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The Books of 1 and 2 Chronicles

I. INTRODUCTION
The two books of Chronicles are in reality one. The division was first made in
the Septuagint and thence in the Latin Vulgate. Hence, it was adopted in other
translations and by the siteenth century also in printed Hebrew !ibles.
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The first book of Chronicles provides an ethnic#geographic framework over
nine chapters, followed by the story of $avid. The second book in its first nine
chapters recounts the history of the reign of Solomon, and then tells the whole
history of the kingdom of %udah up to its destruction, without considering the
northern kingdom.
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II. BODY
A. Nature of Comosition
1. Title
The Hebrew title of the !ooks of Chronicles is di!re ha""#m$m or di!re
"#m$m which literally means 'the book of the words of the days(. )diomatically, it is
e*uivalent to 'happenings of the times( or chronicles +record of events in
chronological order,.
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)n .reek, the title given is raliomenon or araleiomena understood as
designating the book/s content
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. The title means 'things omitted or passed over 1in
Samuel and 2ings3(.
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The !ooks of Chronicles, however, are more than a
supplement to Samuel and 2ings. 5 comparison of two histories discloses striking
differences in scope and purpose.
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1
7eter 8. 5ckroyd, The Books of Chronicles, The 9ford Companion to the !ible, 9ford :niversity
7ress, )nc.; <ew =ork, ">>-, p.""-.
2
?n@o Corte@e, Introduction to 1 and 2 Chronicles, Ezra-Nehemiah, The )nternational !ible Commentary,
Claretian 7ublications; Aue@on City, &BB", p.604.
3
<.%. Cc ?leney, Chronicler, <ew Catholic ?ncyclopedia, %ack Heraty D 5ssociates, )nc.; 7alestine,
)llinois, ">E", p.66F.
4
)bid.
5
The <ew 5merican !ible, The First Book of Chronicles, Catholic !ible 7ress, ">>", p.-0E.
6
)bid.
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9n the other hand, the modern name Chronicles goes back to St. %erome/s
Prolugus aleatus in which he writes that these books 'form a chronicle of the whole
divine history(. )n his translation of the !ible, Cartin Luther took up the term and
called the books '$ie Chronika( and the name thus populari@ed, is now generally
accepted by modern versions.
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2. Author
The Chronicler is the name given to the !iblical author who produced the
historical corpus comprising the books of " and & Chronicles.
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There is a general agreement that the Chronicler is a %e&ite cantor or a ost
e'ilic riest
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. .enerally speaking, the uni*ue tet and additions describe matters of
particular interest to priests, including Sabbath observance, ritual specifications,
descriptions of various temple accessories and the like +" Chr "6;0#FG " Ch &E;""#
">,.
"B
Traditionally, )*ra +0&B !C, is regarded as the Chronicler.
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+. Date and ,lace of Comosition
Hhen they come in assigning dates for the books/ composition, authors vary
widely. The most fre*uently accepted limits for the Chronicler/s activity are the late
4
th
century !.C. +when the most recent events narrated took place, and the early
years of 5leander/s domination of Syria#7alestine in ---#-&- !.C. +since these
books show little .reek influence,. Hithin these outer limits, opinions fluctuate
although many scholars now favor a date near -.. B.C. for the work/s appearance
in its final form. This date is likewise supported by the Chronicler/s Hebrew as well
as his religious and political outlook.
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7
<.%. Cc ?leney, Chronicler, <ew Catholic ?ncyclopedia, %ack Heraty D 5ssociates, )nc.; 7alestine,
)llinois, ">E", p.66F.
8
)bid, p.666.
9
8obert <orth, S.%., The Cronicler!1-2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, The <ew %erome !iblical
Commentary, Claretians 7ublication; Cakati City, ">>-, p.-60.
10
5lice L. Laffey, 8.S.C., 1 and 2 Chronicles, The Collegeville !ible Commentary, Liturgical 7ress;
Collegeville, Cinnesota, ">E>, p.-&".
11
The <ew 5merican !ible, The First Book of Chronicles, Catholic !ible 7ress, ">>", p.-0E.
12
<.%. Cc ?leney, Chronicler, <ew Catholic ?ncyclopedia, %ack Heraty D 5ssociates, )nc.; 7alestine,
)llinois, ">E", p.666.
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The !ooks of Chronicles was probably written in /erusalem since during the
composition of these books, the )sraelites were already in %erusalem. They were
allowed by 2ing Cyrus of 7ersia to return to their land.
