Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Liz Fried" <lizfried AT umich.edu>]

> From: Jonathan D. Safren [mailto:yonsaf AT beitberl.ac.il]

>
>
> Walter Mattfeld wrote:
>
> > If Ezra wrote the "Primary History" (Genesis-2 Kings), then it is most
> > unlikely that he would have written the statement found in Ge. 13:7,
> > describing the historical situation in the days of Abraham and Lot-
> >
> > "At that time the Canaanites and the Perizzites dwelt in the Land"
> >
> > This statement suggests to some commentators that the narrator
> is explaining
> > to his audience a situation that currently doesn't prevail,
> i.e., there are
> > no Canaanites or Perizzites presently in the land.
> >
> > That Ezra would not have written this is suggested by comments
> attributed to
> > him in Ezr.9:1-
> >
> > "The people of Israel...have not separated themselves from the
> peoples of
> > the lands...from the CANAANITES, the Hittites, the PERIZZITES, the
> > Jebusites, the Ammonites..."
> >
Jonathan Safren wrote:

> It is more likely that the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the
> Hittites, etc. no longer
> existed in Ezra's time, and that basing himself on what was
> written in the Torah, he is
> using these peoples as a metaphor for the non-Jews then living in Judah.

I agree with this. I am writing my dissertation (almost done --yay!) on the
Impact of the Achaemenid Empire on the Rise to Power of the Judaean
Priesthood.
I do not share the understanding of Ezra that the commentators on
Ezra-Nehemiah have had.  I survey temple-palace relations during the
Achaemenid period in Babylon, Asia Minor, and Egypt. I conclude that Ezra's
mission is
entirely consistent with Persian policy, but I understand his mission
differently from most. As an historical character, he did not have the
impact on Judah that Nehemiah did. The bulk of the book attributed to him I
think is midrash on his historical mission.

One reason for suggesting Ezra is not historical is the lack of outside
references to him in Maccabees, Ben Sira, etc. I don't think there was any
reason for him to have been mentioned there. The book of Ezra-Nehemiah is
one book. It was probably known as the book of Nehemiah, and Ezra simply a
character in it.

I think the book of Ezra-Nehemiah as we have it was redacted during the
reign of Darius III, 335-333, no earlier and no later.

I have applied to give a talk on this at SBL in the fall. But in any case,
it is in my dissertation, which will be available on microfilm after May 11.

Thanks,
Liz




> Sincerely,
> Jonathan D. Safren
> Dept. of Biblical Studies
> Beit Berl College
> 44905 Beit Berl Post Office
> Israel
>
>
>
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