Part One:
Ezra as the young Azariah of the Book of Daniel
by
Damien F. Mackey
“Then Nebuchadnezzar said, ‘Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who has sent his angel and rescued his servants! They trusted in him
and defied the king’s command and were willing to give up their lives rather than
serve or worship any god except their own God’.”
Daniel 3:28
My purpose here will be to attempt to create a basic reconstruction of the life of Ezra the scribe, a most famous personage in biblical-Jewish history, but of whose early life, at least, we have virtually no information at all according to Mendel Adelman, in his article “Ezra the Scribe”:
Ezra the Scribe - Jewish History (chabad.org)
Very little is known about the early life of Ezra the Scribe. He was born in Babylon to a priestly family, and dedicated himself to the study of the Torah. By trade he was a scribe, writing books of the Torah and Prophets. He lived in Babylon for the first decades of his life, studying under Baruch ben Neriah. ….
Whilst, according to the Jewish Encyclopedia article of the same title, our first definite introduction to Ezra will occur as late as 458 BC, during the reign of King Artaxerxes:
EZRA THE SCRIBE - JewishEncyclopedia.com
Though Ezra was one of the most important personages of his day, and of far-reaching influence upon the development of Judaism, his biography has to be reconstructed from scanty material, furnished in part by fragments from his own memoirs (see Ezra, Book of). The first definite mention of him is in connection with a royal firman granting him permission to lead a band of exiles back to Jerusalem (Ezra vii. 12-26). This edict was issued in the seventh year of King Artaxerxes, corresponding to 458 B.C.
I, who accept neither the conventional reconstruction of Medo-Persian history and archaeology, nor the dates assigned to its various kings, see e.g. my:
Medo-Persian history has no adequate archaeology
(4) Medo-Persian history has no adequate archaeology | Damien Mackey - Academia.edu
and:
Chaotic King Lists can conceal some sure historical sequences
(DOC) Chaotic King Lists can conceal some sure historical sequences | Damien Mackey - Academia.edu
do not believe in this conventional ‘Artaxerxes in 458 BC’.
The identification of the kings, “Artaxerxes”, and otherwise, who I consider to be relevant to the life of Ezra the scribe, will become clear as this article progresses.
A first encounter with Ezra
Far from this having occurred in 458 BC, I would re-date our first meeting with a young Ezra in the Bible about 150 years earlier, to 606 BC.
It is the 3rd year of king Jehoiakim of Judah, which would correspond with the Accession Year of king Nebuchednezzar of Babylon (cf. Jeremiah 25:1).
{606 BC would be the approximate conventional date for the 3rd year of Jehoiakim, but not the significantly lower date that I would estimate for it}
Ezra first emerges there, in Daniel 1, as the young Azariah, a name that is perfectly compatible with Ezra: Ezra(h) | The amazing name Ezra(h): meaning and etymology (abarim-publications.com)
As we learn in Daniel 1 about Azariah and his young companions, they were:
3 … Israelites from the royal family and the nobility—
4 young men without any physical defect, handsome, showing aptitude for every kind of learning, well informed, quick to understand, and qualified to serve in the king’s palace.
….
6 Among those who were chosen were some from Judah: Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah.
7 The chief official gave them new names: to Daniel, the name Belteshazzar; to Hananiah, Shadrach; to Mishael, Meshach; and to Azariah, Abednego.
….
17 To these four young men God gave knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning.
….
19 The king talked with them, and he found none equal to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah; so they entered the king’s service.
20 In every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king questioned them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his whole kingdom.
Quite impressive CV’s. These youths were educated, wise, learned, intelligent, and competent.
And that type of description would fit perfectly what we know of Ezra, “the ready scribe”:
Ezra, a Ready Scribe – Ready Scribe
Ezra is called a “ready” scribe, meaning he is competent, able to “quickly” do the work of a scribe. Having prepared himself to do the work of God by transcribing so many copies of the Word of God, Ezra is an expert concerning the Old Testament Scriptures ….
