Abstract
Ezra 4:1–5 narrates the first encounter of the golah with the “other,” after the golah arrive in the land. Against the tendency to identify the “other” with a specific group of people, the text employs only vague descriptions. A narrative analysis reveals that the “other” group includes all and any non-golah people. Claims for participation in the building by the “other,” and refusal by the golah leaders, are ultimately based on their cultic differences.
Highlights
Ezra 4:1–5 narrates the first challenge the golah group 1 faced as ∗I wish to thank Ian Wilson, associate editor of the Journal of HebrewScriptures, for editing the English of the present paper.Ezra is important in light of the questions about the identity of the community/ies of Second-Temple Judaism; that is, whether the predominant use of the term golah would imply a community formed exclusively around the experience of exile
Worshipper and “Israel” was no longer the same as it was before the Persian period; i.e., that “Israel” seems to be claimed by the golah community, whose membership is dependent not just on genealogy and on a certain way of worshipping YHWH, participation in the temple building and in the Passover celebration
At the conclusion of the account of resumption and completion of the temple building work, credit is given to the God of Israel (6:14)
Summary
Scriptures, for editing the English of the present paper. Ezra is important in light of the questions about the identity of the community/ies of Second-Temple Judaism; that is, whether the predominant use of the term golah would imply a community formed exclusively around the experience of exile. JOURNAL OF HEBREW SCRIPTURES they began to build the temple This incident is the first real encounter with the “other” in the book of Ezra. 2 Having arrived in the land and having had their first worship by setting up the altar and offering sacrifices and freewill offerings (Ezra 3:3–6), the golah group set out to build the temple. As they began their work, “other” people—identified as the “adversaries of Judah and Benjamin”—proposed to build with them, claiming that they worshipped the same God (Ezra 4:1–2). English ( it is often translated as “returnees” or “returned exiles”)
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