Nehemiah was punished for criticism of former governors, particularly Daniel (Neh. 5:15), and for his request to be remembered (Neh. 5:19) by the deletion of his name from the title of the book that was simply called ‘Ezra’. If Ezra and Nehemiah are viewed as the joint-authors of the book, we might have expected that they would highlight their own roles in the events narrated, though it is possible for an author to be self-effacing, even self-deprecating. H. G. M. Williamson has argued for pro-priestly