2 Esdras (also called 4 Esdras, Latin Esdras, or Latin Ezra) is the name of an apocalyptic book in some English versions of the Bible. Tradition ascribes it to Ezra, a scribe and priest of the 5th century BCE, but scholarship places its composition between 70 and 218 CE.
It is reckoned among the apocrypha by Roman Catholics, Protestants, and most Eastern Orthodox Christians. 2 Esdras was excluded by Jerome from his Vulgate version of the Old Testament, but from the 9th century onwards the Latin text is sporadically found as an appendix to the Vulgate, inclusion becoming more general after the 13th century.
Naming conventions
As with 1 Esdras, there is some confusion about the numbering of this book. The Vulgate of Jerome includes only a single book of Ezra, but in the Clementine Vulgate 1, 2, 3 and 4 Esdras are separate books. Protestant writers, after the Geneva Bible, called 1 and 2 Esdras of the Vulgate, Ezra and Nehemiah; and called 3 and 4 Esdras of the Vulgate, 1 Esdras and 2 Esdras respectively. These then became the common names for these books in English Bibles.
Medieval Latin manuscripts denoted it 4 Esdras, which to this day is the name used for chapters 3–14 in modern critical editions, which are typically in Latin, the language of its most complete exemplars.
It appears in the Appendix to the Old Testament in the Slavonic Bible, where it is called 3 Esdras, and the Georgian Orthodox Bible numbers it 3 Ezra. This text is sometimes also known as Apocalypse of Ezra (chapters 3–14 known as the Jewish Apocalypse of Ezra or 4 Ezra. In modern critical editions, chapters 1–2 are named as 5 Ezra, and chapters 15–16 as 6 Ezra). Bogaert speculates that the ‘fourth book of Ezra’ referred to by Jerome most likely corresponds to modern 5 Ezra and 6 Ezra combined – and notes a number of Latin manuscripts where these chapters are together in an appendix.
Quran Corrects Old Testament Problem
May Allah’s peace, mercy and his greetings be upon you!
In the fifth century BCE, one of the greatest persons of Judaism showed up.
This person was Prophet Ezra, Ezra the priest, Ezra the writer or ʿUzayr (Peace be upon him).
Ezra was one of the greatest Israelites’ prophets.
He was a great prophet.
He was a scholar of the Bible that was burnt by the king of Babylon: Nebuchadnezzar.
Nebuchadnezzar burnt the scriptures, captured the Jews to Babylon and he destroyed their cities.
The Jews lived in Babylon – after captivity – long time
After decades of humiliation and oppression, Prophet Ezra showed up.
Ezra decided to lead the believers from Babylon to Jerusalem: al-Quds and to place back the lost scripture.
And he found Jerusalem fallen into ruin:
it was completely devastated and it people were led astray as paganism spread through it.
Behold, the amazing surprise happened then and the Jew haven’t known a solution for it till now.
It’s a mystery of the Bible’s mysteries.
It’s supposed that Ezra moved from Babylon 13 years earlier before Nehemiah.
Ezra set off during the seventh year of Artaxerxes’s reign, but Nehemiah set off during the twentieth year of Artaxerxes’s reign.
And here’s the surprise!
Ezra disappear completely from the scene, then, he showed up after a very long time.
Ezra showed up during the descendants of the generation of Nehemiah [grandchildren].
The Jews don’t know the explanation of that.
In the Bible, there isn’t explanation for sudden disappearance of Ezra and showing up again after a long time.
It’s supposed that Ezra came to Jerusalem 13 years before Nehemiah.
At that time, Jerusalem was a fallen-into-ruin village and there was a few believers.
After long time, Ezra showed up suddenly.
Ezra entered the village and found it full of believers.
On the contrary, Nehemiah – who came 13 years after Ezra – found out that Jerusalem was destroyed with only a few houses.
What was even odder, Nehemiah arrived during the region of highest priest Eliashib.
On the other side, Ezra arrived during the region of highest priest Eliashib’s grandson: Jehohanan.
So, Ezra showed up in the ear of grandsons!
Such a strange incident that caused a difficult dilemma that Jews can’t find a solution to.
As Ezra disappeared for 3 successive generations.
After that, he appeared once again during the region of highest priest’s grandson.
A generation is about 30~40 years, so he disappeared for about 100 years.
Such a strange incident that caused a difficult dilemma that Jews can’t find a solution to.
Tekle Haymanot, which is a certified Christian website, stated that they need a solution to get rid of that dilemma concerning incidents chronology.
Therefore, they started to compose several hypotheses that contradict against the soul of the texts.
Because the sequence of those event – at that form – is a real problem:
How could Ezra come to Jerusalem 13 years before Nehemiah. However, he entered the village during the era of grandchildren.
