where did the office of scribe ezra come from in the royal arch and what are his duties

The presence of Scribe Ezra in the Chapter arises from biblical tradition, though placing him at the laying of the second Temple's foundation involves a recognized historical anachronism 1. Albert C. Mackey points out that the biblical Ezra did not travel to Jerusalem until decades after Zerubbabel, Joshua, and Haggai began rebuilding the Temple 1. Early ritual compilers likely confused him with the earlier Ezra recorded in Nehemiah, or intended Esdras—as George Oliver suggested in an effort to reconcile the timeline—creating a historical discrepancy perpetuated in English working 1.

Beyond the historical narrative, Walter Leslie Wilmshurst interprets Scribe Ezra symbolically as a representation of spiritual advancement 2. Stationed in the North East, Scribe Ezra represents a stage of progress from West to East, serving as a recorder of and testifier to the internal experiences of self-reconstruction and spiritual return from symbolic Babylon to Jerusalem 2.

In performance of his duties and ceremonial placement within the English system, the Scribe wears a purple robe and turban 1. Serving in the office of Scribe—or as a Sojourner—is also part of the structural progression of a Chapter, acting as a qualification required of a companion before he may be eligible for election as one of the Three Principals 1.