“Prophetic Historiography”: Understanding the Role of Jeremiah 52 in the Book of Jeremiah

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ABSTRACT The uniqueness of Jer 52, its distance from the prophetic figure, and our understanding of the nature of prophetic books have resulted in Jeremiah’s concluding chapter being labeled a historical appendix that merely affirms the prophet’s predictions. In this article, I propose that Jer 52 is more than a mere appendix and instead presents a Jeremianic account of Jerusalem’s fall that is distinct from 2 Kgs 25 and informed by the words of the prophet and patterns of the book in chs. 1-51. This is demonstrated by the chapter’s significant differences from 2 Kgs 25 that echo Jeremiah’s message. Such a reading is affirmed by later biblical authors, namely the Chronicler, who view Jerusalem’s fall through the lens of Jeremiah’s words.