The Book of Ezra does not give a specific name to its author. Yet the prophet Ezra is believed to have written the book. The book begins at the end of Chronicles 2. Ezra and Nehemiah (the next book of the Bible) were initially thought of as two parts of a book. The theme of this book is the return of the Jews to Jerusalem after the Babylonian captivity. There are two stages in the narration of the book. The first phase talks about the first group of exiles returned to Jerusalem in the first year of Cyrus the Great (BC 537) and the completion and dedication of the new synagogue in Jerusalem (BC 516). The subject of the second phase is the return of the second group of exiles under the leadership of Ezra, and his attempt to free and sanctify the Jews from the sin of intermarriage with non-Jews. The book of Ezra also refers to other biblical prophets, namely Haggai and Zacharias, whose messages prompted the people to complete the construction of the temple (Ezra 5:1). The book shows the power of God in the covenant faithfulness and motivates even the Gentile kings to fulfill the purposes of his redemption.

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