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{{short description|Apocalyptic appendix to Vulgate (70-218 CE)}}
{{About|an apocryphal work attributed to Ezra|the protocanonical book following the canonical Book of Ezra|Book of Nehemiah|other biblical books called "Esdras"|Esdras}}
[[File:Triple Eagle 2 Esdras.gif|thumb|300px|Illustration of the [[triple-headed eagle]] from Ezra's vision (head-piece from [[Bowyer Bible]], ''Apocrypha'', 1815)]]
{{Tanakh OT |deutero}}
{{Christian Eschatology}}
'''2 Esdras''', also called '''4 Esdras''', '''Latin Esdras''', or '''Latin Ezra''', is an [[Apocalypticism|apocalyptic]] book in some [[English translations of the Bible|English versions]] of the [[Bible]].{{efn|name=list|Among many, the [[King James Bible|KJB]], [[Revised Standard Version|RSV]], [[New Revised Standard Version|NRSV]], [[New English Bible|NEB]], [[Revised English Bible|REB]], and [[Good News Bible|GNB]]. More in [[#Naming conventions|naming conventions]].}}{{efn|4 Ezra is the title used in modern English translations as in Charlesworth's.<ref>{{ISBN|978-0-385-09630-0}}.</ref>}}<ref>[http://net.bible.org/dictionary.php?word=Apocalyptic%20Esdras NETBible, ''Apocalyptic Esdras''] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070926234523/http://net.bible.org/dictionary.php?word=Apocalyptic%20Esdras |date=September 26, 2007}}</ref> Tradition ascribes it to [[Ezra]], a [[sofer|scribe]] and [[kohen|priest]] of the fifth century BC, whom the book identifies with the sixth-century figure [[Shealtiel]].<ref name="Stone 1990">{{cite book|last=Stone|first=Michael Edward|title=Fourth Ezra: A Commentary on the Book of Fourth Ezra|publisher=[[Fortress Press]]|series=Hermeneia|year=1990|isbn=978-0-8006-6026-0|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/fourthezracommen0000ston}}</ref>{{rp|37}}

2 Esdras forms a part of the canon of Scripture in the [[Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church|Ethiopian Orthodox Church]] (an [[Oriental Orthodox Churches|Oriental Orthodoxy]] body), though it is reckoned among the [[Biblical apocrypha|apocrypha]] by [[Roman Catholic Church|Roman Catholics]] and [[Protestantism|Protestants.]]<ref>For example, it is listed with the apocrypha in the Anglican [[39 Articles|Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion]].</ref> Within Eastern Orthodoxy it forms a part of the canon<ref>{{Cite book |last=Coogan |first=Michael |title=The New Oxford Annotated Bible: New Revised Standard Version: An Ecumenical Study Bible |date=March 2018 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-027605-8 |edition=5th |location=New York |pages=1839, 1841}}</ref> although its usage varies by different traditions. 2 Esdras was translated by [[Jerome]] as part of the [[Vulgate]], though he placed it in an appendix. <ref>{{cite web |url=https://blogs.ancientfaith.com/wholecounsel/2018/09/26/4-ezra-a-biblical-book-youve-probably-never-read/ |title=4 Ezra: A Biblical Book You've Probably Never Read |date=26 September 2018 }}</ref>

==Naming conventions<!--linked from the lead section-->==
{{main|Esdras#Naming conventions}}
As with [[1 Esdras]], some confusion exists about the numbering of this book. The Vulgate of Jerome includes only a single book of [[Ezra–Nehemiah|Ezra]], but in the [[Sixto-Clementine Vulgate|Clementine Vulgate]], 1, 2, 3 and 4 Esdras are separate books. Protestant writers, after the [[Geneva Bible]], called 1 and 2 Esdras of the Vulgate [[Book of Ezra|Ezra]] and [[Book of Nehemiah|Nehemiah]], respectively, and called 3 and 4 Esdras of the Vulgate [[1 Esdras]] and 2 Esdras, respectively. These then became the common names for these books in English Bibles.<ref>"Esdras." [http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05535a.htm ''Catholic Encyclopedia''].</ref>

