Ezra Reading the Torah

Illustration of Ezra Reading the Law to the Jews. 1890. From Cassell's Illustrated Universal History, Vol. I - Early and Greek History by Edmund Ollier. Cassell and Company, Limited, London, Paris and Melbourne.

Illustrated histories and Bibles were popular in late nineteenth century and there was not much separation between the two. History books –when covering the ancient near east—depended primarily on biblical accounts, mythology and this illustration of a biblical character is in a history book. For Cassell and Company as well as for other publishers often a group of artists and engravers worked together to create the illustrations and none of them would be cited in the final copy. In this illustration Ezra reads the Torah to the Jews who have returned to Jerusalem after the Babylonian exile (Neh 8:1-5.)