Gentile Christians, Exile, And Return in 5 Ezra 1:35-40 (Critical Essay‪)‬

5 Ezra is a short, early Christian writing of the second or third century that is a thinly veiled supersessionist tract. Pseudepigraphically ascribed to the biblical Ezra, the work describes God's decision to abandon his originally chosen people and transfer his allegiance to a newly chosen, different people (the Christians) who will better fulfill his expectations. Although the origins of the work are uncertain, it seems to have been composed in Latin, the only language in which it is attested, and thus was most probably written in Rome or northern Africa. (1) The Latin text of 5 Ezra constitutes the first two chapters of the composite apocryphal biblical writing 2 Esdras. (2) Analysis of the text of 5 Ezra suggests that it can be divided into six major units, roughly corresponding to six successive periods of (Christian) salvation history. In the third text unit, 1:35-40, God addresses his unrepentant original people, Israel, through the prophetic mouthpiece of Ezra: