Date of composition

• Ezra purportedly wrote it, but the book dates from the first century AD or later. Some scholars divide it into 3 chapters, called 4 - 6 Ezra.

Type of book

• Only some Orthodox accept this as deuterocanonical. (means "secondary or less sacred scripture")
• All other Christians view it as Apocrypha.

Length

• 65 double-spaced pages with 16 chapters.

Summary

• The book is divided into three parts, not all of which are found together in different Bibles:
• Chapters 1 & 2: 5 Ezra
• A Christian probably wrote it. It denounces and criticizes the Jews for not staying truthful to God.
• Chapters 3-14: 4 Ezra or the Jewish Apocalypse of Ezra
• This contains seven visions of Ezra.
• Chapters 15 & 16: 6 Ezra, perhaps with a Jewish author
• Describes horrors that the Jewish people will experience due to their unfaithfulness.