Yes, I’m still going through the books of the Bible, slowly but surely, and the most recent were Chronicles. Once again, I read both books of Chronicles together, and I’m reviewing them accordingly, since there really isn’t a significant “story” reason for the division, and it was probably a single piece before being divided in translations from around the 2nd century BC. They are like Kings, and not just in format; Chronicles is to Kings what The Lord of the Rings books are to the movies – different interpretations with different emphases, but ultimately telling the same story.
After wading through a retelling of the entire genealogy of the people of Israel going all the way back to the beginning, the story retells the stories of David and Solomon, although without many of the core parables and anecdotes from Kings which are familiar to most readers. It’s a generally more positive tone and approach than Kings, with a bit less smiting, and less time dwelling on the many, many rulers who sinned and worshipped other gods, mainly Baal. This may in part arise from when and how it was written. Unlike several of the other books, scholars believe Chronicles was written by just one person, who was well-educated, and who was writing to an audience of his peers around the 5th century BC, or possibly a bit later. The effect is easier reading, although much of it still reads like a bunch of lists, and aspects become quite repetitious. It is a quieter book than Kings, more reflective, rather than a history with a purpose, as the Deuteronic books are thought to be.
This is a very short review, but I don’t have much else to say about Chronicles that wouldn’t merely be rehashing some of the points we discussed in our review for Kings. If I recall correctly, the next few books in the Bible are more narrative in nature, which will be a welcome change from the more at-scale history books. I’ll probably have more to say about them, too.
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