The Chronicler S Genealogies

This book brings to light how the genealogies in the Bible are a developing genre, flexible in both patterns and deviations, allowing the inclusion of otherwise absent family members like mothers and daughters.

The genealogies of 1 Chronicles 1a "9 have typically been seen to have no internal consistency or purpose and little relation to the narrative portions of Chronicles. In contrast, this study shows that the genealogical section of the Chroniclera (TM)s work is an ordered, well-structured, unified whole. The Chronicler presents his genealogies chiastically, with the aim of the chiasm to uphold the cult and cultic officials as the center of the nationa (TM)s life. The genealogies indicate that society is sent into exile because of the unfaithfulness of the people and their leaders. Only through the proper attention to the cult and its elements can atonement be made and the people possess their land. Paperback edition is available from the Society of Biblical Literature (www.sbl-site.org)

The thirteen essays in this volume are largely revised papers which were originally presented as part of the Ancient Historiography Seminar of the Canadian Society of Biblical Studies and they investigate particular texts of Chronicles, examine central themes, and consider future prospects for Chronicles study. The volume includes chapters by Shannon E. Baines, Ehud Ben Zvi, Mark J. Boda, Keith Bodner, Paul S. Evans, Louis Jonker, Gary N. Knoppers, Christine Mitchell, Peter J. Sabo, Steven J. Schweitzer, and John W. Wright. The essays represent many different perspectives, methodologies, and conclusions regarding the Chronicler’s work and this volume will be of particular interest to scholars and students of Chronicles, ancient Israelite historiography and biblical literature in general.

All over Europe and in the Arabic world, and throughout the Middle Ages chronicles were written. These chronicles raise such questions as by whom, for whom, or for what purpose were they written, how do they reconstruct the past, what determined the choice of verse or prose, or what kind of literary influences are discernable in them.

Genealogical material occurs frequently in the Old Testament, and in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke as well as in later Jewish literature. What is the purpose of these lists? How do they relate to their historical and literary context, and what is their function in the Hebraic-Christian literary tradition? Dr. Johnson answers these questions in relation to contemporary biblical scholarship, and is concerned to show that such genealogies are not merely appendices to biblical narratives but are closely related to their context in language, structure and theology He attempts to assess the extent to which they reflect the views of the authors of the books or contexts into which they are placed. He also examines the transition of the genealogical form, and shows how its function changed from tribal expressions to the Gospel writers' use of it to illustrate the conviction that Jesus is the fulfillment of the hope of Israel. Concerned as he is more with the literary purpose of this type of biblical literature than with the historical authenticity of various lists, Dr. Johnson examines a subject that is only now beginning to engage the attention of scholars generally.

Martin Noth's study of the Chronicler's History may not be so widely known as his celebrated Deuteronomistic History (published by JSOT Press in English translation in 1981). However, as Williamson argues in his introduction, written specially to accompany this translation, it was a most significant contribution to the study of Chronicles, Ezra and Nehemiah, and a translation of it has been long overdue. In view of the recent revival of interest in this body of literature, it is important that English-speaking readers should have first-hand access to one of the seminal studies in this field.