Old Testament chapter 17
What link did the second temple built by Haddai and Zechariah?
a link between preexile Judah and the postexile restoration community it formed a bridge for the postexile community it also represented God's presence in the midst of his people the temple also provided continuity to the Mosaic period and the Pentateuch he tabernacle was God's dwelling place in the midst of the tribes in the wilderness and God was once again dwelling with His people
for the chronicler, what, in part, did David fulfill?
a savior role
What did the author of Chronicles follow?
a straight line of trust in God
Who do recent scholars believe wrote Chronicles?
an anonymous author in the postexile period
What did the chronicler also believe in?
an equation b/w the kingdom of God and the kingship of Israel the best example is: Abijah's reference to "the kingdom of the Lord, which is in the hands of David's descendants 2 Chr 13:8
the author of Chronicles viewed David and Solomon together, establishing what?
an eternal dynasty this contributed to Israel's messianic expectation
How did the author of Chronicles view the temple?
as central to God's plan of salvation
Why did the chronicler feel little need to make explicit statements regarding monotheism, sovereignty of God, and other theological concepts?
because many of the Old Testament books were already authoritative he inherited a rich tradition in already familiar theological concepts
How do qe know Chronicles relates to other books in the canon?
because of the author's distinctive purpose of using the other books in his composition
Why do we believe Chronicles was written during the 2nd or 3rd generation after the exile ended?
because of the genealogies
Why are David and Solomon also central in the Books of Chronicles?
because of their roles in building the temple and establishing religious practices in Jerusalem
Why do recent scholars believe Ezra did not write 1 & 2 Chronicles?
because of where the canon was located after Ezra- Nehemiah chronological order has Chronicles coming before Ezra-Nehemiah we assume a single author groups them together in sequence.
Why were certain parts of Samuel and Kings omitted from the commentary about the Chronicles?
because the focus was to trace the history of faith and salvation
When have many scholars dated Chronicles?
between 450 and 400 b.c
What did the author of Chronicles use to show that God was still at work among his people?
biblical sources, esp. Samuel and Kings
What part of 1 Chronicles contains the topic of David?
chapters 10-29
for the chronicler, royal authority was God-given, but based on what?
covenant faithfulness
How did the author of Chronicles employ earlier biblical accounts?
creatively to write the history of God's work in Israel that spoke to the postexile audience this may be why Chronicles stands earlier kin the tradition of interpretation
Who wrote 1 & 2 Chronicles?
early Jewish tradition named Ezra
location of the Chronicles in English Bibles
follows the Books of Kings and precedes Ezra-Nehemiah
What was one of the chronicler's most important theological concepts?
he repeated the terms used to describe Saul's sin and punishment: Saul died b/c of his unfaithfulness to the Lord he failed to keep the word of the Lord he did not inquire of the Lord
What was the author's purpose for tracing the kings of Judah?
he wanted to show that salvation was still linked to the Davidic dynasty and the Jerusalem temple
the chronicler's views of David related to what?
his perception of Israelite kingship God would continue to be King
The author of Chronicles first describes what?
how David became king his military exploits & successes ch 10-20 chapter 21-29 was about David's preparations to build the temple
he Books of Chronicles calls us to what?
humility and repentance
The Chronicles has a different placement in what?
in Christian and Jewish canons
location of the Chronicles in Hebrew Bibles
it comes at the end of the entire collection of biblical books, after Ezra-Nehemiah
What did the chronicler emphasize and follow closely in 1 Chronicles 7?
it emphasized the eternal aspect of divine decree it followed closely 2 Samuel 7
How were subsequent kings in the Davidic dynasty assessed?
it is based on their faithfulness and allegiance to the temple and proper forms of religious practice
What supports the belief that Chronicles dates from 450-400 b.c.?
it is supported by Chronicles being the last book of the Hebrew canon
in Hebrew Bibles, why is its location surprising?
it reverses the natural sequence of Ezra-Nehemiah and Chronicles
Why did the chronicler emphasize the temple?
it ties all the major themes together
What is the beauty of the Davidic dynasty as written in 1 Chronicles 17:13?
lies in the divine promise that the transfer of royal power would never be broken again
What does the Book of Chronicles trace?
nearly every other theological concept expressed in the rest of the Old Testament canon.