While his education and diligent work certainly has helped to prepare him, what really sets Ezra apart from the other scribes of his day is his preparation of his heart: “For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the Law of the Lord, and to do it, and to teach statutes and ordinances in Israel” (Ezr 7:10). The word translated “prepare” means Ezra “directed” his heart, and the word translated “seek” means he “inquired, investigated, or studied” God’s Law. Notice that Ezra is not just seeking more knowledge; his desire is to “do” the will of God and to teach others so that they also can please Him. ….
Although Azariah is always listed as the last of the trio (Daniel 1:6): “Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah”, variously as “Abednego” (cf. vv. 11, 19; 2:17, 49; 3:12-30), perhaps because he was the youngest, it is apparent that it is he who will take the leading part in the confession of guilt and the prayers.
Again, this is very much like Ezra, who intones the prayers and reads from the Book of the Law (cf. Nehemiah 8:1-18; Ezra 8:15-36; ch’s. 9-10), and who organises the priests and the Levites.
Azariah, then, could well be - as Ezra was (Ezra 7:1-5) - a priest in the line of Aaron, hence, potentially, the High Priest.
Mary Jane Chaignot has written of Azariah’s leadership here, telling that Azariah “speaks for the people of Israel”:
The Prayer of Azariah and the Song of the Three Jews - Bible Study - BibleWise
The Prayer of Azariah and the Song of the Three Jews
By Mary Jane Chaignot
According to the Hebrew Bible, Daniel 3:23 states that the three Hebrew men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. This happened because they refused to bow down and worship the golden statue that Nebuchadnezzar had set up. The plan was that whenever people heard the sound of music, they were all supposed to bow down and worship the statue, which was ninety feet tall and nine feet wide. Anyone who refused would be thrown into the fiery furnace.
After a few practice sessions, some of the locals complained to the king that the three Hebrew men refused to bow down and worship. The king, of course, couldn't let them snub his command. So he called them together and offered them a second chance to right the wrong they had committed. The consequences were clear if they refused. They would be tossed into the fiery furnace, and the king asked, "Who is the God who can save you?"
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego pretty much didn't care what the king threatened to do. They knew that the God they served could rescue them, but even if He didn't, they would refuse to worship the golden statue. Needless to say, the king turned purple at this point and ordered the furnace to be heated seven times hotter than usual.
He commanded that the three men be bound and thrown into the furnace. Unfortunately, the furnace was so hot that the guards who threw them in were killed. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego fell into the midst of the fire.
The prayer of Azariah would be inserted at this point. After a short introduction, the prayer proceeds as a communal lament with a request for deliverance. In so doing, Azariah (Abednego) speaks for the people of Israel by confessing their sins and affirming God's justice. The exile itself was an example of God's justice. This is doubly interesting considering that these three men are in the fiery furnace precisely because they refused to worship a golden image made by the king. In so doing, they were able to remain true to their God; nonetheless they now speak for sinful/idolatrous Israel. What is interesting about this prayer is that since there is no opportunity for sacrifice, Azariah offers a contrite heart. This would demonstrate a considerable advance in the thinking of how to mediate with God. In the absence of sacrifices, a "contrite heart" might suffice in order to assure their acceptance before God.
The next section of the addition focuses on the fiery furnace. It describes how the king's servants stoked the fire to comply with the king's request to heat it "seven times hotter." They piled on more naphtha, pitch, and brush until the flames rose seventy feet above the furnace. Ultimately, it would kill those servants who were too close. The three Hebrew men, however, were saved by the presence of an angel. The angel drove the blaze out of the middle and made it as if a dew-laden breeze were blowing through it. Obviously, they were completely protected from the fire. Some scholars think this section should precede the first. It is difficult to understand how the men survived the fall into the furnace without being burned to death, especially if the fire was so hot that it killed their executioners. It would make more sense for the angel to be present from the beginning to protect them. The dew-laden breeze would then have kept them safe even while they were falling through the flames to the bottom. Despite such logic, this appears as the second section.
