The Books of Ezra and Nehemiah

Unlike the First and Second Books of the Chronicles, the Books of Ezra and Nehemiah have received considerable attention; partly because their presentation is more attractive, but more importantly because they illuminate a period of history about which very little is known: Jerusalem in the context of the Persian domination of South-West Asia from 539 to 336 B.C. In other respects, however, there are striking similarities between these books, textually, linguistically and theologically: the opening of Ezra repeats the end of 2 Chronicles, suggesting that the works were originally continuous and possibly by the same hand or hands; and there is constantly a theological motivation in the recording of 'historical' events.