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Profile:
Name: Chronicles (Hebrew: ymyh yrbd, "The Words of the Days" or "The Annals")
Author: unknown, but possibly Ezra the Scribe
Dates: after 450 BCE
Chronicles:
Although in the Christian Bible Chronicles is broken up into two books, it is in
reality just one in the original Hebrew - the division seen today was a creation of
the Septuagint which was later carried over into the Latin Vulgate. The Hebrew title
for Chronicles is "book of the acts of the days," or more loosely translated as
"annals." The structure of Chronicles is as follows:
1 Chronicles 1:1 - 9:34 Genealogies from Adam on down to a list of those who returned from the Babylonian Captivity.
1 Chronicles 9:35 - 29:30 Reign of King David.
2 Chronicles 1 - 9 Reign of King Solomon.
2 Chronicles 10 - 36 Destruction of the kingdom of Judah by the Babylonians and the beginning of the restoration under the rule of Cyrus the Persian.
If you notice, Chronicles doesn't cover much ground that isn't already covered in other books in the Bible. However, the stories it tells are often radically different from what is found elsewhere. This shows rather conclusively that the Bible was not only the product of many different people, but that some of those people were not averse to writing revisionst history - recreating the historical record for contemporary political or religious purposes.
Also Known As: none
Alternate Spellings: none
Common Misspellings: none
Related Resources:
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What are the various Christian groups, denominations, sects and heresies? What are some key concepts in Christian theology? What are some of the most important events in Christian history? All of this and more are covered in the Christianity FAQ.Judaism FAQ
Exploration of important terms, concepts and people relevant to the study of Judaism and Jewish history.Bible FAQ
The "Bible" is a central feature in the religious beliefs and devotions of most Christians - and a major portion of it, known as the "Old Testament," is important to Jews. Muslims, whose holy scriptures are collected in the Qur'an, also revere the Bible. But just what is the Bible? What is contained in it, where did it come from, and how reliable is it? This developing FAQ will present historical and critical information about the Bible and biblical scholarship.