Then all three men joined in praising God. Their voices were as one. They invoke all of creation to join in the praise of God, repeating the phrase "Bless the Lord…sing his praise and highly exalt him forever" with each verse except one (see v. 52). This repetition can also be found in some of the Psalms (see Ps. 103, 136, 148).
The repetition adds solemnity and a majestic rhythm to the refrain.
Then the next verse (Dan. 3:24) states that King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished and rose up suddenly, saying to his advisers, "Didn't we throw three men into the fire?" The advisers answered, "Yes, we did."
But now Nebuchadnezzar (and presumably everyone else as well) sees four men walking around in the midst of the flames, to say nothing of the fact that the three somehow survived without being simply consumed by the fire. And the king states that the fourth looks like a son of the gods.
The addition of the prayers has the effect of keeping the focus on the three men and the greatness of their God, instead of on the king and his outrageous commands. Previously, these three men were rather colorless characters. Now, however, they shine as faithful followers. It also highlights the idea that God is a God of justice. The exile was the result of Israel's sin. When people sin against God, God hands them over to their enemies.
This thought is rooted in the premise of the Deuteronomistic history.
The irony, of course, is that the Hebrew Masoretic Text omits these verses, and Christians have tended to ignore them. Some scholars wonder why this is the case, since there is nothing in them that could be considered remotely offensive to Judaic theology. Most concur that it might simply be a matter of length. The prayer is simply too long and too disruptive within the context of the story. Nonetheless, Greek versions can be found in Orthodox and Catholic Bibles.
….
These verses can be divided into three sections: 1:1-22 -- The Prayer of Azariah; 1:23-28 – Description of the Furnace; 1:29-68 – The Song of the Three Jews.
I – 1:1-22 – The Prayer of Azariah
o 1:1-2
o Introduction
o As they walked around in the flames, they sang hymns to God
o Then Azariah stopped and said this prayer
o 1:3-15
o Confession of sins
o Azariah begins by praising God
o He is the God of our fathers and always just in whatever He has done
o His deeds and judgments are true
o The exile was "just" on account of the sins of all the people
o The people did not obey God's commandments
o Nor have they done "what was good for them"
o Because of this, God's actions were justified
o Israel has been delivered into the hands of their enemies
o These enemies are lawless and hateful
o Their king is completely unjust
o Yet, the people of Israel cannot complain
o Shame and disgrace are their lot – even for those who still worship him
o All are culpable
o Azariah prays that God will not abandon them forever or annul His covenant
o He pleads that God will not withdraw His mercy from them
o He refers to the promises made to Abraham and Isaac
o They were promised descendants more numerous than the stars of the sky and of the sands of the seashore
o He realizes Israel's smallness of importance and knows it is a result of their sin
o In exile they have no king, no prophet, no leader [Technically, during the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, Jeremiah and Ezekiel were both actively prophesying, which suggests that this was written much later.]
o They have no temple or anyplace to make an offering
o 1:16-22
o Plea for deliverance
o Azariah asks God to accept their contrite souls and humble spirits
o Like the previous sacrifices of rams and bulls, he prays that God will see their sacrifice
o All he wants is to be able to follow God wholeheartedly
o He does not want those who trust in God to be disappointed
o He avows that they earnestly follow God and fear Him and seek His face
o He prays that God will not put them to shame but treat them leniently
o This would be in accordance with God's great mercy Anyone who abuses them should be put to shame and stripped of power
o Their strength should be broken
o Then even the pagans will know that He "alone is Lord, God"
o God is glorious over the whole world
Compare, for example, Ezra’s confession of the guilt of Israel (Ezra 9:5-15):
Then, at the evening sacrifice, I rose from my self-abasement, with my tunic and cloak torn, and fell on my knees with my hands spread out to the LORD my God and prayed:
“I am too ashamed and disgraced, my God, to lift up my face to you, because our sins are higher than our heads and our guilt has reached to the heavens. From the days of our ancestors until now, our guilt has been great. Because of our sins, we and our kings and our priests have been subjected to the sword and captivity, to pillage and humiliation at the hand of foreign kings, as it is today.
