Chapter 12
Home for the Holidays: Returning to the Promised Land with Ezra and Nehemiah
In This Chapter
Returning to the Promised Land courtesy of Cyrus the Great
Rebuilding the Temple with Zerubbabel
Repairing Jerusalem’s walls with Nehemiah
Rediscovering Israel’s biblical heritage with Ezra
T he Jews of the fifth century B.C.E. had a hard time being optimistic. And who could blame them? Less than a century earlier, their beloved country, Judah, their capital city, Jerusalem, and their pride and joy, God’s Temple, had all been destroyed by the Babylonians. Now in exile, their culture lay in danger of disappearing through assimilation. Theologically, they struggled with issues of theodicy — a fancy way of saying “Why did God let these terrible things happen to us”?
The Bible’s answer to the question of “Why?” was that God hadn’t abandoned His people, but that they’d abandoned Him through their continual disregard for His commandments. But things didn’t have to stay this way. If they would turn back to God and mend their ways, God would restore them to their Promised Land. And this is exactly what happens! Thanks in large part to a Persian king named Cyrus the Great, who issues a decree allowing those in exile to return to their ancestral home, and thanks to those brave souls who took him up on his offer, Jerusalem and its Temple are eventually rebuilt, and the Jews find themselves again in their homeland.
In this chapter, you examine the Books of Ezra and Nehemiah, which chronicle the exiled Jews’ return to Jerusalem as they discover anew that “there’s no place like home.”
Who wrote Ezra and Nehemiah?
The Books of Ezra and Nehemiah were originally a single book (called Ezra), and in many Jewish Bibles they’re still reckoned as one book (usually called Ezra-Nehemiah). Christian scholars in the third and fourth centuries C.E. separated these books based on their different protagonists. One reason Ezra and Nehemiah have always been so closely connected is their similar vocabularies and theological outlooks. In fact, some scholars believe that not only Ezra and Nehemiah but also 1 and 2 Chronicles (see Chapter 10) were written or, more accurately, compiled by the same person (traditionally Ezra). 2 Chronicles even ends with the same passage that begins Ezra: Cyrus the Great’s edict giving the Jews permission to return to their homeland.
Cyrus the Great’s Great Idea
Cyrus the Great is one of the real heroes of antiquity. He not only overthrows the unpopular Babylonian Empire in 539 B.C.E., but he also encourages his new subjects to go back to their homelands and revive their former way of life. The Jews were no exception to Cyrus’s rule. Thus, in 538 B.C.E., Cyrus permits any Jews who so desire to return to Judah and rebuild God’s Temple. Here is Cyrus’s edict, as recorded in the Bible:
Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: the LORD, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of earth, and He has charged me to build Him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whoever is among you of all His people, may his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and rebuild the house of the LORD, the God of Israel, He is the God who is in Jerusalem. And let each survivor, in whatever place he stays, be assisted by the men of his place with silver and gold, with goods and with animals, besides freewill offerings for the house of God which is in Jerusalem.
—Ezra 1:2–4
Home is where the heart is: The Jews who stayed in Babylon
Even though Cyrus the Great allows the Jews to return to Jerusalem, not everyone packs up and leaves. In fact, relatively few do, and those who ultimately return don’t do it all at once. Most Mesopotamian Jews are firmly established, having spent over half a century there already. Moreover, many followed the prophet Jeremiah’s advice to buy property in Babylon and settle down (Jeremiah 29). Therefore, the majority of Jews remain in Babylon, which will become the dominant and most influential Jewish community from the period of the exile throughout the Greco-Roman Period. It is this community that produces the Babylonian Talmud (third to fifth centuries C.E.), a collection of Jewish laws and stories that is the most important book in Judaism outside of the Hebrew Bible.
There’s no place like home: The Jews who returned to Judea (Ezra 1–2)
Those Jews who decide to return to Jerusalem do so initially under the leadership of Sheshbazzar, a member of Judah’s royal family. Although the first wave of returnees (around 538 B.C.E.) doesn’t seem to have been very large, they had the financial backing of those who remained in Babylon. They also brought back with them the Temple vessels confiscated earlier by the Babylonian king, Nebuchadnezzar, when he conquered and eventually destroyed Jerusalem (586 B.C.E.).
Aside from mentioning Sheshbazzar’s departure from Babylon, the Bible provides very little information about his activity and accomplishments once back in Judea. Based on the evidence, it seems that Sheshbazzar and his fellow returnees began laying the foundations of the Temple (Ezra 5:16), but for unknown reasons, they’re unable to complete the task.
The Second Temple: A Sight for Sore Eyes
Eighteen years after the initial return of the exiles under Sheshbazzar, work begins anew on the Temple. But this time the returnees are led by a man named Zerubbabel, the grandson of Jehoiachin, the king of Judah exiled and later favored by the Babylonians (see 2 Kings 25:27–30).