Medieval Latin manuscripts denoted it 4 Esdras, which to this day is the name used for chapters 3–14 in modern critical editions,<ref>Bensley, R. ''The Fourth Book of Ezra, the Latin Edition edited from the MSS'' Cambridge 1895</ref><ref>Metzger, B. M. "The Fourth Book of Ezra". In J. Charlesworth, ed., ''The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha''. vol 1, p. 517ss.</ref> which are typically in [[Latin]], the language of its most complete exemplars.<ref>See for example Souvay, C. (1909). Esdras. In ''[http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05535a.htm The Catholic Encyclopedia]''. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Retrieved January 10, 2020 from New Advent.</ref>

It appears in the Appendix to the Old Testament in the [[Slavonic Bible]], where it is called 3 Esdras, and the [[Georgian Orthodox]] Bible numbers it 3 Ezra. This text is sometimes also known as Apocalypse of Ezra — chapters 3–14 known as the Jewish Apocalypse of Ezra or 4 Ezra; in modern critical editions, chapters 1–2 are named as 5 Ezra, and chapters 15–16 as 6 Ezra.

Bogaert speculates that the "fourth book of Ezra" referred to by Jerome most likely corresponds to modern 5 Ezra and 6 Ezra combined, and notes a number of Latin manuscripts where these chapters are together in an appendix.<ref>{{Cite journal|volume=110|pages=5–26|last=Bogaert|first=Pierre-Maurice|title=Les livres d'Esdras et leur numérotation dans l'histoire du canon de la Bible latin|journal=Revue Bénédictine|date=2000|issue=1–2|doi=10.1484/J.RB.5.100750}}</ref>

==Contents==

===5 Ezra<!--'5 Ezra' redirects here-->===
The first two chapters of 2 Esdras are found only in the Latin version of the book, and are called 5 Ezra by scholars.<ref name="Char">See for example B. M. Metzger, "The Fourth Book of Ezra", in Charlesworth, James H. (ed.) ''The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha, Vol 1'' (1983). Garden City, NY: Doubleday. p. 517. {{ISBN|978-0-385-09630-0}}</ref> They are considered by most scholars to be Christian in origin; they assert [[God]]'s rejection of the Jews and describe a vision of the [[Son of God]]. These are generally considered to be late additions (possibly third century) to the work.

===4 Ezra<!--'4 Ezra' redirects here-->===
Chapters 3–14, or the great bulk of 2 Esdras, is a [[Jew]]ish [[apocalypse]], also sometimes known as 4 Ezra<ref name="Char"/> or the Jewish Apocalypse of Ezra.<ref name="Bergren">{{cite book|title=The New Oxford Annotated Apocrypha: New Revised Standard Version|year=2010|publisher=Oxford University Press|location=New York, USA|isbn=9780195289619|pages=317–318|author=Theodore A. Bergren|author-link=2 Esdras|editor=Michael D. Coogan}}</ref> The latter name should not be confused with a later work called the ''[[Greek Apocalypse of Ezra]]''.

The [[Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church|Ethiopian Church]] considers 4 Ezra to be [[Biblical canon|canonical]], written during the [[Babylonian captivity]], and calls it Izra [[Shealtiel|Sutuel]] (ዕዝራ ሱቱኤል). It was also often cited by the [[Church Fathers|Fathers of the Church]]. In the Eastern [[Armenian Apostolic Church|Armenian]] tradition, it is called 3 Ezra. It was written in the late {{CE|first century}} following the destruction of the [[Second Temple of Jerusalem|Second Temple]].{{r|Bergren}}

Among [[Greek language|Greek]] Fathers of the Church, 4 Ezra is generally cited as Προφήτης Ἔσδρας ''Prophetes Esdras'' ("The Prophet Ezra") or Ἀποκάλυψις Ἔσδρα ''Apokalupsis Esdra'' ("Apocalypse of Ezra"). Most scholars agree that 4 Ezra was composed in Hebrew,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://pseudepigrapha.org/docs/intro/4Ezra|title=4 Ezra|last1=Wong|first1=A. C. K.|last2=Penner|first2=K. M.|year=2010|website=The Online Critical Pseudepigrapha|publisher=The Society of Biblical Literature|location=Atlanta|access-date=April 12, 2019|last3=Miller|first3=D. M.}}</ref> which was translated into Greek, and then to Latin, Armenian, Ethiopian, and Georgian, but the Hebrew and Greek editions have been lost.