But now, for a brief moment, the LORD our God has been gracious in leaving us a remnant and giving us a firm place in his sanctuary, and so our God gives light to our eyes and a little relief in our bondage. Though we are slaves, our God has not forsaken us in our bondage. He has shown us kindness in the sight of the kings of Persia: He has granted us new life to rebuild the house of our God and repair its ruins, and he has given us a wall of protection in Judah and Jerusalem.
But now, our God, what can we say after this? For we have forsaken the commands you gave through your servants the prophets when you said: ‘The land you are entering to possess is a land polluted by the corruption of its peoples. By their detestable practices they have filled it with their impurity from one end to the other. Therefore, do not give your daughters in marriage to their sons or take their daughters for your sons. Do not seek a treaty of friendship with them at any time, that you may be strong and eat the good things of the land and leave it to your children as an everlasting inheritance.’
What has happened to us is a result of our evil deeds and our great guilt, and yet, our God, you have punished us less than our sins deserved and have given us a remnant like this. Shall we then break your commands again and intermarry with the peoples who commit such detestable practices? Would you not be angry enough with us to destroy us, leaving us no remnant or survivor? LORD, the God of Israel, you are righteous! We are left this day as a remnant. Here we are before you in our guilt, though because of it not one of us can stand in your presence.”
Likewise, Azariah again (in vv. 2-10):
Then Azari′ah stood and offered this prayer; in the midst of the fire he opened his mouth and said:
“Blessed art thou, O Lord, God of our fathers, and worthy of praise;
and thy name is glorified for ever.
For thou art just in all that thou hast done to us,
and all thy works are true and thy ways right,
and all thy judgments are truth.
Thou hast executed true judgments in all that thou hast brought upon us
and upon Jerusalem, the holy city of our fathers,
for in truth and justice thou hast brought all this upon us because of our sins.
For we have sinfully and lawlessly departed from thee,
and have sinned in all things and have not obeyed thy commandments;
we have not observed them or done them,
as thou hast commanded us that it might go well with us.
So all that thou hast brought upon us,
and all that thou hast done to us,
thou hast done in true judgment.
Thou hast given us into the hands of lawless enemies, most hateful rebels,
and to an unjust king, the most wicked in all the world.
And now we cannot open our mouths;
shame and disgrace have befallen thy servants and worshippers.
Part Two:
Ezra when Jerusalem’s wall was re-built
If this is a right conjunction, then we would have at the Dedication of the Wall …
(i) Daniel (= Nehemiah); (ii) Azariah (= Ezra); and (iii) Mishael (= Meshullam).
So far in this article a youthful Ezra has been identified with Azariah, re-named Abed-nego by the Chaldeans, who led the prayers, confessions of guilt, and Divine praises, within the heart of king Nebuchednezzar’s burning fiery furnace.
And, regarding the latter, we now know that Nebuchednezzar’s alter ego, king Ashurbanipal, actually had, and indeed used for execution, “a burning fiery furnace”. See e.g. my article:
Ashurbanipal and Nabonidus
(4) Ashurbanipal and Nabonidus | Damien Mackey - Academia.edu
The burning fiery furnace is a vivid symbol of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, abyss of fiery love:
St. John Vianney put it this way:
“Let us open the door of the Sacred Heart and shut ourselves in for a moment
amidst the divine flames. We shall then realize what God’s love means.”
If our difficulties put us right in the center of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, then instead of complaining about the heat, instead of moaning about the flames … we can take refuge there. The flames become victory. They become freedom.
As our reading just said: “God chastises those who are close to him.” If we want to be close to God, then we must willingly go inside this furnace.
The Crucible of the Heart of Jesus - Casting Out Fear
We move on from king Nebuchednezzar’s Accession Year to his 20th year.
Nebuchednezzar, though, is now to be found under an alternate name, “Artaxerxes”.
