EZRA (late fifth and early fourth centuries BCE) was known for his restoration of the Law of Moses in the postexilic period and is generally regarded as the founder of Judaism.

Literary Sources

The account of Ezra's activity is contained in Ezra and in Nehemiah 8–9. The history covered by Ezra is a continuation from 2 Chronicles and is probably by the same author. It begins with the edict of Cyrus (538 BCE), which permitted the return of exiles from Babylonia to their homeland and the chance to rebuild the Temple. Using some independent sources whose chronology is not clearly understood, the author attempts to trace the history of the Jerusalem community down to the time of Ezra (Heb., ʿEzraʾ), which begins only in chapter 7. Within chapters 7 to 9 there is a first-person narration by Ezra, often considered to be a separate source, "the memoirs of Ezra," although it cannot easily be...