Author and Date
The Ezra memoirs (see ) may be dated c. 440 b.c. and the Nehemiah
memoirs c. 430. These were then combined with other materials somewhat later.
See Introduction to 1 Chronicles: Author, Date and Sources.
Theme and Message
The books of Ezra and Nehemiah relate how God's covenant people were restored
from Babylonian exile to the covenant land as a theocratic (kingdom of God)
community even while continuing under Gentile rule. The major theological themes
of this account are: