1 Esdras
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1 Esdras (Greek: Ἔσδρας Αʹ), also Esdras A, Greek Esdras, Greek Ezra, or 3 Esdras, is the ancient Greek Septuagint version of the biblical Book of Ezra in use within the early church, and among many modern Christians with varying degrees of canonicity. 1 Esdras is substantially similar to the standard Hebrew version of Ezra–Nehemiah, with the passages specific to the career of Nehemiah removed or re-attributed to Ezra, and some additional material.
As part of the Septuagint translation, it is now regarded as canonical in the churches of the East, but apocryphal in the West; either presented in a separate section, or excluded altogether.[1] 1 Esdras is found in Origen's Hexapla. The Greek Septuagint, the Old Latin bible and related bible versions include both Esdras Αʹ (English title: 1 Esdras) and Esdras Βʹ (Ezra–Nehemiah) as separate books.
There is scope for considerable confusion with references to 1 Esdras. The name refers primarily to translations of the original Greek 'Esdras A'.
Overwhelmingly, citations in early Christian writings claimed from the scriptural 'Book of Ezra' (without any qualification) are taken from 1 Esdras, and never from the 'Ezra' sections of
Contents
1 Esdras contains the whole of Ezra with the addition of one section; its verses are numbered differently. Just as Ezra begins with the last two verses of 2 Chronicles, 1 Esdras begins with the last two chapters; this suggests that Chronicles and Esdras may have been read as one book at sometime in the past.
Ezra 4:6 includes a reference to a King
The additional section begins with a story variously known as the '
| EZRA AND I ESDRAS COMPARED | ||
|---|---|---|
| Masoretic Text | Septuagint | Summary |
| Continuation of Paralipomenon (i.e., "Things Set Off" from Esdras) | ||
| (II Chr. 35) | (I Esd. 1:1-33) | |
| (II Chr. 36) | (I Esd. 1:34-58) | |
| Begin Ezra | ||
| Ezr. 1 | I Esd. 2:1-14 | Cyrus's edict to rebuild the Temple |
| Ezr. 4:7-24 | I Esd. 2:15-30a | Flash forward to Artaxerxes’ reign (prolepsis) |
| Core: Chiasm of Celebration | ||
| — | I Esd. 2:30b | Inclusio: Work hindered until second year of Darius’s reign |
| — | I Esd. 3 | A Feast in the court of Darius with Darius contest |
| — | I Esd. 4 | B Darius vows to repatriate the exiles |
| — | I Esd. 5:1-6 | X The feast of those who returned to Jerusalem |
| Ezr. 2 | I Esd. 5:7-46 | B' List of former exiles who returned |
| Ezr. 3 | I Esd. 5:47-65 | A' Feast of Tabernacles |
| Ezr. 4:1-5[8] | I Esd. 5:66-73 | Inclusio: Work hindered until second year of Darius’s reign |
| Conclusion | ||
| Ezr. 5 | I Esd. 6:1-22 | In the second year of Darius's reign |
| Ezr. 6 | I Esd. 6:23 — 7 | The temple is finished |
| Ezr. 7 | I Esd. 8:1-27 | In Artaxerxes’ reign |
| Ezr. 8 | I Esd. 8:28-67 | List of latter exiles who returned |
| Ezr. 9 | I Esd. 8:68-90 | Repentance from miscegenation |
| Ezr. 10 | I Esd. 8:91-9:36 | Putting away of foreign wives and children |
| (Neh. 7:73-8:12) | (I Esd. 9:37-55) | |
Author and criticism
The purpose of the book seems to be retelling the
In the current Greek texts, the book breaks off in the middle of a sentence; that particular verse thus had to be reconstructed from an early Latin translation. However, it is generally presumed that the original work extended to the
Some scholars, including Joseph Blenkinsopp in his 1988 commentary on Ezra–Nehemiah, hold that the book is a late 2nd/early 1st century BC revision of Esdras and Esdras β,[12] while others such as L. L. Grabbe believe it to be independent of the Hebrew-language Ezra–Nehemiah.[13]
Use in the Christian canon
The book was widely quoted by early Christian authors and it found a place in
The Vulgate text of 3 Esdras is a translation from the Greek version of the Septuagint called Esdras A.[16]
In the Roman rite liturgy, the book is cited once in the Extraordinary Missal of 1962 in the Offertory of the votive Mass for the election of a Pope. Non participentur sancta, donec exsurgat póntifex in ostensiónem et veritátem ("Let them not take part in the holy things, until there arise a priest unto showing and truth.") (3 Esdras 5, 40).[17]
Nomenclature
The book normally called 1 Esdras is numbered differently among various versions of the Bible. In most editions of the Septuagint, the book is titled in Greek: Ἔσδρας Αʹ and is placed before the single book of Ezra–Nehemiah, which is titled in Greek: Ἔσδρας Βʹ.
Summary
- Septuagint and its derivative translations: Ἔσδρας Αʹ = 1 Esdras
- King James Version and many[18] successive English translations: 1 Esdras
- Clementine Vulgate and its derivative translations: 3 Esdras
- Slavonic Bible: 2 Esdras
- Romanian Synodal Version: III Ezdra[19]
- Ethiopic Bible: Ezra Kali[20]
See also
References
- Thirty-Nine Articles of the Church of England. Read Article VI at episcopalian.org Archived 2007-09-28 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ .
- ^ a b "St. Jerome, The Prologue on the Book of Ezra: English translation".
- ^ "Are Esras 1 and 2 Canonical". Catholic Answers. Retrieved 7 December 2018.
- ^ Charles C. Torrey (1910). Ezra Studies. University of Chicago Press. p. 58.
- ^ W. F. Albright, "The Date and Personality of the Chronicler", JBL 40 (1921), 121. Full text.
- ^ Edwin Yamauchi, "The Reverse Order of Ezra/Nehemiah Reconsidered," Themelios 5.3 (1980), 7-13. Full text.
- ^ Ezra 4:6, which introduces a difficult "King Ahasuerus", is not found in I Esdras.
- ISBN 978-0-19-007411-1.
- ISBN 978-3-17-029801-9.
- ISBN 978-3-17-029801-9.
- ^ Blenkinsopp, Joseph, "Ezra-Nehemiah: A Commentary" (Eerdmans, 1988) pp.70–71
- ^ Grabbe, L.L., A History of the Jews and Judaism in the Second Temple Period, Volume 1 (T&T Clark, 2004) p.83
- ^ Gallagher, Edmon L.; Meade, John D. (2017), The Biblical Canon Lists from Early Christianity, OUP, p. 201
- ^ Clementine Vulgate, Note to the Appendix
- ^ The Latin Versions of First Esdras, Harry Clinton York, The American Journal of Semitic Languages and Literatures, Vol. 26, No. 4 (Jul., 1910), pp. 253–302
- ^ "Actual Apocrypha in the Liturgy | Catholic News Live".
- ^ Including RSV, NRSV, NEB, REB, and GNB
- ^ "Biblia sau Sfanta Scriptura".
- EthiopianEzra Kali means "2 Ezra".
External links
- Various translations of 1 Esdras at the World Wide Study Bible
- Catholic Encyclopedia: Esdras: THE BOOKS OF ESDRAS: III Esdras
- Jewish Encyclopedia: Esdras, Books of: I Esdras
- 1 Esdras 1 – NRSV
- 1 Esdras at Early Jewish Writings
- 1 Ezra: 2012 Critical Translation with Audio Drama at biblicalaudio
- . Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). 1911.
