Ezra, Nehemiah, and the Construction of Early Jewish Identity

The post-exilic of Persian period showed a transition in the religion in ancient Israel from Yahwism(s) to Judaism(s). The events of exile and return made it impossible to completely fall back on the traditional religious identity. The essays in this volume try to reconstruct the path taken in that transition. The characters of Ezra and Nehemiah are generally seen as playing a formative role in this process. By reading texts from the biblical books supposedly written by Ezra and Nehemiah in a religio-historical context, new light falls on the process of change.

Born 1951; studied Theology and Semitics at Utrecht University; 1979-1989 minister of the Dutch Reformed Church; 1985 PhD from Utrecht University; 1987-1991 lecturer, 1991 Professor for Old Testament Study, 2008 Senior Research Professor for Bible, Religion and Identity at Utrecht University.