What is the book of Chronicles?

Transcription

1 What is the book of Chronicles? Rewritten Scripture It is supposed to be compared to the other scriptural version of the same story. It challenges readers to consider why a new version of the same story is needed. Thus, readers are to ask: What s left in? What s left out? What s changed? What s added?

2 CHRONICLES AND THE PRIMARY NARRATIVE G E L N D J J S K Adam- Davidic line David Solomon Southern Kingdom to Cyrus edict Chronicles retells the entire Primary Narrative with an emphasis on David and Solomon

3 THE THEMES OF CHRONICLES All Israel David-Solomon Temple-Jerusalem-Levites-Worship Retribution

4 STRUCTURE OF THE BOOK OF CHRONICLES I The Genealogies from the Beginning to the Restoration (1 Chron 1:1-9:44) II The Reign of David (10:1-29:30) III The Reign of Solomon (2 Chron 1:1-9:31) IV The Kings of Judah (10:1-36:23)

5 SELECTED UNIQUE FEATURES OF THE BOOK OF CHRONICLES David and Solomon are treated differently: David s rise to power deleted, David s sin ignored (except the census), David prepares everything for temple, Solomon s sin ignored after the genealogical introduction, storyline deals with Saul briefly and begins with David s anointing northern kingdom of Israel ignored Elijah and Elisha not mentioned, except Elijah in 1 Chron 8:27; 2 Chron 21:12-15 addition to Hezekiah story (2 Chron 29:3-31:21 new material) on reforms and expansions (also cf. 32:31 with 2 Kgs 20:12-19) Manasseh s exile and reforms added (2 Chron 33:11-17, 19; cf. vv with Prayer of Manasseh in Apocrypha) Josiah s reforms inadequate deleted (cf. 2 Kgs 23:24-27) concludes after the exile

6 Large additions to Chronicles more than a chapter 1 Chronicles 12:1-41 those who rallied to David at Ziklag, and all twelve tribes at Hebron (cf. 11:4) appointing temple singers, gatekeepers, and a song commemorating the ark s entry into Jerusalem (from Pss 105:1-15; 96:1b-10b, 11-13b; 106:1, 47-48) David prepares for temple 2 Chronicles Hezekiah s temple and Passover reforms

7 I Genealogies from the Beginning to the Restoration (1 Chr 1-9) A The Patriarchs (1) B The Twelve Sons of Israel (2:1-7:40) (introduction/2:1-2) 1 The Family of Judah (2:3-4:23) 2 Simeon (4:24-43) 3 Reuben (5:1-10) 4 Gad (5:11-22) 5 half-tribe of Manasseh (5:23-26) 6 Levi (6) 7 Issachar (7:1-5) 8 Benjamin (7:6-12) 9 Naphtali (7:13) 10 Manasseh (other half-tribe) (7:14-19) 11 Ephraim (7:20-29) 12 Asher (7:30-40) C Genealogy of Saul (8) D The people in Jerusalem (9)

8 1 CHRONICLES 21 AS A NARRATIVE NEXUS a heart like God s heart (confession) David-(Solomon) *temple (worship-levites- Jerusalem) retribution, all Israel

9 KING MANASSEH IN CHRONICLES Read 2 Kings 21:1-18; 23:24-27; 24:3-4; Jeremiah 15:1-4; 2 Chronicles 33:1-20. What things did the Chronicler delete from Kings version of Manasseh? Add? Change? Why did the Chronicler make these changes? What is the function of Manasseh s story within the book of Chronicles? What does Manasseh s story in Chronicles say to faithful readers?

10 What most surprised you in these readings? Why? What troubled you? Why? How do the Kings storymakers interpret Manasseh s responsibility for Judah s sinfulness? Why according to Kings did Jerusalem fall? How is this interpretation of the matter related to Jeremiah s view of things? (Compare 2 Chron 36 for a different rationale for the fall of the city of God.) Why did the narrator of Kings blame Manasseh without even letting readers know of his repentance and revival? In what ways does Manasseh s revival in Chronicles sound like those of Hezekiah and Josiah in 2 Kgs 18:3-8; 22:8-23:25? Summarize the implications of your observations with respect to interpreting Manasseh in Kings and in Chronicles.