Mid-way through the reign of Nebuchednezzar
Here we encounter our first “King Artaxerxes” (Nehemiah 2:1), who, as further enquiry informs us, was “king of Babylon” (13:6). Despite that vital piece of information, critics argue over whether this monarch - as well as the “Artaxerxes king of Persia” in Ezra 7:1 - was meant as a reference to Artaxerxes I (c. 464 to 425 BC) or to Artaxerxes II (c. 404 to 358 BC).
It was neither.
This verse does not refer to an Achaemenid king at all, but to a Chaldean king.
The king in question was, in fact, Nebuchednezzar the king of Babylon.
The wall of Jerusalem had recently been destroyed by the Chaldeans.
With the Great King’s permission, Nehemiah will rebuild it.
He was an obvious favourite of the Chaldean king:
Daniel and Nehemiah
(3) Daniel and Nehemiah | Damien Mackey - Academia.edu
Did Daniel’s learned friend, Azariah (= Ezra), accompany him on this brief mission?
Though the paths of Nehemiah and Ezra barely seem to cross, which had caused me for a long time to imagine that Ezra was Nehemiah, I can identify a few verses in the Book of Nehemiah that definitely seem to place Ezra and Nehemiah side by side.
Firstly, there is the well-known one - most controversial for those who try to separate Ezra and Nehemiah chronologically (8:9): “Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and teacher of the Law, and the Levites who were instructing the people said to them all, ‘This day is holy to the LORD your God. Do not mourn or weep’. For all the people had been weeping as they listened to the words of the Law”.
I used to try to read this verse as a waw consecutive, “Then Nehemiah … even Ezra …”, thereby fusing two names into the one person.
But a second verse seems to militate right against that notion. At the Dedication of the Wall, the very incident upon which we are focussed here, we read that (12:36): “Ezra the teacher of the Law led the procession”. That this “Ezra” could not be a reference to Nehemiah himself is apparent from this combination of verses in Nehemiah 12:
27 At the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem ….
31 I [Nehemiah] had the leaders of Judah go up on top of the wall. I also assigned two large choirs to give thanks.
36 Ezra the teacher of the Law led the procession.
The seemingly obscure Ezra likely ‘peeps out’ again in verse 33: “… along with Azariah, Ezra, Meshullam …”.
Of possible great interest, regarding the last name here, “Meshullam”, is that William H. Shea has proposed an historical identification of Azariah’s friend, Mishael (Meshach), with Nebuchednezzar’s official, Mušallim-Marduk:
William H. Shea's hopeful historical evidence for Daniel's three friends, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego
(2) (DOC) William H. Shea's hopeful historical evidence for Daniel's three friends, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego | Damien Mackey - Academia.edu
If this is a conjunction, then we would have at the Dedication of the Wall (my reconstruction): (i) Daniel (= Nehemiah); (ii) Azariah (= Ezra); and (iii) Mishael (= Meshullam).
Just to complicate matters, though, in Nehemiah 8:4 both a Mishael and a Meshullam stand on the left side of Ezra: “Ezra the teacher of the Law stood on a high wooden platform built for the occasion. … on his left were Pedaiah, Mishael, Malkijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah and Meshullam”.
Part Three:
One named Ezra returned with Zerubbabel and Jeshua
“These were the priests and Levites who returned with Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel
and with Joshua [Jeshua]: Seraiah, Jeremiah, Ezra …”.
Nehemiah 12:1
Tradition would have it that Ezra the scribe was not part of this important return of Jewish exiles to Jerusalem from Babylon when king Cyrus issued his famous decree in c. 535 BC (conventional dating, not mine) ordering for the Temple of Yahweh to be re-built (Ezra 1:1-4).
I referred to this extraordinary situation in my article:
Did Ezra leave Babylon only after Baruch died?
(3) (DOC) Did Ezra leave Babylon only after Baruch died? | Damien Mackey - Academia.edu
Ezra, who had previously returned to Jerusalem with governor Nehemiah in the 20th year of king Nebuchednezzar (that is, “Artaxerxes king of Babylon”: Nehemiah 13:6), to rebuild the Wall that the Chaldeans had wrecked - while Baruch was actually away in Egypt with Jeremiah - would be expected to re-visit Jerusalem for this once-in-a-lifetime occasion, Year 1 of Cyrus. By now, Ezra would have been almost 30 years older than when he had accompanied Nehemiah to Jerusalem on the Wall building expedition.