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B. Content
1. %iterar" 0enre and 1orm
The !ooks of " and & Chronicles is a narrati&e of the 'whole of the divine
history(, i.e. from the creation of 5dam up to the post#eilic period.
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2. Outline and Di&ision
!riefly, the contents are;
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1 Chr 12(3+- 0enealo4ical Ta!le
1 Chr (3+52 2( 6in4shi of Da&id
2 Chr 12( 6in4shi of 7olomon
2 Chr 1.2+8 6in4dom of /udah
)n " Chr "#>;-0, a series of genealogies traces descent from 5dam to the
descendants of $avid and Solomon who were dwelling again in %erusalem after the
?dict of Cyrus in 4-E !.C.
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)n " Chr >;-4# &>, the reign of $avid, as it is described in his civil and religious
organi@ation of the kingdom, is ideali@ed.
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)n & Chr "#>, the story of Solomon emphasi@es his wisdom, which is
particularly evident in his building and dedicating the Temple of %erusalem.
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)n & Chr "B#-6, an account is given of the successor of $avid and Solomon
but the rulers of the schismatic <orthern 2ingdom of )srael are ignored. ?ven of the
kings of %udah, only three good, reforming kingsI %ehoshaphat, He@ekiah and
13
5lice L. Laffey, 8.S.C., 1 and 2 Chronicles, The Collegeville !ible Commentary, Liturgical 7ress;
Collegeville, Cinnesota, ">E>, p.--".
14
<.%. Cc ?leney, Chronicler, <ew Catholic ?ncyclopedia, %ack Heraty D 5ssociates, )nc.; 7alestine,
)llinois, ">E", p.66F.
15
7eter 8. 5ckroyd, The Books of Chronicles, The 9ford Companion to the !ible, 9ford :niversity
7ress, )nc.; <ew =ork, ">>-, p.""-.
16
<.%. Cc ?leney, Chronicler, <ew Catholic ?ncyclopedia, %ack Heraty D 5ssociates, )nc.; 7alestine,
)llinois, ">E", p.66F.
17
)bid.
18
)bid.
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%osiahI are treated at length. The evil conduct of the other kings, the priests and
the people eventually brought about the destruction of %erusalem and the nation.
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C. ,urose and Audience
The !ooks of Chronicles were written for the ost2e'ilic Israelites who were
deprived of national independence and haunted by 7ersian dominations to
esta!lish their identit" as Israelites.
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The !abylonian ?ile began in 4>F !C and ended in 4-E !C. $ue to a very
long period of living in !abylon, many of those who returned to %erusalem after the
eile were no longer aware of their identity as )sraelites. Cany of which were already
the predecessors of those who were first eiled and thus has lost their identity as
)sraelites. The !ooks of Chronicles were written to establish this lost identity.
D. 9essa4e
)n conJunction with the purpose, i.e. to establish the identity of the )sraelite
people, the !ooks of Chronicles tell the post#eilic )sraelites the words: ;You are
true Israelites since the different o!ser&ances: rituals and acts of <orshi "ou
are doin4 at this oint of time are the same as that of the re2e'ilic Israelites=.
). 7i4nificance
The !ooks of Chronicles sho< us ho< the Israelites re!uilt themsel&es
centered in litur4" and <orshi in the temle.
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1. 9iscellanea
1. Te'tual >istor"
9riginally, the books of " and & Chronicles, ?@ra and <ehemiah were copied
as one literary work in the Hebrew tetual tradition.
&&
!ecause of the si@e, however,
19
)bid.
20
5lice L. Laffey, 8.S.C., 1 and 2 Chronicles, The Collegeville !ible Commentary, Liturgical 7ress;
Collegeville, Cinnesota, ">E>, p.-&".
21
.ood <ews !ible, The First Book of Chronicles, 7hilippine !ible Society, ">>4, p. 06>.
22
?n@o Corte@e, Introduction to 1 and 2 Chronicles, Ezra-Nehemiah, The )nternational !ible Commentary,
Claretian 7ublications; Aue@on City, &BB", p.600.
0
the four books came to be written on two scrolls, with " and & Chronicles as one
book on the first scroll and ?@ra and <ehemiah as one book on the second.
&-
The greater bulk of the work in its .reek translation led to a further division of
the work into the four books of our present !ible since the .reek alphabet wrote
vowels as well as consonants, whereas ancient Hebrew wrote only consonants.