Derek Kidner, a British Old Testament scholar, says, “We’re in a bad need of rearranging the incidents.”
The website of University of St Andrews confesses that the chronologies – when Ezra appeared – are confusing and unclear.
It looks like that the solution to this dilemma about the man that Allah caused to die for a hundred years, then He revived him:
that person was Ezra and that village was Jerusalem.
Major men of the Companions said that and scholars of interpretation headed for it too.
The Companions who said that are (ʾibn ʿAbbās), (Qatādah), (ʿIkrimah), (al-Ḍaḥḥāk), (al-Suddī)
and Muslim scholars of interpretation.
After God had revived Ezra, he entered the village and found it full of people
and the wall around the city had been built.
As Nehemiah built the wall.
And Ezra didn’t appear in the scene while Nehemiah were building the wall.
And that’s another problem, because constructing the wall was Nehemiah’s greatest work ever.
In the Bible, there’s a whole chapter called (Nehemiah) after (Ezra)’s chapter,
and this chapter mentions the case of wall construction by Nehemiah.
Where was Ezra then?!
Ezra suddenly showed up during the era of grandchildren – of that generation – the city has grown, the wall has been constructed and Ezra started to teach people and recite the lost scripture.
You wouldn’t find a solution for the sudden appearance of Ezra after his disappearance that lasted for a century except in The Noble Qur’an.
Indeed, God Knows best.
So, The Noble Qur’an solves the dilemma concerning the sequence of events for Ezra and Nehemiah.
Allah, the Almighty, says in The Noble Qur’an:
[Chapter 2 Sūrah al-Baqarah, Verse 259]
“Or consider such an example as the one who passed by a township which had fallen into ruin.
He said, “How will Allah bring this to life after its death?”
So Allah caused him to die for a hundred years; then He revived him.
He said, “How long have you remained?”
The man said, “I have remained a day or part of a day.”
He said, “Rather, you have remained one hundred years.
Look at your food and your drink; it has not changed with time.
And look at your donkey; and We will make you a sign for the people.
And look at the bones of this donkey – how We raise them and then We cover them with flesh.”
And when it became clear to him, he said, “I know that Allah is over all things competent.”
Glorified be Allah!
Allah, the Almighty, says in The Noble Qur’an:
[Chapter 5 Sūrah al-Māʾidah, Verse 48]
“To thee We sent the Scripture in truth, confirming the scripture that came before it, and guarding it in safety”
Qur’an’s dominance and authority on the previous books is so clear for those who read The Noble Qur’an and those books.
Now, let’s move to the second part of this episode.
Did the Jews call (ʿUzayr) a son of G
Allah, the Almighty, says in The Noble Qur’an:
[Chapter 9 Sūrah al-Tawbah, Verse 30]
“The Jews call ‘Uzair a son of Allah”
Where is this claim in their books nowadays?
Ezra was one of the greatest characters of the Israelites.
The Jews He sanctified him and considered him as god due to his great works like gathering the lost scriptures during the captivity.
Is apotheosis of Ezra mentioned in the books of Jews?
Yes, it is.
And they believed in it for so long time.
Their holy books still have it.
Esdras 2, which is one of canonical books that haven’t been added to the current Bible,
has been one of the Jews holy book for long time.
And it was attached to the Book of Ezra, so it was often been cited from by major religious references – according to Tekle Haymanot website.
The Book of 4 Ezra was a part of that Book.
Book of 4 Ezra is about some chapters of Esdras 2.
So, Esdras 2 contains Ezra 4.
In that part, it’s evidently apparent the apotheosis of Ezra and lifting him up to divine level.
According to University of St Andrews website, In the Syriac text of 4 Ezra, there’s a brief account of the ascent and apotheosis of Ezra.
“Apotheosis of Ezra” means deification him.
As the word “Apotheosis” means divinization.
It’s the glorification of a subject to divine level.
It’s a wonder that some Christian sects still believe that 4 Ezra is one of the sacred canonical books.
And their Bible still contains that book.
The most famous sect is the Ethiopian Church.
The Bible of Ethiopia still have that part of 4 Ezra.
That part was cited for long time as it was considered a part of the Bible by the Father of the Church.
We discussed a hidden miracle in The Noble Qur’an that most of us may didn’t know it.
God the Almighty conferred upon us with God the Almighty tells us the news of the unseen.
News of the unseen that no one could never know.
Like the case of sudden disappearance of Ezra for 100 years from the scene.
Allah, the Almighty, says in The Noble Qur’an:
[Surah Hud – Quran 11:49]
“Such are some of the stories of the unseen, which We have revealed unto thee: before this, neither thou nor thy people knew them. So persevere patiently: for the End is for those who are righteous.”
Follow up this series that we ask God the Almighty to benefit us with.
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May Allah’s peace, mercy and his greetings be upon you!