Was Ezra a prophet?

eddif

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You might want to check out the book of 2 Esdras (sometimes called 4 Esdras). It claims to have been written by Ezra himself.
I appreciate the suggestion. I do think I am comfortable knowing we can speak forth the word of God with authority. The word did become the flesh man Jesus, and the risen Jesus became a quickening spirit.
That is off topic. Sorry.

eddif
 

NathanH83

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Hebrew sources say that Ezra was a Scribe, one from the Tribe of Levi. Scribes were the ones entrusted to copy the Holy Scriptures from generation to generation.
When the Hebrew people were imprisoned in Babylon they lost their Hebrew tongue, all except the Scribes or the copiers of the Scriptures, who later became the teachers in Israel since they alone were able to read and interpret the Scriptures.


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So Ezra is not a prophet?
How is the book of Ezra considered the Word of God then?
Doesn’t it have to be prophecy in order to be scripture?


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NathanH83

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I appreciate the suggestion. I do think I am comfortable knowing we can speak forth the word of God with authority. The word did become the flesh man Jesus, and the risen Jesus became a quickening spirit.
That is off topic. Sorry.

eddif

I’ve heard that Maccabees is not scripture because there were no prophets at that time.

Was Nehemiah a prophet?


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NathanH83

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A quick check of Evans' book shows that he does not claim 1st and 2nd Esdras, 3rd Maccabees, the Prayer of Masasseh, or Psalm 151 are part the O.T. canon of the Coptic church.

View attachment 1507

Was Ezra a prophet?


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eddif

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I’ve heard that Maccabees is not scripture because there were no prophets at that time.

Was Nehemiah a prophet?


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This is going to take some time to answer. I have to read Ezekiel in detail. Establish time lines and fight my carnal mind.

I also have to read the comments on John the Baptist by Jesus.
I have to read about Melchizedek.
Compare law to the kingdom

when I get through with this I may not even remember the question

eddif
 

atpollard

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Ezra didn’t write Revelation. John did.
Was Ezra a prophet?
[Rev 19:10 NKJV] 10 And I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, "See [that you do] not [do that]! I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren who have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy."

Does Ezra point to the Way of the Lord, Jesus Christ?
I think so ...

Ezra 3:12-13 [NKJV] But many of the priests and Levites and heads of the fathers' houses, old men who had seen the first temple, wept with a loud voice when the foundation of this temple was laid before their eyes. Yet many shouted aloud for joy, so that the people could not discern the noise of the shout of joy from the noise of the weeping of the people, for the people shouted with a loud shout, and the sound was heard afar off.

Ezra 6:19-22 [NKJV] And the descendants of the captivity kept the Passover on the fourteenth [day] of the first month. For the priests and the Levites had purified themselves; all of them [were ritually] clean. And they slaughtered the Passover [lambs] for all the descendants of the captivity, for their brethren the priests, and for themselves. Then the children of Israel who had returned from the captivity ate together with all who had separated themselves from the filth of the nations of the land in order to seek the LORD God of Israel. And they kept the Feast of Unleavened Bread seven days with joy; for the LORD made them joyful, and turned the heart of the king of Assyria toward them, to strengthen their hands in the work of the house of God, the God of Israel.

Ezra 7:9-10 [NKJV] On the first day of the first month he began his journey from Babylon, and on the first day of the fifth month he came to Jerusalem, according to the good hand of his God upon him. For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the Law of the LORD, and to do it, and to teach statutes and ordinances in Israel.

Ezra 8:21-23 [NKJV] Then I proclaimed a fast there at the river of Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek from Him the right way for us and our little ones and all our possessions. For I was ashamed to request of the king an escort of soldiers and horsemen to help us against the enemy on the road, because we had spoken to the king, saying, "The hand of our God is upon all those for good who seek Him, but His power and His wrath are against all those who forsake Him." So we fasted and entreated our God for this, and He answered our prayer.

Ezra 9:6, 13-15 [NKJV] And I said: "O my God, I am too ashamed and humiliated to lift up my face to You, my God; for our iniquities have risen higher than our heads, and our guilt has grown up to the heavens. ... "And after all that has come upon us for our evil deeds and for our great guilt, since You our God have punished us less than our iniquities deserve, and have given us such deliverance as this, "should we again break Your commandments, and join in marriage with the people committing these abominations? Would You not be angry with us until You had consumed us, so that [there would be] no remnant or survivor? "O LORD God of Israel, You [are] righteous, for we are left as a remnant, as it is this day. Here we are before You, in our guilt, though no one can stand before You because of this!"

etc. ...
 

atpollard

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Doesn’t it have to be prophecy in order to be scripture?
No. It had to be affirmed by a prophet as inspired by God. Psalms are songs, not prophecy and Kings and Chronicles are histories, not prophecy.

Maccabees was written at a time when there were no Prophets to authenticate it, and the Gospel Writers and Jesus never quote it as scripture (“It is written ...”).
 

NathanH83

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No. It had to be affirmed by a prophet as inspired by God. Psalms are songs, not prophecy and Kings and Chronicles are histories, not prophecy.

Maccabees was written at a time when there were no Prophets to authenticate it, and the Gospel Writers and Jesus never quote it as scripture (“It is written ...”).

Daniel 8 and 11 prophesy about the events that take place in Maccabees. It’s kind of hard to understand the prophecies without knowing the history that fulfills them.

John 10:22 mentions that Jesus celebrated Hanukkah, which commemorates the Maccabees. It’s kinda hard to know what that holiday is all about if you haven’t read about it. If Jesus celebrated it, then that’s enough “authentication” for me. Jesus was a prophet too, ya know. He authenticates it. He’s not going to celebrate fictional events that didn’t happen.

