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Ezra
Sign in to saveAlso known as Ezra the Scribe, Esdras, Azaryahu, Ezra ha-Sofer, Ezra the Priest
Ezra (fl. fifth or fourth century BCE) is the main character of the Book of Ezra. According to the Hebrew Bible, he was an important Jewish scribe (sofer) and priest (kohen) in the early Second Temple period. In the Greek Septuagint, the name is rendered as ' (), from which the Latin name Esdras comes. His name is probably a shortened Aramaic translation of the Hebrew name ('), meaning "Yah helps".
Ezra was a Jewish scribe and priest who lived in the fifth or fourth century BCE and is the central figure of the Book of Ezra in the Hebrew Bible, playing an important role during the early rebuilding of the Jewish Temple after the Babylonian exile. His story matters because it documents a crucial period in Jewish history when religious and legal traditions were being reestablished in Jerusalem, and his name—meaning "Yah helps"—reflects the theological importance placed on divine assistance during this restoration period.
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Key facts
- Saint.name
- Ezra
- Saint.image
- File:109.Ezra Reads the Law to the People.jpg
- Saint.caption
- Ezra Reads the Law to the People by Gustave Doré, 1866
- Saint.titles
- Prophet and Priest
- Saint.feast_day
- July 13 (Catholic)Sunday of the Holy Forefathers (Eastern Orthodox)
- Saint.honored_in
- Catholic ChurchEastern Orthodox Church
via Wikipedia infobox
Wikidata facts
- Image
- Meister des Codex Amiatus 001.jpg
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- Commons category
- Ezra
- name in native language
- עֶזְרָא
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~17 min read
Article
18 sectionsContents
- Life
- In the Hebrew Bible
- Burial place
- In later Second Temple period literature
- 1 Esdras
- Josephus
- The apocalyptic Ezra traditions
- In rabbinic literature
- In Christian traditions
- In Islam
- Academic view
- Timeline
- Historicity
- See also
- Notes
- References
- Further reading
- External links
Ezra (fl. fifth or fourth century BCE) is the main character of the Book of Ezra. According to the Hebrew Bible, he was an important Jewish scribe (sofer) and priest (kohen) in the early Second Temple period. In the Greek Septuagint, the name is rendered as ' (), from which the Latin name Esdras comes. His name is probably a shortened Aramaic translation of the Hebrew name ('), meaning "Yah helps".
In the Hebrew Bible, or the Christian Old Testament, Ezra is an important figure in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah, which he is traditionally held to have written and edited, respectively. According to tradition, Ezra was also the author of the Books of Chronicles and the Book of Malachi. He is depicted as instrumental in restoring the Jewish scriptures and religion to the people after the return from the Babylonian Captivity and is a highly respected figure in Judaism. He is regarded as a saint in the Roman Catholic Church, which sets his feast day as July 13, the same as that of his contemporary, Nehemiah. He is also venerated as a saint in the Eastern Orthodox Church, which sets his feast day on the Sunday of the Holy Forefathers.