True to form, though, the obscure Ezra does not stand out in any accounts of this great event.
I would see him as one of the leading priests-Levites referred to in Nehemiah 12:1: “These were the priests and Levites who returned with Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and with Joshua: Seraiah, Jeremiah, Ezra …”.
Ezra the scribe, even though he was of the priestly line of Aaron (Ezra 7:1-5), would not actually assume the rôle of the High Priest in Jerusalem, however.
No doubt this was because of his official commitments.
Had not king Nebuchednezzar appointed Ezra (as the young Azariah), and his two fiery furnace companions, Hananiah and Mishael, to be high officials in the kingdom (Daniel 3:30): “Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the province of Babylon”?
(Refer back to the William H. Shea article)
The High Priest for this period, from the commencement of the construction of the Temple in the 1st year of Cyrus, until its completion, in the 6th year of king Darius, was Joshua, or Jeshua (cf. Ezra 3:2; 6:15), apparently the grandfather of Eliashib (Nehemiah 12:10) who had been the High Priest at the time of Nehemiah’s first visit (3:1).
Part Four:
Ezra returns again as soon as the Temple is completed
“After these things, during the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia, Ezra son of Seraiah,
the son of Azariah, the son of Hilkiah, the son of Shallum, the son of Zadok, the son of Ahitub, the son of Amariah, the son of Azariah, the son of Meraioth, the son of Zerahiah,
the son of Uzzi, the son of Bukki, the son of Abishua, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the chief priest— this Ezra came up from Babylon”.
Ezra 7:1-6
Though Ezra was of the line of the chief priests, being descended from Aaron, it will be Jeshua, not Ezra, who will serve as the High Priest (Kohen Gadol) at the beginnings of the second Temple. Ezra, likely, as I have suggested, had high official duties in Babylon.
Now, the prophet Zechariah would have a most dramatic vision of Jeshua (or Joshua) as clothed in utterly filthy garments, and being judicially accused by Satan (Zechariah 3:1-10): https://bible.ucg.org/bible-commentary/Zechariah/Vision-concerning-Joshua-the-high-priest-and-the-coming-Branch/
The high priest Joshua stands before the Angel of the Lord (3:1). As this particular figure is able to remove iniquity (see verses 3-4), the reference is apparently to the preincarnate Christ. Indeed, in verse 2 we see the "Lord" calling a rebuke down from the "Lord"—evidently Christ calling a rebuke down from God the Father.
The rebuke is called down on Satan. "The Hebrew is literally 'the Satan,' meaning 'the Accuser'" (Nelson Study Bible, note on verse 1)—or, similarly, "the Adversary" or "the Opponent." The word "oppose" in verse 1 could also, in a legal setting, be rendered "accuse." "Satan's accusation invests [the scene] with a judicial character. The position of standing at the right side was the place of accusation under the law (Ps 109:6). Satan knows the purposes of God concerning Israel and therefore has always accused the Jews and accuses them still.... Satan is the accuser, not only of Joshua (i.e., Israel), but also of all believers (Job 1-2; Rev 12:10)" (Expositor's Bible Commentary, note on Zechariah 3:1). It is interesting to recall that the Samaritans, as agents of Satan to thwart the restoration of Judah and its worship, had constantly brought the Jews before the Persian imperial court (Ezra 4:4-5).
The reason for Satan's accusation in Zechariah 3 is evidently Joshua's impurity, as symbolized by his defiled garments. Expositor's states in its note on verse 3: "The Hebrew word soim ('filthy') is 'the strongest expression in the Hebrew language for filth of the most vile and loathsome character' (Feinberg...).
