Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther Study Guide
The combination of Ezra/Nehemiah covers roughly how many years?
100 years
When did Nehemiah return to Jerusalem?
444 B.C.
When did Ezra return to the land?
457 B.C.
When was the temple completed?
515 B.C.
How many days does it take to finish the wall?
52 days
When was Darius' reign?
522-486 B.C.
What is the structure of the book of Esther?
A chiastic structure
What is the apocrypha?
A collection of intertestamental Jewish literature recognized as deutero-canon in some Christian traditions
Nehemiah is known for being highly skilled at what?
Administration
Who was the Persian king that released the Jewish people to return to Judah?
Artaxerxes
What is the dominant theological idea within Ezra/Nehemiah?
Covenant renewal in the postexilic community
Who does tradition point to as the author/editor of 1 & 2 Chronicles, Ezra, and Nehemiah?
Ezra
What are the two parts to Ezra?
First return and rebuilding of the temple; second return and revival of the people
What is the message of Esther?
God anonymously uses a Persian queen to preserve his people on Purim
Who were Ezra and Nehemiah's predecessors?
Haggai and Zechariah
Modern scholars state that the compiling of Ezra, Nehemiah, and the Chronicles are no different than the compilation of what New Testament book?
Luke
The second temple stood as a reminder of what?
Messianic expectations
What are the two parts to Nehemiah?
Nehemiah's return and the rebuilding of Jerusalem; restoration of the people
What was the mandatory prerequisite for Yahweh's blessing and restoration of Israel?
Obedience to convenient stipulations
Ezra and Nehemiah are what in the oldest Hebrew Bibles?
Only one book
What placed a legal hedge or fence around the Mosaic law to prevent Israelite fall-away?
Oral law
Ezra and Nehemiah were reformers during which era?
Postexilic period
What were the two primary concerns that shaped the reform of the Israelite community?
Prevention of another Hebrew exile; preservation of the ethnic identity of the Israelites
Ezra is known for having what two occupations?
Priest and scribe
What are the seven parts to Esther?
Prologue, Xerxes' first pair of decrees, Haman's clashes with Mordecai, the king's sleepless night, Mordecai's triumph over Haman, Xerxes' second pair of decrees, epilogue
What is the message of Ezra?
Rebuilding of the temple and revival of the people
What is the message of Nehemiah?
Rebuilding of the wall and reform of the people
What three areas of Hebrew life were Ezra and Nehemiah trying to reform?
Religious, social, and economic
In which era does the book of Ezra take place?
Return era
At Ezra and Nehemiah's return, who made up the coalition of local alien enemies?
Sanballat, Tobiah, Geahem, Arabs, Ammonites, and citizens of Ashdod
Ezra/Nehemiah was one of the two Old Testament books containing large amounts of what?
Substantial sections of text written in Aramaic
Where did Ezra and Nehemiah come from?
Susa in Persia
Ezra and Nehemiah comprise the second part of a two-part volume. What was part one?
The Chronicles
What ancient artifact details the Persian King Cyrus II as victor over Babylon and the effects of this overturn being detailed in Ezra 1?
The Cyrus Cylinder
What is the first of the three parts of the historical purpose and message of Ezra/Nehemiah?
The Hebrew return to Jerusalem from the Babylonian exile, including the rebuilding of the altar and temple
What is the second of the three parts of the historical purpose and message of Ezra/Nehemiah?
The arrival and ministry of Ezra, including the religious reform of the community based on the laws of Moses
What is the third of the three parts of the historical purpose and message of Ezra/Nehemiah?
The arrival and ministry of Nehemiah, including the repair of the Jerusalem wall and continued social and economic reform in the restoration community
What is the hinge point/turning point of the message of Esther?
The king's sleepless night
What is the second truth found in Ezra/Nehemiah?
The ministry of Ezra and Nehemiah in restoring Jerusalem attested God's ability to continue to raise up his servants to accomplish his purposes and fulfill his promises to Israel
What is the first truth found in Ezra/Nehemiah?
The people may have hope in the present because the work of God on behalf of Israel in the past stands as the model for Yahweh's participation in the future of the community
In order to stabilize the institutions of the Hebrew community, who replaced the state and king?
The temple and priest
Ezra and Nehemiah are logically arranged according to the authors what?
Theological purposes
God's faithfulness to his word as keeper of the covenant oath meant what?
There is still hope for Israel
T/F: Ezra and Nehemiah have been confirmed as historically accurate through archaeological discoveries and extra biblical evidences.
True
T/F: One of the key theological themes of Ezra/Nehemiah was that God was and is willing to return to those who return to him.
True
