Unity and Disunity in Ezra-nehemiah: Redaction, Rhetoric, and Reader

Publisher Marketing: Until the late 1960s the scholarly consensus was that Chronicles-Ezra-Nehemiah was a single, unified literary work. Then arguments began to be mounted for treating Chronicles as a distinct composition, and the majority of scholars were swayed by these arguments, though others retained the older consensus view. In recent years, some scholars have begun to suggest that Ezra and Nehemiah are distinct literary entities. This new debate is the occasion for the present volume. Here scholars from around the globe (Canada, Finland, Germany, Guatemala, Israel, Korea, the Netherlands, United Kingdom, United States) showcase current scholarly explanations for the final shape of this literary complex known as Ezra-Nehemiah. Fourteen scholars present their approach to the unity or disunity of this literature employing research methodologies that range from the diachronic to the synchronic. Contributor Bio:  Boda, Mark J Mark J. Boda (PhD, University of Cambridge) is professor of Old Testament at McMaster Divinity College and professor in the Faculty of Theology at McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario. He is the author of numerous books, including Praying the Tradition and A Severe Mercy, a commentary on 1 & 2 Chronicles, and studies of Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi. He is coeditor of the Dictionary of the Old Testament: Prophets and Seeking the Favour of God (3 volumes).