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2. 9ain Characters
Da&id was the successor of Saul, the "
st
king of )srael. However, he is
regarded as the "
st
king of the united )srael. )n the !ooks of Chronicles, he is
ideali@ed. There is no lust for !athsheba, no prophetic condemnation, no betrayal
by one/s son and no potential conspiracy. $avid emerges as the model monarch.
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7olomon: on the other hand, was the successor of $avid. He is likewise
ideali@ed by the Chronicler. 9ne never learns from the Chronicler of Solomon/s
seven hundred foreign wives and conse*uent idolatry. Solomon, like his father, is
fully faithful to his .od.
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The 6in4s of the 7outhern 6in4dom in /udah
2?
8ehoboam >&&#>"4
5biJah +5biJam, >"4#>"-
5sa >"-#EF-
%ehoshaphat EF-#E0>
%ehoram +%oram, E0>#E0&
5ha@iah E0&
Aueen 5thaliah E0&#E-F
%ehoash +%oash, E-F#EBB
5ma@iah EBB#FE-
23
<.%. Cc ?leney, Chronicler, <ew Catholic ?ncyclopedia, %ack Heraty D 5ssociates, )nc.; 7alestine,
)llinois, ">E", p.66F.
24
)bid.
25
5lice L. Laffey, 8.S.C., 1 and 2 Chronicles, The Collegeville !ible Commentary, Liturgical 7ress;
Collegeville, Cinnesota, ">E>, p.-&".
26
5lice L. Laffey, 8.S.C., 1 and 2 Chronicles, The Collegeville !ible Commentary, Liturgical 7ress;
Collegeville, Cinnesota, ">E>, p.-&".
27
Luca Ca@@inghi, 2 Chronicles, The )nternational !ible Commentary, Claretian 7ublications; Aue@on
City, &BB", p.66F#6F-.
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:@@iah +5@ariah, FE-#F0&
%otham F0&#F-4
5ha@ +%ehoaha@ ), F-4#F"4
He@ekiah F"4#6EF
Canasseh 6EF#60&
5mon 60&#60B
%osiah 60B#6B>
%ehoaha@ )) +Shallum, 6B>
%ehoiakim +?liakim, 6B>#4>E
%ehoiachim +%econiah, 4>F
Kedekiah +Cattaniah, 4>F#4EF
L5LL 9L %?8:S5L?C 4EF
III. CONC%U7ION
Lor the $euteronomistic historian, the person who does not know history is
bound to repeat it. Therefore, he retells )srael/s past so that those living in the
present and in the future may learn from it.
The Chronicler, with a different audience, different leadership and a different
historical situation, also recalls )srael/s past, this time, ending eplicitly in a new
beginning.
The theological purpose of the two interpretations of )srael/s history is *uite
similar; Learn from the past for the present. Leaders and people alike must
observe covenant fidelity and listen attentively to =ahweh/s word.
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BIB%IO0RA,>Y
5ckroyd, 7eter 8.. The !ooks of Chronicles. The 9ford Companion to the !ible.
9ford :niversity 7ress, )nc.; <ew =ork. ">>-.
Corte@e, ?n@o. )ntroduction to " and & Chronicles, ?@ra#<ehemiah. The )nternational
!ible Commentary. Claretian 7ublications; Aue@on City. &BB".
.ood <ews !ible. The Lirst !ook of Chronicles. 7hilippine !ible Society. ">>4.
Laffey, 5lice L. 8.S.C.. " and & Chronicles. The Collegeville !ible Commentary.
Liturgical 7ress; Collegeville, Cinnesota. ">E>.
28
5lice L. Laffey, 8.S.C., 1 and 2 Chronicles, The Collegeville !ible Commentary, Liturgical 7ress;
Collegeville, Cinnesota, ">E>, p.--".
6
Ca@@inghi, Luca, & Chronicles. The )nternational !ible Commentary. Claretian
7ublications; Aue@on City. &BB".
Cc ?leney, <.%.. Chronicler, <ew Catholic ?ncyclopedia. %ack Heraty D 5ssociates, )nc.;
7alestine, )llinois. ">E".
<orth, 8obert S.%.. The Cronicler;"#& Chronicles, ?@ra, <ehemiah. The <ew %erome
!iblical Commentary. Claretians 7ublication; Cakati City. ">>-.
The <ew 5merican !ible. The Lirst !ook of Chronicles. Catholic !ible 7ress. ">>".
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