Determinism and moral agency in 4 Ezra

The significant consensus in contemporary scholarship on the connection between the message of 4 Ezra and the figure of Ezra's transformation in 4 Ezra also seems to be accompanied by tendencies to contrast the rational against the experiential, and an implied incoherence in the way that the author articulates deterministic notions on the one hand and human moral responsibility on the other hand. I argue that the existential component of Ezra's transformation is underlaid by the rational. To illustrate, I apply Lorenzo DiTommaso's framing of Ezra's "conversion" to the author's articulation of determinism. Ezra's pre-conversion deterministic thinking is rooted in the Deuteronomic pattern whereas Ezra's post-conversion determinism is thoroughly apocalyptic. A rational coherence underscores the author's articulation of human moral responsibility and the latter view. The rational coherence of these two elements is essential for the author's goal of effecting conversion and frames moral action as a symbolic performance of collective identity for the text's implied community.