Picking up where others left off: Re-rebuilding the Temple (Ezra 3)
When Zerubbabel, with the approval of the Persian Empire, and the Jews accompanying him first arrive in Jerusalem (around 520 B.C.E.), they begin where the first wave of returnees left off: rebuilding the Temple. They start by rebuilding the central altar, which allows them to offer sacrifices to God. They then begin work on the Temple itself. When the foundation is laid, most of the people shout for joy. However, when those familiar with the first Temple see the diminished size of the new foundation, they weep, realizing that this Temple (creatively called the second Temple by scholars) will in no way compare to Solomon’s glorious structure. Despite these mixed emotions, the people busy themselves with the construction of the new Temple.
Who are the Samaritans?
According to the Bible, the Samaritans of Ezra and Nehemiah’s day consisted of people resettled by the Assyrians from southern Mesopotamia (2 Kings 17). That is, they weren’t legitimate Israelites. The Samaritans, however, claimed descent from the Israelite tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh. Regardless of the Samaritans’ origins, the returning Judeans believed them to be intruders, and, despite offers by the Samaritans to work in unison to rebuild Jerusalem, the returnees resist. In the New Testament, Jesus uses the story of a “Good Samaritan” (an oxymoron to most Jews of his day) to teach that one should love everyone (Luke 10:29–37).
Running interference: The Samaritans’ opposition to the Temple (Ezra 4–6)
Although the Book of Ezra doesn’t follow a strict chronological order, it is clear that at some point during the rebuilding of the Temple, the Jews’ efforts are hampered by a people known as the Samaritans (see the sidebar “Who are the Samaritans?” in this chapter), who are upset by the Jews’ refusal to let them help. In response, the Samaritans warn the local Persian administrator that if the Temple is rebuilt, the Jews will rebel as they did under the Babylonians. When the Persian administrator checks the royal records, he discovers that the Jews indeed have a history of rebelling against their overlords, and he insists that they stop work on the Temple.
Years pass, and the Temple remains unfinished. Realizing that the people need a little motivation, God calls the prophets Haggai and Zechariah to do their stuff (see Chapter 13). Haggai plays the role of the “bad cop,” as it were, chastising the people for fixing up their own homes while neglecting the house of God. Zechariah plays the role of the “good cop,” envisioning a day when the Judean monarchy will be restored. Motivated by the prophets’ preaching, the people again begin rebuilding the Temple.
This time, some Persian officials approach the Jews, asking who gave them permission to start work on the Temple. To get to the bottom of things, the Persian officials contact the new Persian king, Darius, asking him to settle the matter. To the joy of the Jews, Darius proclaims that Cyrus’s original decree allowing the Jews to rebuild their lives in Judea is still in effect, and that work on the Jerusalem Temple should not only be continued, but it should be funded by Persian imperial funds. Grateful, the people thank God and continue with their work. Finally, the Temple is completed and dedicated in 515 B.C.E., and the Jews celebrate the Passover holiday with sacrifices for the first time in 70 years.
Ezra the Priest: Can We Fix It? We’ll Get Back to You on That
About 50 years after Zerubbabel’s return and rebuilding of the Temple, Ezra comes on the scene. Ezra, as an expert in Israel’s ancient legal code (or the Torah; see Chapter 7), is sent by the Persian king, Artaxerxes, to find out how things are going in Judea. Ezra and his fellow returnees travel with a letter from the Persian king (Ezra 7:12–26) that grants Ezra the authority to use money from the Persian treasury to tend to any unfinished business in rebuilding the Jews’ lives in their homeland.
Changing leadership: The Jews swap a monarchy for a theocracy (Ezra 7–8)
When Ezra arrives in Jerusalem (around 458 B.C.E.), he discovers that the people aren’t well informed about their religious heritage. Therefore, Ezra begins to teach the people about the Law of Moses, and he implements religious and civil reforms to ensure that they’re following God’s laws as recorded in the Bible. Although Ezra isn’t a descendant of David, he is effectively made the leader of the Jewish community in Jerusalem by Persian royal commission. This arrangement dramatically alters the governing of the Jewish community, changing it from a monarchy (rule by a king) to a theocracy (rule by God). Although individuals calling themselves kings will later rule the Jews during the Hasmonean Period (from around 165 B.C.E.–63 B.C.E.; see Chapter 16), they, too, are descendants of the Jewish priesthood. And even after the Hasmoneans are replaced by Roman appointed rulers, the priests are looked to as the leaders of the Jewish community until the Roman destruction of the Temple in 70 C.E. Thus, the shift in Judean leadership initiated by Ezra continues for over five centuries.
Divorce, biblical style (Ezra 9–10)
Shortly after Ezra arrives in Judea to enact religious reforms, a large group of people approach Ezra and confess:
We have sinned against our God and have married foreign women from the peoples of the land. Yet now there is hope for Israel concerning this thing. Now therefore let us make a covenant with our God to eject all these women and those born to them, according to the counsel of my lord and those who tremble at the commandments of our God.
—Ezra 10:2–3
Ezra is very disturbed to learn of the interfaith marriages, and forces the priests who have married local women to take an oath to immediately divorce their wives and families. Then, Ezra summons all the returned exiles to assemble within three days in Jerusalem. Heavy rains increase the drama, as the people gather and are drenched as they hear they must abandon their families. According to Ezra, some priests and laymen oppose the plan, but in the end all are forced to divorce their wives and children.
