Channels, Spring 2019

Channels • 2019 • Volume 3 • Number 2 Page 9 (the order presented within Baba Batra), then the Chronicler appears to understand this order within his own work. Beginning with Adam and ending with Cyrus, “he recalls the beginning of the canon (Genesis) in his introduction and recalls the beginning of the last book of the canon (Ezra- Nehemiah) in his conclusion. This expresses his awareness of the whole Old Testament that comes before; he uses the summarizing method of “beginning and ending,” presenting a concluding interpretive key to all that precedes.” 48 The Chronicler understood an order to the canon where Genesis came first, and Ezra-Nehemiah came last. As seen in the organization of his material, he writes to close the canon by following the book of Ezra-Nehemiah. 49 The Theology of the Writings and the Hebrew Bible With the possibility of Chronicles serving as either the beginning or the end of the Writings, it is important to understand the implications of these placements on the other books within the Writings. If Chronicles is placed at the beginning of the Writings, two theological shifts potentially take place; The Psalms is no longer the first book and is affected by the placement of Chronicles, and Ezra/Nehemiah now serves as the final book of the Writings. 50 The theological implications on the book of Psalms changes if Chronicles precedes it. The emphasis of the line of David and the hope in rebuilding the place of worship would affect the reading of the Psalms. However, the book of Psalms has a significant role as the first book of the Writings, being a part of the strategic seam tying the Prophets and the Writings together. 51 Psalm 1:1-3 and Malachi 4:4-6 act as a literary seam that tie these two sections of the Hebrew Bible together, echoing the seam between the Law and the Prophets (Deut. 34:9-12 and Josh. 1:5-9). 52 These strategic seams are composed literary connections that tie the entire canon (Law, Prophets, and the Writings) together. If Chronicles is placed before Psalms at the head of the Writings, then this strategic seam is lost. The book of Ezra- Nehemiah being placed at the end of the Writings would also change the theological thrust of the entire Hebrew Bible, ending in the failure of the people to keep the covenant and the need for the coming of the New. It is clear then, that the placement of the book of Chronicles not only affects the shape of the Writings, but the shape and theology of the Hebrew Bible as well. The strategic position of the last book of the Hebrew Bible lies in its ability to bookend and emphasize the overall theological message of the entire collection. The Hebrew Bible itself is more than a collection of books; it unifies these books into one. Stephen Dempster describes the collection as a composition. “The more wide-angle lens of the literary scholar allows one to see the intention of the editors of the Bible in their activity of combing the many sources into one literary 48 Hendrik Koorevaar, Chronicles as the Intended Conclusion to the Old Testament Canon , 207. 49 Ibid. This understanding of the material does assume the tripartite form of the Hebrew Bible, with Ezra/Nehemiah being a part of the Ketuvim. 50 It could be argued that this doesn’t change the theological thrust of the last book, but if in fact Ezra/Nehemiah is the last book of the canon intentionally, the effects push over to the overall message of the entire Hebrew Bible. 51 John H. Sailhamer. “Biblical Theology and the Composition of the Hebrew Bible”, 32. This also assumes that Ruth does not open the Writings, which has not been addressed in this particular paper. For more on this, see L B. Wolfenson "Implications of the place of the book of Ruth in editions, manuscripts, and canon of the Old Testament." Hebrew Union College Annual 1, 151-178. 52 Deuteronomy 34:9-12 anticipates the coming of another prophet like Moses while identifying Joshua as one full of wisdom. Joshua 1:5-9 describes the wise man as one who meditates upon Scripture day and night. Psalm 1:1-3 cites Joshua 1, also describing the wise man as one who meditates upon the Law day and night. Malachi 4:4-6 anticipates the coming of the prophet Elijah. Both of these seams have similar themes and act as a bridge from one section of the Hebrew Bible to the next, tying the entire collection together as one composition.