Slightly differing Latin, [[Syriac language|Syriac]], [[Arabic language|Arabic]], [[Ethiopic]], [[Georgian language|Georgian]], and [[Armenian language|Armenian]] translations have survived in their entirety; the Greek version can be reconstructed, though without absolute certainty, from these different translations, while the Hebrew text remains more elusive. The modern [[Church Slavonic|Slavonic]] version is translated from the Latin.

[[File:Archangel Uriel with Esdras, St Michael and All Angels, Kingsland.jpg|thumb|left|180px|A medieval stained-glass panel depicting the Archangel Uriel with Ezra]]
4 Ezra consists of seven visions of [[Ezra]] the scribe. The first vision takes place as Ezra is still in [[Babylon]]. He asks God how Israel can be kept in misery if God is just. The [[archangel]] [[Uriel]] is sent to answer the question, responding that God's ways cannot be understood by the human mind. Soon, however, the end would come, and God's justice would be made manifest. Similarly, in the second vision, Ezra asks why Israel was delivered up to the Babylonians, and is again told that man cannot understand this and that the end is near. In the third vision, Ezra asks why Israel does not possess the world. Uriel responds that the current state is a period of transition. Here follows a description of the fate of evil-doers and the righteous. Ezra asks whether the righteous may intercede for the unrighteous on [[Judgment Day]], but is told that "Judgment Day is final".<ref>''2 Esd'' 7:102–104, GNB</ref>

The next three visions are more symbolic in nature. The fourth is of a woman mourning for her only son. She is transformed into a city when she hears of the desolation of Zion. Uriel says that the woman is a symbol of Zion. The fifth vision concerns an [[triple-headed eagle|eagle with three heads]] and 20 wings (12 large wings and eight smaller wings "over against them"). The eagle is rebuked by a [[lion]] and then burned. The explanation of this vision is that the eagle refers to the fourth kingdom of the vision of [[Book of Daniel|Daniel]], with the wings and heads as rulers. The final scene is the triumph of the [[Messiah]] over the empire. The sixth vision is of a man, representing the Messiah, who breathes fire on a crowd that is attacking him. This man then turns to another peaceful multitude, which accepts him.
[[File:Cassiodorus manuscript.png|thumb|Ezra produces the 94 books (''[[Codex Amiatinus]]'', eighth century)]]
Finally, a vision of the restoration of scripture is related. God appears to Ezra in a bush and commands him to restore the [[Torah|Law]]. Ezra gathers five scribes and begins to dictate. After 40 days, he has produced 204 books, including 70 works to be published last. 2 Esdras 14:44–48 KJV:

<blockquote>44 In forty days they wrote two hundred and four books.

45 And it came to pass, when the forty days were filled, that the Highest spake, saying, The first that thou hast written publish openly, that the worthy and unworthy may read it:

46 But keep the seventy last, that thou mayest deliver them only to such as be wise among the people:

47 For in them is the spring of understanding, the fountain of wisdom, and the stream of knowledge.

48 And I did so.</blockquote>

The "seventy" might refer to the [[Septuagint]], most of the [[apocrypha]], or the [[Non-canonical books referenced in the Bible|lost books that are described in the Bible]]. But it is more probable that the number is just symbolic.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Ossandón Widow |first=Juan Carlos |title=The Origins of the Canon of the Hebrew Bible: An Analysis of Josephus and 4 Ezra |publisher=Brill |year=2018 |isbn=9789004381612 |pages=170–176}}</ref> 

