Dissertation under the direction of Professor Peter J. Haas

This dissertation studies the first person narratives of Ezra and Nehemiah included in the book Ezra-Nehemiah, using the approach of close reading, to determine the roles of the respective narrators in their stories. The emphasis is on the literary impact of these stories being told in the first person, but other matters (such as historical questions) are not excluded from discussion.

The first chapter reviews prior research, showing the emphasis in most other studies on historical questions about the persons presented as protagonists in these narratives. The major trends in source, historical, social-scientific, and literary crtitical treatments of these works are considered. The second chapter analyzes the first person Ezra passage. The interdependence of this first person narrative with the third person narrative about Ezra is noted. The third chapter analyzes the first person Nehemiah passages. The final chapter compares the two materials with respect to the structure of the passages, literary features, character of the protagonists, and views of the proper community. This chapter also discusses implications of the inclusion of the two passages in the single book Ezra-Nehemiah.

The study supports the common view that the Nehemiah narrative retains marks of an independent story contained with the larger work, but that the Ezra first person narrative is more integrated into the larger work. It affirms that each narrative presents its narrator-protagonist in positive light, and that the larger work presents both as models for the community. Ezra's emphasis on the foundational role of the proper community structure according to the Law is affirmed, and Nehemiah's concern for practical implementation of those structures to provide security for the people is stressed. Ezra remains the model of priestly leadership in setting the theological groundwork for the true community, and Nehemiah remains the historical example of lay leadership in making the theories work in real life.