Some interpreters maintain that Joshua was covered with excrement—only in the vision, of course! Such clothes represent the pollution of sin (cf. Isa 64:6). To compound the problem, Joshua (i.e., Israel), contaminated by sin, was ministering in this filthy condition before the Angel of the Lord." Joshua had been guilty of sin, having previously abandoned the reconstruction of the temple while continuing in priestly service. "The high priest represented the people before God (see Ex. 28:29) and under no circumstances was to become defiled or unclean (Ex. 28:2; Lev. 21:10-15)" (Nelson, note on Zechariah 3:3). It is interesting to consider the high priest as representative of the nation, for the figure of Joshua is clearly being used that way in this passage. The whole nation, this priestly nation (see Exodus 19:6), stood guilty before God.
The national identification is clear from verse 2. Responding to Satan's accusation against Joshua, the One who would later become Jesus Christ responds, "The Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you!"
He follows with "Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?" God had earlier told the people of Israel in Amos 4:11, "I overthrew some of you, as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, and you were like a firebrand plucked from the burning." That prophecy was dual, referring to both ancient and end-time Israel.
The current vision is the same in this regard. Expositor's notes: "The reference to the burning stick snatched from the fire is an additional indication that Israel, not Joshua, is ultimately in view. Israel was retrieved to carry out God's future purpose for her (cf. Amos 4:11). The 'fire' refers to the Babylonian captivity. Metaphorically, Israel was snatched as a burning stick from that fire. However, this event may also look back to the deliverance from Egypt (cf. Deut 4:20; 7:7-8; Jer 11:4) and forward to the rescue from the coming tribulation period (cf. Jer 30:7; Zech 13:8-9; Rev 12:13-17)" (note on Zechariah 3:2). ….
Whilst the description of Jeshua as “a brand plucked from the fire” might immediately make me think of Ezra - as the young Azariah delivered from the fiery furnace - the prophet Zechariah’s account of a High Priest covered with filth can by no means, one would think, be applicable to the saintly Azariah-Ezra.
So far we have had Ezra return to Jerusalem on two important occasions, namely:
(i) Year 20 of king Nebuchednezzar, when governor Nehemiah rebuilt the Wall; and
(ii) Year 1 of king Cyrus, when official permission was given to the Jews to re-build the Temple of Yahweh.
A little less than 30 years separated these two events according to my revision.
Having settled the identification, as Nebuchednezzar, of the “Artaxerxes … king of Babylon” named in the Book of Nehemiah, we must now identify the “Artaxerxes king of Persia” mentioned in Ezra 7:1, who is absolutely key to the chronology of Ezra the scribe. For it was in “the seventh year of King Artaxerxes” when Ezra returned to Jerusalem (Ezra 7:7-8).
As a useful commentator like Herb Storck (History and Prophecy: A Study in the Post-Exilic Period, House of Nabu, 1989) has insisted, this particular “Artaxerxes” can only be the Darius king of Persia in whose 6th year the Temple was completed (6:15).
Ezra came back immediately afterwards, in the 7th year of Darius the Persian.
Ezra was now bringing silver and gold, for which priestly purposes the King of Persia had decreed (Ezra 7:12-17):
Artaxerxes, king of kings,
To Ezra the priest, teacher of the Law of the God of heaven:
Greetings.
Now I decree that any of the Israelites in my kingdom, including priests and Levites, who volunteer to go to Jerusalem with you, may go. You are sent by the king and his seven advisers to inquire about Judah and Jerusalem with regard to the Law of your God, which is in your hand. Moreover, you are to take with you the silver and gold that the king and his advisers have freely given to the God of Israel, whose dwelling is in Jerusalem, together with all the silver and gold you may obtain from the province of Babylon, as well as the freewill offerings of the people and priests for the temple of their God in Jerusalem. With this money be sure to buy bulls, rams and male lambs, together with their grain offerings and drink offerings, and sacrifice them on the altar of the Temple of your God in Jerusalem.
On the return journey home, Ezra would also have a delegation collect, from Kasiphia, Levites, who were completely lacking in the original group that had departed from Babylon (8:15-20).
One amongst the “leaders” whom Ezra sent there was Meshullam (v. 16), a possible candidate, as we have found, for Mishael of the fiery furnace episode.