Almost all Latin editions of the text have a large lacuna<ref>[http://earlyjewishwritings.com/2esdras.html Article from ''Early Jewish Writings'']</ref> of 70 verses between 7:35 and 7:36 that is missing because they trace their common origin to one early manuscript, ''[[Codex Sangermanensis I]]'', from which an entire page had been cut out very early in its history. In 1875 [[Robert Lubbock Bensly]] published the lost verses<ref>[https://archive.org/details/missingfragmento00bensuoft/page/n5/mode/2up The Missing Fragment of the Latin Translation of the Fourth Book of Ezra (Cambridge UP, 1875)]</ref> and in 1895 [[M.R. James]] oversaw a critical edition from Bensly's notes<ref>[https://archive.org/details/rulesoftyconius00tico/page/n245/mode/2up The Fourth Book of Ezra (Texts & Studies 3.2, ed by J.A. Robinson, Cambridge UP, 1895)]</ref> restoring the lost verses from the complete text found in the ''[[Codex Colbertinus]]''; this edition is used in the [[Stuttgart edition of the Vulgate]]. The restored verses are numbered 7:35 to 7:105, with the former verses 7:36–7:70 renumbered to 7:106–7:140.<ref>''Biblia Sacra Vulgata'', 4th edition, 1994, {{ISBN|3-438-05303-9}}.</ref> For more information, see the article ''[[Codex Sangermanensis I]]''.

Second Esdras turns around a radical spiritual conversion of Ezra in a vision, where he stops to comfort a sobbing woman who turns instantly into a great city (2 Esd. 10:25–27). On this pivotal event, one scholar writes that Ezra:

<blockquote>is badly frightened, he loses consciousness and calls for his angelic guide. The experience described is unique, not just in 4 Ezra, but in the whole Jewish apocalyptic literature. Its intensity complements the pressure of unrelieved stress evident in the first part of the vision, and it resembles the major orientation of personality usually connected with [[Born again (Christianity)|religious conversion]].{{r|Stone 1990|p=31}}</blockquote>

The following verses (10:28–59) reveal that Ezra had a vision of the heavenly Jerusalem, the true city of Zion, which the angel of the Lord invites him to explore. As the angel tells Ezra at the end of Chapter 10 in the [[Authorised Version]]:

<blockquote><poem>And therefore fear not,
   let not thine heart be affrighted,
but go thy way in,
   and see the beauty and greatness of the building,
as much as thine eyes be able to see;
   and then shalt thou hear as much as thine ears may comprehend.
For thou art blessed above many other
   and art [[Predestination|called]] with the Highest and so are but few.</poem></blockquote>

<blockquote>But tomorrow at night thou shalt remain here and so shall the Highest show thee [[Apocalypse|visions]] of the high things which the Most High will do unto them that dwell upon earth in the [[Eschatology|last days]].

So I slept that night and another like as he commanded me (2 Esd. 10:55–59).</blockquote>

===6 Ezra<!--'6 Ezra' redirects here-->===
The last two chapters, also called 6 Ezra by scholars,<ref name="Char"/> and found in the Latin, but not in the Eastern texts, predict wars and rebuke sinners. Many assume that they probably date from a much later period (perhaps late third century) and may be Christian in origin; though not certain, they possibly were added at the same time as the first two chapters of the Latin version. They likely are Jewish in origin, however; 15:57–59 have been found in Greek, which most scholars agree was translated from a Hebrew original.

==Author and criticism==
The main body of the book appears to be written for consolation in a period of great distress (one scholarly hypothesis is that it dates to [[Titus]]' destruction of the [[Second Temple]] in {{CE|70}}).<ref name="JewE">[http://jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/5852-esdras-books-of#1253 Jewish Encyclopedia article]</ref> The author seeks answers, similar to [[Job (Biblical figure)|Job]]'s quest for understanding the meaning of suffering, but the author does not like or desire only the answer that was given to Job.

Critics question whether even the main body of the book, not counting the chapters that exist only in the Latin version and in Greek fragments, has a single author. Kalisch, De Faye, and Charles hold that no fewer than five people worked on the text. However, Gunkel points to the unity in character and holds that the book is written by a single author; the author of 2 Esdras has also been suggested to have written the [[Syriac Apocalypse of Baruch]].<ref name="JewE"/> In any case, the two texts may date from about the same time, and one almost certainly depends on the other.<ref name="JewE"/>

Critics{{Who?|date=October 2023}} have widely debated the origin of the book. Hidden under two layers of translation, determining whether the author was Roman, Alexandrian, or Judean is impossible.

The scholarly interpretation of the eagle being the [[Roman Empire]] (the eagle in the fifth vision, whose heads might be [[Vespasian]], [[Titus]], and [[Domitian]] if such is the case) and the destruction of the temple would indicate that the probable date of composition lies toward the end of the first century, perhaps 90–96, though some suggest a date as late as 218.<ref name="JewE"/>

==Usage==
The book is found in the Orthodox Slavonic Bible ([[Ostrog Bible]], [[Elizabeth Bible]], and later consequently [[Russian Synodal Bible]]).<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Monk |first=Anonymous |title=These Truths We Hold - The Holy Orthodox Church: Her Life and Teachings |publisher=Saint Tikhons Seminary Press |location=Pennsylvania |publication-date=1986}}</ref> 2 Esdras is in the Apocrypha of the King James Version, and [[Pope Clement VIII]] placed it in an appendix to the [[Vulgate]] along with [[1 Esdras|3 Esdras]] and the [[Prayer of Manasseh]] "lest they perish entirely".<ref>[http://sacredbible.org/vulgate1861/scans/817-Apocrypha.jpg Clementine Vulgate, Note to the Appendix]</ref> The chapters corresponding to 4 Ezra, i.e. 2 Esdras 3–14, make up the ''Book of II Izra'', aka ''Izra Sutuel'', canonical in the [[Ethiopian Orthodox Church]]; it was also widely cited by early Fathers of the Church, particularly [[Ambrose of Milan]], as the 'third book of Esdras'. [[Jerome]] states that it is apocryphal.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tertullian.org/fathers/jerome_preface_ezra.htm|title=St. Jerome, The Prologue on the Book of Ezra: English translation}}</ref> It may also be found in many larger English Bibles included as part of the [[Biblical apocrypha]], as they exist in the King James Version, the Revised Version, the Revised Standard Version, and the earliest editions of the Catholic [[Douay–Rheims Bible]], among others.{{efn|name=list}}

The ''introitus'' of the [[traditional Requiem Mass]] of the Extraordinary Form of the 1962 Missal in the Catholic Church is loosely based on 2:34–35: "Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them." Several other liturgical prayers are taken from the book. The same chapter, verses 36 and 37, is cited in the Introit of Pentecost Tuesday, "''Accipite jucunditatem gloriae vestrae, alleluia: gratias agentes Deo, alleluia: qui vos ad caelestia regna vocavit, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia''. Ps. 77 ''Attendite, popule meus, legem meam: inclinate aurem vestram in verba oris mei. Gloria Patri. Accipite''. – Receive the delight of your glory, alleluia, giving thanks to God, alleluia, Who hath called ye to the heavenly kingdoms, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia. [[Psalm 78|Psalm 77]] Attend, O my people, to my law: incline your ears to the words of my mouth. Glory be. Receive.”<ref>{{cite web|url=http://catholicnewslive.com/story/610621|title=Actual Apocrypha in the Liturgy|website=Catholic News Live}}</ref> The Alleluia verse ''Crastina die'' for the Vigil Mass of Christmas in the [[Roman Missal]] is taken from chapter 16, verse 52.