11 THE ENDING OF CHRONICLES closing and rationale for the fall of Jerusalem (2 Chron 36:15-23) new material added to the Kings narrative, 2 Chron 36: 15, 17-18, disobeyed word from God, 36:15 = Jer 25:3-4*; 5:21; 6:10, 17, 19; 7:27; 26:5-6 (cf. Ezra 9:5-6, 15; Neh 9:33-34, 37) 70 years, 36:21 = Jer 25:11* (29:10) plus Lev 26:27-35 Cyrus edict, 36:22-23 = Ezra 1:1-3a

12 THE DEUTERONOMIC NARRATIVE Narrates the rise and fall of the Hebrew kingdom, with an eye to explaining the reasons for the fall of Jerusalem even while testifying to God s faithfulness to his people. CHRONICLES Retells the Primary Narrative to accent the ending hope of all the people of God who wait for him to fulfill his word to David EZRA-NEHEMIAH These narrative witness the moral failure of the postexilic people of God. The judgment exile did not fix them, they struggled with the same rebellion as their ancestors. Whereas the Deuteronomic Narrative emphasized the reasons for the exile, Chronicles stressed the hope for the future. The Ezra- Nehemiah story offers a sequel to Chronicles which forces faithful readers to look beyond the early postexilic community of God s people to a new kind of fulfillment of his word of promise.

13 1 CHRONICLES ON DAVID A The anointing of David over all Israel, taking Jerusalem, his mighty men, and other matters (10:1-12:40) B The return of the Ark of the Covenant (13:1-16:43) C Davidic covenant (17:1-27) D David s military victories (18:1-20:8) E The census (21:1-30) F Preparation and organization of Israel for the temple (21:1-27:34) G The last days of David (28:1-29:30) 2 SAMUEL 5 and (minus Bathsheba) 2 Sam Kgs 1-2

14 STRUCTURE OF THE BOOK OF EZRA-NEHEMIAH I Returns (Ezra 1-8) II Failure and Repentance (9-10) III Reforms (Neh 1-12) IV Failure and Judgment (13)

15 Chronology of the Book of Ezra-Nehemiah PERSIAN KINGS JEWISH RETURNS Cyrus ( ) Sheshbazzar (538) Cambyses ( ) Darius I ( ) Zerubbabel, Joshua (c. 520) Ahasuerus/Xerxes ( ) Artaxerxes ( ) Ezra (c. 450); Nehemiah (c. 445) Darius II ( )

16 CHRONOLOGY AND EZRA 4:6-23 Ezra 4:6-23 is inserted out of its chronological sequence, thus (a) the story of 4:5 picks up in 4:24; (b) 4:6 refers to the crisis resolved in the book of Esther; and (c) 4:7-23 relates trouble contemporary with the time of Nehemiah 1. (a) (b) (c) Ezra 3:1-4:5; 4:24-6:22 Ezra 4:6 Ezra 7-10 Era 4:7-23; Nehemiah 1-13 Zerubbabel (Esther) Ezra Nehemiah

17 the sins of the father... Eliashib (associates) Joiada Sanballat Tobiah son daughter

18 2 Cor 6 --not unequally yoked Ezra 9 and marrying the others --I will be your God Lev 26 yoke, and I am your God

19 Sargon II (c. 720 BCE) I besieged and captured Samaria, carrying off 27,290 of the people who dwelt therein. 50 chariots I gathered from among them, I caused others to take their (the deported inhabitants ) portion, I set officers over them and imposed upon them the tribute of the former king. 1 1 Luckenbill, 2: 26.

20 Sennacherib (701 BCE) As for Hezekiah, the Jew, who did not submit to my yoke, 46 of his strong, walled cities, as well as the small cities in their neighborhood, which were without number,--by escalade and brining up siege engines (?), by attacking and storming on foot, by mines, tunnels and breaches (?), I besieged and took (those cities). 200,150 people, great and small, male and female, horses, mules, asses, camels, cattle and sheep, without number, I brought away from them and counted as spoil. [Hezekiah] himself, like a caged bird, I shut up in Jerusalem, his royal city. Earthworks I threw up against him,--the one coming out of his city gate I turned back to his misery. 2 2 Luckenbill, 2: 120; the passage goes on to recount Hezekiah s submission and the heavy tribute paid to Sennacherib.

21 ([conference on Al-Yahudu texts in March 2010] Knoppers point is that the exile of the much larger northern kingdom may very well have left a substantial population. These may be the core people who retained their identity and eventually became known as the Samaritans, embracing their own Pentateuch and establishing their own shrine at mount Gerizim. Typical explanations for the proto- Samaritans: the peoples who inhabited the region after the forced bi-directional migration assumed the identity of the northern tribe; the northern that fled to Judah as refugees were mainly absorbed into Judah and their traditions assimilated, but some may have eventually defected back to the north over time; the Samaritan outlook was invented in competition of Jerusalem s postexilic shrine by enemies of Judah, like those mentioned in Nehemiah.)