TY - JOUR AU - Guite Phaipi, Chingboi PY - 2020/11/17 Y2 - 2024/03/28 TI - The First Encounter of the Golah and Their "Adversaries" (Ezra 4:1–5): Who Are the Adversaries, and on What Is the Adversity Based? JF - The Journal of Hebrew Scriptures JA - JHS VL - 20 IS - SE - Articles DO - 10.5508/jhs29563 UR - https://jhsonline.org/index.php/jhs/article/view/29563 SP - AB - <p>Ezra 4:1–5 narrates the first encounter of the&nbsp;<em>golah</em>&nbsp;with the “other,” after the&nbsp;<em>golah</em>&nbsp;arrive in the land. Against the tendency to identify the “other” with a specific group of people, the text employs only vague descriptions. A narrative analysis reveals that the “other” group includes all and any non-<em>golah</em>&nbsp;people. Claims for participation in the building by the “other,” and refusal by the&nbsp;<em>golah</em>&nbsp;leaders, are ultimately based on their cultic differences.</p> ER -