[[Christopher Columbus]] quoted verse 6:42, which describes the Earth as being created with six parts land and one part water, in his appeal to the [[Catholic Monarchs]] for financial support for his first voyage of exploration.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Lx5vj2RD3WoC&pg=PA112|title=Two Esdras|last=Longenecker|first=Bruce W.|date=1995|publisher=A&C Black|isbn=9781850757269|pages=112|language=en}}</ref>

The book is appointed as a scripture reading in the Ordinariate’s Evensong service for All Hallows' Eve.<ref>{{cite web |author1=Ordinariates Established by Anglicanorum Coetibus |title=CTS Divine Worship Daily Office |url=https://issuu.com/catholictruthsociety/docs/divine_worship_-_the_daily_office_preview/65 |website=Isuu |date=11 April 2022 |publisher=Catholic Truth Society |access-date=2 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230224231958/https://image.isu.pub/220411121517-10aacdba2670962437cb7e59683454f1/jpg/page_65.jpg |archive-date=24 February 2023 |page=66 |language=English}}</ref>

The work is included in the [[New Revised Standard Version|NRSV]]-based ''[[Renovare Spiritual Formation Bible|Renovaré Spiritual Formation Bible]]''.

==See also==
* [[Esdras]]
* [[1 Esdras]]
* [[Deuterocanonical_books#In_Orthodox_Christianity|Deuterocanonical books in Orthodox Christianity]]
* [[Ostrog Bible]]
* [[Vision of Ezra]]

===Footnotes===
{{notelist}}

==References==

===Sources===
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book |last=Longenecker |first=Bruce |date=1995 |title=2 Esdras |location=Sheffield |publisher=[[Sheffield Academic Press]] |series=Guides to Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha |isbn=978-1850757269}}

==External links==
{{Wikisource|Bible (King James)/2 Esdras|The King James Version of 2 Esdras}}
* {{gutenberg|no=1610|name=Holy Bible, Douay-Rheims Version, O.T. Part 2}}. (See in the appendix: ''The Fovrth Booke of Esdras'' in a 1610 translation. Also included is [[Robert Lubbock Bensly]]'s 1874 translation of a "rediscovered" 70-verse fragment (7:36–105) on a page that was omitted from the 1610 translation, though present in all earlier versions.)
* [http://www.hti.umich.edu/cgi/r/rsv/rsv-idx?type=DIV1&byte=3652195 Revised Standard Version (includes the missing page with 7:36–105)]
* [http://www.earlyjewishwritings.com/2esdras.html 2 Esdras at earlyjewishwritings.com]
* [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text.jsp?doc=Perseus:text:1999.02.0060:book=2%20Esdras Latin text of 2 (4) Esdras]
* [http://www.ccel.org/wwsb/2Esdras/index.html World Wide Study Bible: 2 Esdras]
* [http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05535a.htm Catholic Encyclopedia: Esdras: The Books of Esdras: IV Esdras]
* [http://jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=463&letter=E&search=Esdras#1253 Jewish Encyclopedia: Esdras, Books of: II Esdras]
* {{Cite EB1911|wstitle=Ezra, Fourth Book of|short=x}}
* {{bibleverse|2|Esdras|1|NRSV}}—NRSV
* [http://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/k/kjv/kjv-idx?type=DIV1&byte=3609614 King James version of 2 Esdras].
* [http://www.bombaxo.com/biblical-stuff/apocrypha-and-pseudepigrapha/ezra-chart/ Ezra/Esdras Chart] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191224214442/http://www.bombaxo.com/biblical-stuff/apocrypha-and-pseudepigrapha/ezra-chart/ |date=2019-12-24 }}
* [http://www.biblicalaudio.com/ezra2.htm 2 Ezra: 2012 Critical Translation with Audio Drama] at biblicalaudio

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Esdras, 2}}
[[Category:1st-century books]]
[[Category:3rd-century books]]
[[Category:3rd-century Christian texts]]
[[Category:Old Testament books]]
[[Category:Christian apocalyptic writings]]
[[Category:Jewish eschatology]]
[[Category:Works of unknown authorship]]
[[Category:Texts in the Septuagint]]
[[Category:1st-century Christian texts]]
[[Category:Uriel]]
[[Category:Jewish apocrypha]]
[[Category:Texts attributed to Ezra]]
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