Hebrews 11:35 mentions the Maccabean martyrs who were tortured. It’s kind of hard to know what that’s talking about without reading the account.

If Maccabees can’t be scripture because it has to be prophecy to be scripture, then Ezra can’t be scripture since he wasn’t a prophet.

But the truth is, Ezra is scripture because he was a high priest.

Were there priests in the days of the Maccabees? Yes. Simon Maccabee was high priest. 1 Maccabees 14 says so. The high priest can affirm things too, ya know. Maccabees can be scripture for the same reason Ezra can be scripture.

I’m not Catholic. Never have been. And I really don’t think Maccabees teaches false Catholic doctrine. I think it harmonizes with scripture, and promotes Protestant beliefs.

These books don’t belong to Catholics. They’re Jewish history. This is OUR heritage. It’s time that we take these books back, and stop letting the Catholics claim them and mishandle the Word of Truth.


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RichWh1

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So Ezra is not a prophet?
How is the book of Ezra considered the Word of God then?
Doesn’t it have to be prophecy in order to be scripture?


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Not all writings of the Scripture are written by prophets. That’s not a requirement for a writing to be inspired by God and part of Scripture.
Solomon wrote Proverbs and Song of Solomon yet he was not a prophet. He was king and a man of God He was inspired to write the words he did; that doesn’t make them prophetic

Luke wrote the Gospel of Luke and Acts and he was not a prophet.

That’s why in the Old Testament there are three sections, the Law, the Prophets, and the Writings. The prophets wrote prophetically (meaning speaking beforehand)
The other works of Scripture are inspired not necessarily prophetic.


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NathanH83

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Not all writings of the Scripture are written by prophets. That’s not a requirement for a wrong to be inspired by God and part of Scripture.
Solomon wrote Proverbs and Song of Solomon yet he was not a prophet. He was king and a man of God He was inspired to write the words he did; that doesn’t make them prophetic

Luke wrote the Gospel of Luke and Acts and he was not a prophet.

That’s why in the Old Testament there are three sections, the Law, the Prophets, and the Writings. The prophets wrote prophetically (meaning speaking beforehand)
The other works of Scripture are inspired not necessarily prophetic.


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That’s right. Not all scripture is written by prophets. Some scripture is written by high priests. Simon Maccabee was a high priest.

Hmmmmm…


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atpollard

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That’s right. Not all scripture is written by prophets. Some scripture is written by high priests. Simon Maccabee was a high priest.

Hmmmmm…


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And some of what he wrote contradicts the teaching of Jesus ... so which words were uninspired and which were ‘God-breathed’?
It really is not that complicated.
Maccabees is an important history book about an event that was blessed by God, but the book is not inspired scripture. That is why it was included in early Bibles and that is why it was dropped from modern printings.
 

atpollard

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Ezra does not contradict other scripture and is accepted as ‘inspired Scripture’.
 

hedrick

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Ezra certainly does contradict other Scripture: Jesus' condemnation of divorce. Ezra approves mass divorce based on the nationality of the wife, with no apparent examination of whether the wife has converted, and no provision for the wife or children. I accept it as representing the views of Israel at the time, but I certainly don't consider that what it advocates is right.

That doesn't mean it doesn't belong in the Bible. The OT shows the history of Israel and God's work with them. Plenty of it contains bad examples. It would be better, however, if the book didn't appear to endorse the bad behavior.
 

Andrew

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Ezra does not contradict other scripture and is accepted as ‘inspired Scripture’.
Give us an example of a contradiction please
 

atpollard

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Give us an example of a contradiction please
There are none in Ezra.
That was my point and that is one of the reasons that it is accepted as Scripture.

So how can I “Give (you) an example of a contradiction”?
 

atpollard

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Ezra certainly does contradict other Scripture: Jesus' condemnation of divorce. Ezra approves mass divorce based on the nationality of the wife, with no apparent examination of whether the wife has converted, and no provision for the wife or children. I accept it as representing the views of Israel at the time, but I certainly don't consider that what it advocates is right.

That doesn't mean it doesn't belong in the Bible. The OT shows the history of Israel and God's work with them. Plenty of it contains bad examples. It would be better, however, if the book didn't appear to endorse the bad behavior.
Your rejection of God’s law does not render Ezra incorrect in enforcing the Laws given by God that Israel was in covenant agreement to live under. Perhaps you could be very specific with what Ezra commanded and how that violates the Law of God as presented in either the OT or NT.
 

pinacled

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Ezra certainly does contradict other Scripture: Jesus' condemnation of divorce. Ezra approves mass divorce based on the nationality of the wife, with no apparent examination of whether the wife has converted, and no provision for the wife or children. I accept it as representing the views of Israel at the time, but I certainly don't consider that what it advocates is right.

That doesn't mean it doesn't belong in the Bible. The OT shows the history of Israel and God's work with them. Plenty of it contains bad examples. It would be better, however, if the book didn't appear to endorse the bad behavior.
I don't recall any condemnation of divorce by Jesus.

Matthew 5:32
 

RichWh1

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I don't recall any condemnation of divorce by Jesus.

Matthew 5:32

Divorce is not the sin Jesus referred to; adultery is.

Adultery is marrying again after a divorce.


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pinacled

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Divorce is not the sin Jesus referred to; adultery is.

Adultery is marrying again after a divorce.


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Yes,
After an improper divorce according to Torah.
In chapter 10 of ezra's account we are left with very few details.
Its said that only some women had children but does not specify whether or not they are from previous marriages.
Then there is also the likelyhood that all the foreign wives mentioned were only betrothed with no consummation having occurred yet.
Which would leave the hebrews blameless according to Torah

Blessings Always
 
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