Ezra-Nehemiah in the context of the biblical narrative as a whole can be read as the gathering up of the past and reshaping it in such a way as to allow for a future, sustaining the life and energy of the community to which the author belonged — despite a historical narrative of great promise ending in disaster. Ezra-Nehemiah gives "the people back their history, a usable past which will enable them to see that their lives have meaning even in an imperfect world, even in the absence of political autonomy."

The Old Testament Library provides fresh and authoritative treatments of important aspects of Old Testament study through commentaries and general surveys. The contributors are scholars of international standing.

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Reviews of the Old Testament Library Series

"This series provides an extraordinary service to biblical scholarship." — Reviews in Religion & Theology

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Joseph Blenkinsopp is John A. O'Brien Professor Emeritus of Biblical Studies at the University of Notre Dame in Notre Dame, Indiana. He is the author of Sage, Priest, Prophet: Religious and Intellectual Leadership in Ancient Israel.