(Williamson). While certainty is unattainable, we see no reason to reject the basic authenticity of the Ezra memorandum, though it has been extensively edited and has not been cited in extenso. Whether it was written in the form of a mandated report to the central government or as a personal apologia addressed to the author’s contemporaries and to posterity cannot, however, be determined. While chapters 9–10 of Nehemiah do not belong to the Ezra material, they may be conveniently considered here.