I Esdras

In 1 Edras Michael Bird presents a commentary on this much neglected text based on its witness in Codex Vaticanus as part of the next installment of the Septuagint Commentary Series. Containing material that parallels 2 Chronicles, Ezra, and Nehemiah, 1 Esdras is featured in the Septuagint and Christian Apocrypha. The commentary presents a survey of critical issues related to the study of 1 Esdras and provides an impressive literary analysis of the contours of 1 Esdras.

The two books of the Apocrypha treated here have little in common apart from the attribution of their authorship to Ezra (Esdras in Greek), the 'second founder' of Judaism. The commentators resolve the confusion arising from different ways of referring to the various Ezra writings before examining each book separately.

The books of Ezra-Nehemiah and 1 Esdras tell the story of the Judean return from exile in Babylon, of rebuilding the temple, and of creating a new community in Zion. For scholars and students trying to understand the Second Temple period, there are no other contemporary narratives available, giving these books prime importance. In Was First Esdras First? world-renowned scholars fully discuss, without arriving at a consensus, the relationship between Ezra-Nehemiah and 1 Esdras. In addition, they delve into these books' dates and methods of composition, the sources used, their respective historical and social milieus, their original languages, and their authority and status in antiquity. This collection adds to our understanding of the history of Second Temple Judah, the formation of early Judaism, and the processes by which biblical books were composed. The contributors are Lisbeth S. Fried, Deirdre N. Fulton and Gary N. Knoppers, Lester L. Grabbe, Adrian Schenker, Bob Becking, Kristin De Troyer, Juha Pakkala, Zipora Talshir, James C. VanderKam, Jacob L. Wright, Sebastian Grätz, Paul B. Harvey Jr., Sylvie Honigman, Sara Japhet, Ralph W. Klein, and H. G. M. Williamson.

CD-ROM contains: Introductions and verse-by-verse commentaries to Genesis and Mark's Gospel -- Logos Library System.

1 Esdras is an alternative version of the book of Ezra-Nehemiah in the Septuagint. Most Eastern Orthodox churches accord the book canonical status. This is the first commentary on 1 Esdras based on the critical text of the Göttingen Septuagint edition. It understands 1 Esdras not simply as a fragment of the Chronistic history or as merely a compilation, but rather as a coherent narrative. Its interpretation as a literary work and the reconstruction of its composition take into account both the historical backgrounds of the narrative setting of the Persian period and the historical location of the composition in the Hasmonaean period. 1 Esdras is currently enjoying a period of renewed attention in scholarship. Its relationship to Ezra-Nehemiah is seen as a prime example of literary-historical developments in Israel.