The First Book of Chronicles
A New Meditation on the History of Israel
A new “history of the people of God” begins with the two Books of Chronicles (in the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Hebrew scriptures, these Books are entitled “Paralipomena,” that is, “things left out,” or complementary material). Understanding this will help us not be confused by the genealogies that open the Books and by the impression given that stories already told in the preceding Books of the Bible are being told once again. We shall see in a moment the profound originality of this work.
The Chronicler brings together a collection of data that are at times unconnected among themselves but, taken together, provide a unique religious vision that extends from Adam to the return from Exile.
The contents can be divided into four sections: (1) from Adam to David (1 Chr 1–9); (2) David as the one entrusted with the promise of the kingdom (1 Chr 10–29); (3) Solomon, builder of the temple (2 Chr 1–9); and (4) the descendants of David (2 Chr 10–36).
Why does the author go back over the past? We must bear in mind that he lived in the third century B.C. But since the Exile in the sixth century, Judea had lost its independence and the political importance it had had at one time. The Jews were now a small ethnic and religious minority, a community governed by a high priest and priests of the family of Zadok (1 Ki 3:25). The entire life of Israel was regulated by the law of Moses and organized around the rebuilt temple. In this community that was thus turned in on itself, worship took on a new life; feasts and pilgrimages regularly attracted crowds to Jerusalem.
The ideal, however, was far from being achieved. The priests were compromised by the links to the financial agents of the Ptolemies, who were the foreign masters of the country. The great mission of Israel was now but a memory or distant hope. The average Israelite was beginning to lose confidence in the seriousness of the divine promises. It was among the Levites and cantors that the faith remained most alive.
In all likelihood, the Chronicler belonged to this group. He has a good knowledge of the biblical writings that had already been collected and of other documents subsequently lost, and, of course, of the many oral traditions. His aim is to remind a people now in danger of indifference, that they have a divine destiny. In Israel’s past he sees God slowly preparing, by his choices and interventions, for the establishment of his reign, and this from the very beginning of the world. He sees David as the central personage in this history. When the king was concerned to build a house, that is, a temple, did not God himself promise him a house and a posterity that would last forever? The kingdom was founded on the dynasty of David and on the temple in Jerusalem—that is the principal point of reference for this author. True enough, the power of the kings, who were too often unfaithful, disappeared at the Exile, and the pagans destroyed the temple. But God remained faithful to his promises, and after the Exile the temple was rebuilt, and the family of David again produced illustrious descendants. Despite, then, the modest character of Israel’s present situation, all hopes were legitimate. It was precisely to revive the hopes of his people that the Chronicler composed his work; this work includes not only the two Books of Chronicles, but also the Books of Ezra and Nehemiah, which carry the story down to the period after the Exile and are meant to signal a new beginning. The Books of Chronicles themselves are concerned with the Davidic kingdom.
These Books, written to promote a vital liturgy and to preserve the Messianic hope, seem to be the fruit of patient labor. They are a religious meditation, a spiritual reflection, on the history of Israel, rather than a narrative. When he thinks it necessary, the author adapts and interprets the facts in order to better bring out his own thought. He wants to make clear how the plan of God is being carried out despite human resistance.
This work of a zealous writer is not permeated by any breath of poetry; the tone is meditative and didactic. And yet, the Chronicler left his mark on such writers as Sirach (see Sir 44–50) and the author of Wisdom (see Wis 10–19), as well as on such religious groups as the Pharisees and the Essenes. He certainly helped the best among the Jews to wait in faith and prepare for the coming Messiah.
The First Book of Chronicles may be divided as follows:
I: Genealogical Tables (1:1—9:34)
II: The History of David (9:35—29:30)