Journal: Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society
Volume: JETS 59:4 (Dec 2016)
Article: The Theology Of The “Chronicler”: What Difference Does It Make?
Author: Eugene H. Merrill

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JETS 59:4 (December 2016) p. 691

The Theology Of The “Chronicler”:
What Difference Does It Make?

Eugene H. Merrill*

* Eugene Merrill is distinguished professor of OT interpretation at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2825 Lexington Road, Louisville, KY 40206. This essay was written in honor of Gerhard F. Hasel.

Abstract: The thesis of this paper is that the unknown author or compiler of the book of Chronicles, who lived most likely at the end of the 5^th century BC, wrote from the vantage point of post-exilic Judah (then Yehud), a part of the Persian Empire. His interpretation of the history of his people from the very beginning varied in major ways from that of the composer of Samuel-Kings in light of the trauma of the destruction of the city of Jerusalem and the great Solomon Temple in 586 BC and the ensuing deportation of the bulk of the Jewish population to Babylonia. The small community among which he lived was burdened with fear and hopeless despair. The book, however, offers hope of resuscitation and future redemption. Evidence of this is the very closing verse of 2 Chronicles which quotes the decree of Cyrus allowing the Jews to return to their homeland. As Cyrus had been the instrument of God to deliver from Babylonian exile, so a Cyrus yet to come would effect an eschatological deliverance.

Key Words: Cyrus the Great, eschatological hope, redemption, reinterpretation, restoration

I. Introduction

The Book of Chronicles, of unknown authorship and uncertain date, is a neglected part of the canon, deemed by some to be either nothing but “endless genealogies” of which Paul spoke (1 Tim 1:4) or a useless repetition of the history of Israel already treated at length in Samuel and Kings.1 However, these are false premises and in effect relegate the work to a practical non-canonicity. This article is an attempt to help restore the book to the position it enjoyed at the hands of the ancient compilers of the canon as an independent treatise on history and, more important, as a mother lode of rich theological treasure.

JETS 59:4 (December 2016) p. 692

II. Background2

The trauma of the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple, the exile of thousands of Judea’s citizens, and the return after seventy years to the homeland and the difficult task of starting the new covenant community virtually from scratch—all contributed to a reassessment of Israel’s meaning and destiny. The Chronicler-theologian thus composed his work not just as a history of his people from their ancient beginnings but a...

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