Does the text make a statement about who the author was of 1 & 2 Chronicles?
no it does not
Chronicles was a statement of what?
of faith that God's promises were still valid
Saul's life and death became a prototype for what?
of the exile the author balanced this with the theme of restoration
The Chronicles produced the first commentary on what?
on the Scriptures
after Solomon's death, why did the kingdom crumble into two?
partly due to ineptitude of Solomon's son Rehoboam
What is 2 Chronicles 7:14 the pattern for what?
restoration
What does 1 Chronicles open with?
several genealogical lists historical statements chapters 1-9
Where does the commentary in Chronicles about the Scriptures get its information from?
some of it is unknown, such as David's plans for Solomon's construction of the temple the majority comes from the Books of Samuel and Kings
Why were the reforms in 2 Chronicles 29-31 detailed?
that God brought peace to the kingdom when: the son of David cared for God's house, and provided genuine worship
What became one of Israel's most important concepts?
the Davidic covenant
Why were these genealogical lists important to the readers of the postexile period?
the author demonstrated a national identity reaching across the tragedy of the exile it lists a continuity between generations the first readers believed God's promises to their anscestors before the exile were also for them
Who produced the first "Bible commentary"?
the author of Chronicles
Who was the last example of Israel's genius in retelling her sacred story?
the author of Chronicles
What does the chronicler's work end with?
the edict of Cyprus of Persia 2 Chronicles chapter 36: 22-23 signals the end of the exile release of the Jews Cyrus's support for rebuilding the temple this ending shed a ray of hope across the Books of Chronicles if they folllowed the good examples of David, Sololmon, God would bless them again
What casts a long shadow across the Books Chronicles?
the figure of David
In 2 Chronicles chapter 1-9 relates what?
the grandeur of Solomon's kingdom more importantly, the temple's construction and dedication focused on the religious institutions and worship connected to the temple
What do the genealogical lists in 1 Chronicles chapter 1-9 trace?
the history from Adam to the central figure of the narrative, David, to the author's own day.
What does chapters 10-36 of 2 Chronicles relate to?
the history of the Davidic dynasty
What serves as a transition to the first narrative section of Chronicles?
the list of the tribe and family of Saul
What did the chronicler portray to the people in exile?
the mercy of God
the program for repentance established what?
the prototype of salvation from the exile situation first described in the death of Saul
What does 2 Chronicles start with?
the reign of King Sololmon
What do the books of Chronicles center around?
the reigns of David and Sololmon
Why did the temple play a central role in the Books of Chronicles?
the temple provided an important symbol of God's abiding presence with His chosen people
How do recent scholars view as the author of !-2 Chronicles?
they believe someone other than Ezra wrote them
What was the author of Chronicles not bound to?
to biblical sources even though it gave the biblical slources greater authority
What was the main objective for the author of Chronicles?
to remind readers of the victories of their heritage and assure them of triumphs in the future
in 1 Chronicles chapter 10-29, what was the author interested in?
what he perceived to be God's chosen instruments of salvation: a) the Davidic line of kings b) the city of Jerusalem c) the temple
Why was the 5th century b.c. a dreary period for Israel's history?
1. David & Solomon's empires crumbled 2. Assyrians destroyed northern Israel 3. Babylonians left little of Jerusalem 4. the powerful Persian Empire reached its zenith 5. all that remained was a tiny province of Judah 6. Solomon's temple was replaced with one of les splendor during Haggai & Zechariah 7. initial hopes & expectations of the Jewish people were raised and disappointed.
What 2 themes of the Old Testament theological heritage were dear to the chronicler?
1. David and his dynasty 2. the temple and proper worship of God
What did the chronicler talk about that was not in he Kings' account?
1. Manasseh's capture, 2. exile in Babylon, 3. repentance, 4. restoration
possible reasons why the reverse order of Chronicles in the Hebrew Bible
1. Perhaps the Jews recognized a later date of authorship for Chronicles 2. Perhaps there is a theological message here. The reverse order may be deliberate to end the Old Testament on a positive note canonizers of the Hebrew Bible may have been encouraging readers to experience freedom from their personal exile.
What is the interesting problem of the common material tying together Chronicles and Ezra-Nehemiah? (2Chr 36: 22-23 & Ezr 1: 1-3)
1. this may mean they were written together 2. or it may mean they intentionally joined together two independent documents
When was the Davidic covenant established?
2 Samuel 7
What is a key verse in 2 Chronicles?
7: 14 "If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land"
What did the plans for reconstructing the temple revealed what about David?
David's true character as Israel's leader in the faith
2 Chronicles 7:14 is paralleled by what?
Ezra 1: 2-3
What did the author of 2 Chronicles chapter 18:4 cover in this verse?
Hezekiah's religious reforms 3 chapters to Hezekiah's political achievements
In 1 Chronicles, what was used as background information to David's rise to power?
Saul's ignominious death