* Who was Nehemiah? Nehemiah (pronounced: Nəḥemyāh) is the central figure of the Book of Nehemiah, which describes his work rebuilding Jerusalem and purifying the Jewish community. He was the son of Hachaliah, (Neh. 1:1) and probably of the Tribe of Judah, and his career took place probably in the second half of the 5th century B.C. In the 20th year of Artaxerxes, king of Persia, (445/444 BC), Nehemiah was cup-bearer to the king. Learning that the walls of Jerusalem were broken down he asked the king for permission to return and rebuild them, and Artaxerxes sent him to Judah as governor of the province with a mission to rebuild the walls. Once there he defied the opposition of Judahs enemies on all sides — Samaritans, Ammonites, Arabs, and Philistines — and rebuilt the walls within 52 days, from the Sheep Gate in the North, the Hananel Tower at the North West corner, the Fish Gate in the West, the Furnaces Tower at the Temple Mounts South West corner, the Dung Gate in the South, the East Gate and the gate beneath the Golden Gate in the East. Appearing in the Queens presence (Neh 2:6) may indicate his being a eunuch, and in the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible, he is described as such: eunochos (eunuch), rather than oinochoos (wine-cup-bearer). If so the attempt by his enemy Shemaiah to trick him into entering the Temple is aimed at making him break Jewish law, rather than simply hide from assassins. He then took measures to repopulate the city and purify the Jewish community, enforcing the cancellation of debt, assisting Ezra to promulgate the law of Moses, and enforcing the divorce of Jewish men from their non-Jewish wives. After 12 years as governor, during which he ruled with justice and righteousness, he returned to the king in Susa. After some time in Susa he returned to Jerusalem, only to find that the people had fallen back into their evil ways. Non-Jews were permitted to conduct business inside Jerusalem on the Sabbath and to keep rooms in the Temple. Greatly angered, he purified the Temple and the priests and Levites and enforced the observance of the law of Moses. There is little disagreement that a genuine memoir underlies the Book of Nehemiah with even the generally sceptical Barr believing they contain genuine letters and pieces of memoirs (but contra Grabb). The historical context of Nehemiahs mission was the Persians need for increased security in the Levant and enhancement of Imperial control in the light of the serious revolt which broke out in Egypt in the middle of the 5th century B.C. The basic memoir can be no earlier than about 400 B.C. The editorial process extended the original report of Nehemiahs wall-building activities first with an account of the restoration and reform of the community of Israel. In the final phase Ezra was combined with Nehemiah, and the role of Ezra was minimized in favour of that of Nehemiah. Nehemiah is identified in one haggadah with Zerubbabel, the latter name being considered an epithet of Nehemiah and as indicating that he was born at Babylon (Zera+ Babel; Sanh. 38a). However, rabbi Isaiah di Trani, in his commentary to the book of Nehemiah, writes as factual that Nehemiah was a kohen. With Ezra, Nehemiah marks the spring-time in the national history of Judaism (Cant. R. ii. 12). A certain mishnah is declared by the Rabbis to have originated in the school of Nehemiah (Shab. 123b). Still, Nehemiah is blamed by the Rabbis for his seemingly boastful expression, Think upon me, my God, for good (Neh. v. 19, xiii. 31), and for his disparagement of his predecessors (ib. v. 15), among whom was Daniel. The Rabbis think that these two faults were the reason that this book is not mentioned under its own name, but forms part of the Book of Ezra (Sanh. 93b). According to B. B. 15a Nehemiah completed the Book of Chronicles, which was written by Ezra. *
Posted on: Wed, 20 Nov 2013 19:34:59 +0000
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