The history of Judaism, is a lengthy and very interesting one. Being one of the oldest organized religions in the world, Judaism has been studied by many scholars. Although the history of Judaism is pretty solid, there has always been a debate about one specific issue. The issue in question is the arrival date Ezra the scribe into Jerusalem, and whether he arrived before or after Nehemiah. This issue has been the topic of many scholarly publications, and it seems that many people have differing opinions on the date of his arrival. This paper will discuss the different arguments that have been made on whether Ezra arrived in Jerusalem before or after Nehemiah, and whether the arrival date of Ezra is significant in the grand scheme of the religion.
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This theory is arguable one of the most famous and well known alternative theories in explaining the arrivals of Ezra and Nehemiah. This theory was made famous by Albin Van Hoonacker.[ Ron Bracy, "An Examination of the Validity of a Fourth Century B.C. Date for Ezra and Nehemiah, and its Significance," Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (1988): 83] This theory was primarily created to combat the various date issues and chronological issues that are in the Hebrew bible. Although Van Hoonacker had eight proofs of evidence to prove his point, this essay will discuss the most significant ones. The main components of this theory suggest that Ezra arrived in Jerusalem in the seventh year of Artaxerxes the seconds reign as king in 398 BCE, while Nehemiah arrived in the first kings reign in 445 BCE . This would mean that Ezra arrived in Jerusalem, fifty years after Nehemiah’s first arrival into the state . The theory also states that both Nehemiah and Ezra did not know each and thus they did not work together like previously suggested in the traditional view the events. One of the strongest arguments used by proponents of this theory, is presence of the “wall of Jerusalem” upon Ezra’s arrival. Ezra in his prayers mentions a wall that is surrounding the city and protecting it,thus keeping it peaceful.[ H. G. M Williamson, Ezra and Nehemiah, (Sheffield: JSOT for the Society for Old Testament Study, 1987):60-61] But this is a contradictory in the text, because it was Nehemiah that rebuilt the Wall of Jerusalem. Rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem was the first priority of Nehemiah when he first came to Jerusalem. Thus the wall could not have existed before the time Ezra, so this would mean that Ezra arrived after the rebuilding of the wall by
This theory is arguable one of the most famous and well known alternative theories in explaining the arrivals of Ezra and Nehemiah. This theory was made famous by Albin Van Hoonacker.[ Ron Bracy, "An Examination of the Validity of a Fourth Century B.C. Date for Ezra and Nehemiah, and its Significance," Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (1988): 83] This theory was primarily created to combat the various date issues and chronological issues that are in the Hebrew bible. Although Van Hoonacker had eight proofs of evidence to prove his point, this essay will discuss the most significant ones. The main components of this theory suggest that Ezra arrived in Jerusalem in the seventh year of Artaxerxes the seconds reign as king in 398 BCE, while Nehemiah arrived in the first kings reign in 445 BCE . This would mean that Ezra arrived in Jerusalem, fifty years after Nehemiah’s first arrival into the state . The theory also states that both Nehemiah and Ezra did not know each and thus they did not work together like previously suggested in the traditional view the events. One of the strongest arguments used by proponents of this theory, is presence of the “wall of Jerusalem” upon Ezra’s arrival. Ezra in his prayers mentions a wall that is surrounding the city and protecting it,thus keeping it peaceful.[ H. G. M Williamson, Ezra and Nehemiah, (Sheffield: JSOT for the Society for Old Testament Study, 1987):60-61] But this is a contradictory in the text, because it was Nehemiah that rebuilt the Wall of Jerusalem. Rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem was the first priority of Nehemiah when he first came to Jerusalem. Thus the wall could not have existed before the time Ezra, so this would mean that Ezra arrived after the rebuilding of the wall by