1 & 2 Chronicles by Paul L. Redditt

Abstract

Reviewed by: 1 & 2 Chroniclesby Paul L. Redditt Shuichi Hasegawa paul l. redditt, 1 & 2 Chronicles( Smyth & Helwys Bible Commentary; Macon, GA: Smyth & Helwys, 2020). Pp. xxiv + 492 CD. $65. This new addition to the Smyth & Helwys Bible Commentary series features abundant visual materials and a CD-ROM that includes text and images in searchable PDF format. This series is aimed at "bridging the gap between the insights of biblical scholars and the needs of students of God's written word" and bringing "insightful commentary to bear on the lives of contemporary Christians" (p. xvii). Indeed, the core of the book is centered on these goals, most conspicuously in the sections titled "Connections." The editors of this series summarized the methodology employed in the series as follows: "The basic focus is the biblical text itself, and considerable attention is given to the wording and structure of texts. Each particular text, however, is also considered in the light of the entire canon of Christian Scriptures" (p. xviii). Moreover, the editors write, "Information from archaeology, ancient history, geography, comparative literature, history of religions, politics, sociology, and even economics is used to illuminate the culture of the people who produced the Bible" (p. xviii). [End Page 683] Paul L. Redditt, the author of the book under review and an editor for this series, states, "It is the task of modern, believing readers to read Chronicles in the context of its background, to see how it spoke to its intended audience, what there might be of enduring value in that interchange, and then to see how that might apply to modern lives" (p. 27). Hence, the author's task is to carry out such a reading. To achieve this task, R. frequently refers to a variety of primarily English-language scholarly works. In "The Purposes of Chronicles" in the introduction, R. tackles the important question of why Chronicles was written (esp. 14–18). In his explanation, R. highlights the socio-historical and theological milieu of Yehud, which he describes as a postexilic community located in and around Jerusalem in the fourth century b.c.e., the period during which Chronicles was composed. Redditt briefly expresses his opinion regarding the historical authenticity of Chronicles in the section entitled "The Historical Reliability of Chronicles" in the introduction, writing, "[S]aying that an event or act is not historically provable does not mean that a narrative of such an event is wrong, only that it is not 'historical' in a historian's sense of the term" (p. 27). According to R., therefore, "[t]he reader is left to determine the account's accuracy, meaning, and purpose without recourse to an appeal to its historicity" (p. 27). In the subsequent commentary, R. demonstrates such a method when accounting for the discrepancies between Chronicles and its main source, Genesis through Kings. For example, when dealing with the question of the historical authenticity of the account of Manasseh garrisoning in the fortified cities in Judah (2 Chr 33:14), R. states that "moderns rarely can prove that something did not happen in ancient times, so the reader can only note what the Chronicler said" (p. 418). In this way, the author seems content to forgo investigating the historical accuracy of the information missing in Kings. Surprisingly, the author neglects to discuss the issue from an archaeological perspective. This is all the more surprising considering that he sometimes consults archaeological research to support his textual analyses (e.g., p. 425). Manasseh's exile to Assyria and subsequent return are another such example. This event is mentioned exclusively in Chronicles (2 Chr 33:11–13). While recognizing the lack of historical evidence regarding this event, the author notes that "there is nothing inherently impossible about [it]" (p. 418). In other places, however, the author explains discrepancies between Chronicles and the source material as artifacts of the "retelling" or modification of the source by the Chronicler. For example, Chronicles lacks the negative episodes of David narrated in Samuel–Kings. Redditt does not specify his criteria for determining historicity. When discrepancies between Chronicles and the source material are discovered, readers will intuitively ask themselves which account is historically more accurate and why the...