Contradiction with Nehemiah 2:8
Nehemiah receives permission and support from King Artaxerxes to rebuild, while Ezra 5:3 describes officials questioning the authority to rebuild.
Nehemiah 2:8: And a letter unto Asaph the keeper of the king's forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the palace which [appertained] to the house, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall enter into. And the king granted me, according to the good hand of my God upon me.
Contradiction with Acts 5:39
If something is of God, it cannot be opposed, contradicting the opposition to the work in Ezra 5:3.
Acts 5:39: But if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it; lest haply ye be found even to fight against God.
Contradiction with Matthew 21:23
Jesus is questioned about his authority, which contradicts the questioning of authority in Ezra 5:3.
Matthew 21:23: And when he was come into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came unto him as he was teaching, and said, By what authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee this authority?
Contradiction with 1 Corinthians 14:33
God is not the author of confusion, contrasting the attempted obstruction in Ezra 5:3.
1 Corinthians 14:33: For God is not [the author] of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints. [confusion: Gr. tumult, or, unquietness]
Paradox #1
Ezra 5:3 mentions officials questioning the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem. A potential contradiction is the identity and timing of these officials compared to other historical records. Some sources suggest discrepancies about who these officials were or when these events specifically happened, compared to other historical accounts outside the Bible.