Friday, September 08, 2006

Religion: (About) 100 Words on Disciple IV – Rise and Fall of Faithfulness

First and Second Chronicles were thought to have been written between 450 and 435 BCE, just after the Babylonian Exile. This would place the writing about 300 years after First and Second Kings and 500 years after first and Second Samuel. The Chronicler had ample time and material with which to recast the history of the Jews and he/she did so liberally. Little in Chronicles is new having been previously documented. The Chronicler is interested in providing the homecoming Diaspora a simplified history the post-exilic returning Diaspora can grab hold of. In doing so, the author chooses to conduct a bit of revisionist history by minimizing the northern Kingdom of Israel and playing up the Judaic Davidic Dynasty. Nevertheless, the goal is the identification of a community in Covenant with God.

© Copyright, C. Michael Bailey, 2006