What’s Aramaic doing in the Hebrew Bible?
The Hebrew Bible is written mostly in Hebrew (hence, the name). A few portions, however, are written in a language similar to Hebrew, known as Aramaic (named after the region of Aram [modern Syria] where it originates). The biblical passages in Aramaic include Artaxerxes’s letter that Ezra carries as recorded in Ezra 7:12–26, as well as Ezra 4:8–6:8; Daniel 2:4–7:28; one verse from Jeremiah 10:11, and only two words in Genesis 31:47.
The Aramaic language came to dominate the ancient Near East after the Persian Empire took over the area because they used it in all of their legal documents. The use of Aramaic continued for some time — Jews in first-century Palestine, including Jesus, would’ve spoken in Aramaic.
Nehemiah the Builder: Can We Fix It? Yes, We Can!
In about 445 B.C.E., the Persian king sends a man named Nehemiah to look into the welfare of Jerusalem. Actually, Nehemiah, who is the king’s cupbearer (not the one who taps the king’s keg, but an important royal official in charge of food preparation), asks the king for permission to return to his ancestral homeland. The reason: Nehemiah receives word that the walls of Jerusalem still lay in ruins, even though the Jews have been in their homeland for nearly 100 years. Because walls were a city’s primary means of defense, Nehemiah knew that the rebuilding of Jerusalem’s walls was essential for the protection of the Jews against their enemies.
Not only does the king give Nehemiah permission to go to Jerusalem, he gives Nehemiah an armed escort, as well as permission to use the empire’s resources to rebuild Jerusalem’s walls.
Rebuilding Jerusalem’s walls (Nehemiah 3–4, 6)
When Nehemiah arrives in Jerusalem, he surveys the damage to the walls and begins to organize the people for work. Nehemiah wisely decides to have the people work on the walls by family groups, and near the location of their houses. Nehemiah’s strategy ensures that the people remain motivated in their work, because rebuilding the walls means protection for their own homes.
However, once word gets out that the Jews are rebuilding the walls, the Samaritans raise opposition, and even threaten violence. The threat of attack requires that the Jews work on the wall with a tool in one hand and a sword in the other. There are even several attempts on Nehemiah’s life. Despite these many obstacles, Nehemiah and his coworkers succeed in rebuilding the walls — and in record time: a mere 52 days (Nehemiah 6:15). Now with the walls completed, there is just one thing left to do (no, not “party” — well, actually, they do that, too): dedicate themselves and their newly fortified city to God.
Rediscovering the Torah at Water Gate (Nehemiah 8–9)
The defining moment for the former Jewish exiles and Richard Nixon both occur at a place called Water Gate. Coincidence? Well, yes, of course it is. Yet, although both would change the course of a nation, what happened at Jerusalem’s Water Gate contained far less political intrigue.
Ezra reads the Law of Moses
Ezra’s Water Gate is the name of one of the main portals in Jerusalem’s walls, seemingly located by the fresh-water spring just southeast of the city. Near the Water Gate, at a public square, the former exiles gather in 445 B.C.E. to hear Ezra read the Law of Moses. Many of them are hearing these laws for the first time, and several of them no longer understand biblical Hebrew. As a result, while Ezra reads, others skilled in Israel’s ancient legal code mingle among the crowd and answer any questions people have. Many Judeans weep as they hear of their ancestral heritage and laws they had long ago abandoned. Ezra consoles them and instructs them that they shouldn’t mourn, but should celebrate the joyous occasion.
The Temple during holidays
In the histories recorded in the Books of Ezra and Nehemiah, the Temple takes on special significance during certain days in the calendar. Thus, Zerubbabel rededicates the Temple during Passover, and one of Ezra’s first reforms is to re-implement the holiday of Sukkot (sometimes spelled Succoth) near the Temple precinct. Other biblical books record similar features: The Temple is first dedicated by Solomon during the New Year festival; in the Apocrypha, the Temple is rededicated once again during the festival of Hanukkah; in the New Testament gospels, Jesus travels to Jerusalem before his crucifixion during Passover; and in Acts, the disciples speak in tongues at the Temple during Pentecost. These holidays at the Temple, in which people from all over Israel and Judah came to Jerusalem to celebrate en masse (or as a group), were often the settings for dynamic events that people would remember for generations, as well as providing us with some of the Bible’s most memorable stories.
The people celebrate Sukkot
The following day, the people’s leaders come to Ezra to study the words of the Torah more closely. Lo and behold, they discover that according to the biblical calendar, it is the holiday of Booths (also called Sukkot — described in Chapter 27 of this book). It’s time to party!
During this weeklong celebration, Jews set up and inhabit makeshift shelters to commemorate their ancestors’ exodus and wilderness wanderings under Moses (the holiday is recorded in Leviticus 23; see Chapter 7 of this book). Now, for the first time in years, Jews are celebrating the holiday of Booths, just as the Torah instructs. This story demonstrates just how close Judaism came to losing its biblical heritage.