| Back to Home Page | Back to Book Index
|
Introduction
to Ezra
INTRODUCTION TO EZRA
This
book, in the Vulgate Latin and Arabic versions, is called the "First"
Book of Ezra, Nehemiah being reckoned the "second"; but with the Jews
both were accounted but one bookF1Origen apud Euseb. Hist. Eccl. l.
6. c. 25. Hieron. Opera, tom. 3. Epist. ad Paulin. fol. 6. B. & ad Domnion.
& Rogat. fol. 7. G. ; in the Syriac version, it is called the Writing or
Book of Ezra the Prophet; and this title is given him, both by JewsF2Seder
Olam Zuta, p. 108. and ChristiansF3Lactant. Institut. l. 4. c. 11. ;
in the Arabic version, it is called the First Book of Ezra the Priest, skilful
in the Law; and that he was a priest is clear, since he was the son of Seraiah
the high priest, who was slain by Nebuchadnezzar, and the younger brother of
Josedech, who succeeded his father as high priest, and uncle to Joshua that
succeeded him; and he was also a ready scribe in the law of Moses, see Ezra
7:1. That Ezra was the writer of this book is believed by the JewsF4T.
Bab. Bava Bathra, fol. 15. 1. , and by the generality of Christians; only HuetiusF5Demonstr.
Evangel. prop. 4. p. 208, 209. thinks that the six first chapters were written
by another hand, but his reasons are not satisfactory; and it has been
universally received as canonical by all; it agrees with the prophecies of
Haggai and Zechariah, and serves to illustrate them; it is of use for the
continuation of the sacred history, to point at the fulfilment of prophecies
concerning the return of the Jews from captivity, and the rebuilding of the
temple; and to give us an account of the state of the church in those times,
the troubles and difficulties it met with, and what care was taken to keep the
tribes and families distinct, that it might be known from whom the Messiah
sprung; this book contains an history of seventy years, according to the
calculation of Bishop UsherF6Annal. Vet. Test. p. 146, 193. , from
A. M. 3468, to A. M. 3538.
{a} Origen apud Euseb. Hist. Eccl. l. 6. c. 25. Hieron. Opera, tom. 3.
Epist. ad Paulin. fol. 6. B. & ad Domnion. & Rogat. fol. 7. G.
{b} Seder Olam Zuta, p. 108.
{c} Lactant. Institut. l. 4. c. 11.
{d} T. Bab. Bava Bathra, fol. 15. 1.
{e} Demonstr. Evangel. prop. 4. p. 208, 209.
{f} Annal. Vet. Test. p. 146, 193.
Commentator
John Gill (November 23, 1697-October 14,
1771) was an English Baptist, a biblical scholar, and a staunch Calvinist.
Gill's relationship with hyper-Calvinism is a matter of academic debate.
He was born in Kettering, Northamptonshire.
In his youth, he attended Kettering Grammar School, mastering the Latin
classics and learning Greek by age eleven. The young scholar continued
self-study in everything from logic to Hebrew. His love for Hebrew would follow
Gill throughout his life.
At the age of about twelve, Gill heard a
sermon from his pastor, William Wallis, on the text, "And the Lord called
unto Adam, and said unto him, where art thou?" (Genesis 3:9). The message
stayed with Gill and eventually led to his conversion. It was not until seven
years later that young John made a public profession when he was almost
nineteen years of age.
His first pastoral work was as an intern
assisting John Davis at Higham Ferrers in 1718 at age twenty one. He was
subsequently called to pastor the Strict Baptist church at Goat Yard Chapel,
Horsleydown, Southwark in 1719. In 1757, his congregation needed larger
premises and moved to a Carter Lane, St. Olave's Street, Southwark. His
pastorate lasted 51 years. This Baptist Church was once pastored by Benjamin
Keach and would later become the New Park Street Chapel and then the
Metropolitan Tabernacle pastored by Charles Spurgeon.
During Gill's ministry the church strongly
supported the preaching of George Whitefield at nearby Kennington Common.
In 1748, Gill was awarded the honorary degree
of Doctor of Divinity by the University of Aberdeen. He was a profound scholar
and a prolific author. His most important works are:
John Gill is the first major writing Baptist
theologian. His work retains its influence into the twenty-first century.
Gill's relationship with hyper-Calvinism in English Baptist life is a matter of
debate. Peter Toon has argued that Gill was himself a hyper-Calvinist, which
would make Gill the father of Baptist hyper-Calvinism. Tom Nettles has argued
that Gill was not a hyper-Calvinist himself, which would make him merely a
precursor and hero to Baptist hyper-Calvinists.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》
New King James Version Bible, NKJV
The
NKJV was commissioned in 1975 by Thomas Nelson Publishers.
One-hundred-and-thirty respected Bible scholars, church leaders, and lay
Christians worked for seven years with the goal of updating the vocabulary and
grammar of the King James Version, while preserving the classic style of the of
the 1611 version.
The
task of updating the English of the KJV involved many changes in word order,
grammar, vocabulary, and spelling. One of the most significant features of the
NKJV was its removal of the second person pronouns "thou",
"thee", "ye," "thy," and "thine." Verb
forms were also modernized in the NKJV (for example, "speaks" rather
than "speaketh").
Young’s
Literal Translation was completed in 1898 by Robert Young, who also compiled
Young’s Analytical Concordance. It is an extremely literal translation that
attempts to preserve the tense and word usage as found in the original Greek
and Hebrew writings. The online text is from a reprint of the 1898 edition as
published by Baker Book House, Grand Rapids, Michigan. Obvious errors in
spelling or inconsistent spellings of the same word were corrected in the
online edition of the text. This text is Public Domain in the United States.