Book of History; the fifteenth book of the Old Testament; the fifteenth book of the Bible.
Author: Ezra, a Jewish priest, teacher, and scribe.
Audience: The books of Ezra and Nehemiah may have originally been written as a single text. This was written to the Jewish people who had recently returned to Jerusalem and the surrounding area following seventy years of exile in Babylonian captivity. These Jews would have been encouraged at God’s recent blessings upon their people, yet also needed both clear teaching and encouragement to live faithfully according to God’s ways within a surrounding pagan culture.
Date: Between 457 and 444 BC.