Channels, Spring 2019

Page 6 Shields • Chronicles positive outlook and drives the reader towards an eschatological hope, whereas placing Ezra- Nehemiah at the end would have the opposite effect. Both of these orders are important because of their historicity and perceived prominence over other traditions. That being stated, these orders are not to be examined or judged based on the external evidence alone. Although there are theological decisions witnessed in these different orders, the validity of these theological decisions must be weighed by the meaning of the texts themselves. Finding the “right” order for the books within the Writings is inconclusive because of the amount of witnesses. However, Sailhamer notes that “two final shapes of the Tanak appear to emerge. One concludes with Ezra/Nehemiah… the other closes with the book of Chronicles.” 33 It is here that this study finds its purpose; to show that Chronicles finds its theological home at the end of the Writings. Placing Chronicles at the End of the Writings The book of Chronicles has been witnessed in three different locations: after Kings, at the head of the Writings, or at the end of the Writings of the Hebrew Bible. 34 As has been previously stated, the English Bible places the book after Kings, but this view will not be dealt with here. It has been concluded that two forms of the Hebrew Bible have emerged, placing the book of Chronicles at either the beginning or the end of the Writings. To determine the best placement for Chronicles, there are a number of factors that need to be taken into consideration. First, it is important to understand the implications that each placement has on the theology of the book by itself. Second, it is necessary to evaluate how the placement of this book affects the theological thrusts of the other books within the Writings. Third, it is important to understand the theological thrust of the Hebrew Bible as a whole depending on which book concludes the collection of Ezra/Nehemiah or Chronicles. These three factors deal more with the internal evidence (the biblical author’s intentions) of the Hebrew Bible itself, and so, many scholars disagree on the internal connections that are being made on a literary level. The following arguments are an attempt to determine the most plausible explanation for the placement of the book. The Theology of Chronicles The content of the book of Chronicles pulls from Samuel and Kings in a way that can appear redundant on the surface. Why did the Chronicler find it necessary to recount these events if they are already written down in other Scripture? In his commentary on the book of Chronicles, Sailhamer addresses this question with two observations. 35 “The first is that the writer wanted to give his readers another version of those events… by providing a second picture of Israel’s history, therefore, a fuller appreciation and understanding of those events is given by the chronicler.” 36 This is similar to the idea of the four gospels in the New Testament being four separate portraits of Jesus Christ. This gives the reader a fuller understanding of his person and work here on earth. 37 The second observation that Sailhamer gives is that the Chronicler is not simply retelling the history of 33 John H. Sailhamer. “Biblical Theology and the Composition of the Hebrew Bible”, 36. 34 Gregory Goswell. "Putting the Book of Chronicles in its Place." ( Journal Of The Evangelical Theological Society 60, no. 2: 2017), 283. 35 John Sailhamer. 1983. First and second Chronicles . (Chicago: Moody Press, 1983). 36 Ibid., 8 37 Ibid., 9