Theological perspectives on the concept of 'Yahweh's people' in Ezra and Nehemiah during the early post-exilic period (539-350 BC) - part II

Abstract

This article is divided into two major parts; each is published separately. Part I dealt with the conflict between the golah (exile) community and the am ha’arets (people of the land) regarding the exclusive religious, political and social reforms of Ezra and Nehemiah. The author argued that the conception of ‘Yahweh’s people’ lay behind the tension between the two above-named groups. Consequently, two theological perspectives emerged in Ezra and Nehemiah on the concept of ‘Yahweh’s people’ and other nations. One is exclusive, the other is inclusive. What follows here is Part II. This part demonstrates that the Abrahamic and the Mosaic covenants provide a framework through which every other person could embrace Yahweh, the God of Israel as his/her God. Therefore, Yahweh cannot be confined to a single group of people, race or nation as presupposed by the leaders of the early postexilic Jewish community in Ezra and Nehemiah.