 – Return under Sheshbazzar & Zerubbabel (Altar rebuilt) (Ezra 2:1-3:7) 536 – Work on Temple begun (Ezra 3:8) 536-530 – Opposition during Cyrus’ reign (Ezra 4:1-5) 530-520 – Work on Temple ceased (Ezra 4:24) 520 – Work on Temple renewed under Darius (Ezra 5:2; Haggai 1:14) 516 – Temple completed (Ezra 6:15) 515-458 – Huge gap: no records!

4. Chronology 515-458 – Huge gap: no records! 458 (April 8-August 4) – Ezra travels to Jerusalem (Ezra 7:8-9) 458 (December) – 457 (March) – Ezra calls an assembly and organizes a community assessment (Ezra 10:9-17) 457-445 – Big gap again: no records! 445 – Nehemiah travels to Jerusalem (Nehemiah 1-2) 445 – City wall completed (52 days! Nehemiah 6), Assemblies (Nehemiah 7), Feast of Tabernacles celebrated (Nehemiah 8), Fast (Nehemiah 9) 432 – Nehemiah goes back to Persia & returns (Nehemiah 13:6)

5. People of Significance Leaders: First Return: Sheshbazzar (“Prince of Judah”) – return organizer and principle leader Zerubbabel (“Governor of Judah”) – on site leader Joshua (“High Priest”) – cultic leader Second Return: Ezra (“Scribe”) Third Return: Nehemiah (Persian royal cupbearer; “Governor of Judah”) Opposition: First Return: Tattenai (“Governor of Beyond-the-River Province”) & Shethar- bozenai Second Return: Sanballat (Samaritan), Tobiah, “The Arabs,” “The Ammonites” Prophets: Haggai & Zechariah

6. Theology of the Return God is faithful to the Covenant Israel has been unfaithful to the Covenant Therefore the Covenant curses have been applied The Exile was a cleansing and chastening event The Land must receive its Covenant Rest (Sabbath Years & “Year of Jubilee”) Restoration demands deeper Covenant response and faithfulness God is sovereign over all nations The Second Temple does not experience the return of Yahweh’s Glory & Presence (see Malachi 4)

7. Restoring Holiness/Purity to the Covenant Community While the Restored Community considered itself to be the continuation of all of Israel, it was at this point that the people became known as “The Jews” (from “Judah”) The times of Ezra/Nehemiah both defined and confused Jewish identity: Emphasis on covenant holiness Emphasis on racial purity From this time forward Jews have wrestled with identity: Are we defined by our religion? If so, can those from other ethnic groups become fully Jewish through religious observance? Are we defined by our history? If so, do we need a “homeland” in order to survive? Are we defined by our ethnicity? If so, do we need to keep our bloodlines pure?

8. Changing Emphases The Restoration seems to begin as a sociological “Centered Set” Focus on Religious Practices as an expression of identity which all can join in participating The Restoration seems to become a sociological “Bounded Set” Focus on Ethnic Purity as normative to community at the exclusion of others

9. Note Regarding History Hebrew/Jewish history is generally divided into four major eras: First Temple Period (960-586 B.C.) Second Temple Period (516 B.C. – 70 A.D.) Diaspora (70-1947 A.D.) Modern Israel (1947-present)