The usually obscure scribe Ezra was this time, at the completion of the Temple, a major player (Ezra 7-10) - this visit of his occurring almost twenty years after his previous return to Jerusalem in Year 1 of Cyrus.
In this article, three returns of Ezra have been identified:
(i) Year 20 of Nebuchednezzar the Chaldean, to rebuild the broken Wall of Jerusalem;
(ii) Year 1 of Cyrus, the Medo-Persian, to commence the building of the Temple; and
(iii) Year 7 of Darius, just after the completion of the second Temple.
This new chronology solves, I believe, the problem of who came first, Ezra or Nehemiah?
They both came together to rebuild the Wall, and were there together again when the Temple’s reconstruction had commenced.
But by the time that Ezra had returned on the third occasion, in Year 7 of Artaxerxes, which incident, as some commentators argue, actually pre-dated Nehemiah’s return in Year 20 of Artaxerxes – {and though this might seem logical, these were, in fact, two different kings “Artaxerxes”} – much of the work and reform that one finds in the Book of Nehemiah, had, of course, been completed – with Ezra himself also having played a significant part in it all.
In the context of Ezra the scribe’s third return to Jerusalem only (Year 7 of Artaxerxes), the events narrated in the Book of Nehemiah would generally pre-date those of the Book of Ezra. For more on this, see e.g. my article:
Nehemiah, and a cracker from A. van Hoonacker
(3) (DOC) Nehemiah, and a cracker from A. van Hoonacker | Damien Mackey - Academia.edu
Part Five:
Ezra endured an horrific death in Maccabean times
Judas Maccabeus asked this Esdrias (8:23) “to read the sacred book aloud …”.
Is this not precisely what Ezra would do? (Nehemiah 8:1-3) …”
Ezra, a mostly obscure character throughout the Scriptures, despite his immense reputation and status, will now (according to my much revised chronology) emerge in 2 Maccabees.
We firstly encounter him there as Esdrias, a name very close to Esdras, a version of Ezra.
In 2 Maccabees, in chapter 12, we read that this Esdrias was even commanding Jewish troops (v. 36). “… Esdrias and his men had been fighting for a long time and were exhausted …”.
Then, more characteristically of Ezra, we learn that, after a Maccabean victory over Nicanor, Judas Maccabeus asked this Esdrias (8:23) “to read the sacred book aloud …”.
Is this not precisely what Ezra would do? (Nehemiah 8:1-3): “… all the people … asked Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses which Yahweh had prescribed for Israel. …
Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly …. On the square before the Water Gate … he read from the book from early morning till noon …”.
Finally, as according to my multi-part series:
Ezra ‘Father of the Jews’ dying the death of Razis
beginning with:
Ezra ‘Father of the Jews’ dying the death of Razis. Part One: Introductory section | Damien Mackey - Academia.edu
Ezra was the same as the Jewish elder, Razis, whose spectacular but gory death - surely one of the most dramatic in history - is narrated in 2 Maccabees 14. He has been described by one commentator as a “madman”, and his suicidal manner of death has been deemed “cowardly”.
But, whatever one may conclude about the manner of his death, this Razis was no coward.
The Maccabean account tells that Razis “bravely threw himself down into the crowd”.
And, a few verses earlier, it had recalled how this man had, in bygone days, sacrificed himself fearlessly for his people: “In former times, when there was no mingling with the Gentiles, he had been accused of Judaism, and he had most zealously risked body and life for Judaism”. Owing to this, Razis, “a man who loved his compatriots and was very well thought of”, was, “for his goodwill … called Father of the Jews”.
Ezra, of course, is similarly known as “Father of Judaïsm”.
Tradition has Ezra dying “at the age of 120”:
https://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/5967-ezra-the-scribe
All of these years would be needed to cover the lengthy life that I have attributed to Ezra in this article, from his young manhood, as the wise Azariah, at the beginning of the reign of the Chaldean king, Nebuchednezzar, until the wars of Judas Maccabeus against the Seleucids.
