Commentary on Second Chronicles

Chapter 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 Second Book of Chronicles, Heb. Chronicorum II, in the original text of the Hebrew Bible was one with 1 Chronicles, as well as in the church calculation of the canonical books of the Old Testament, both books are taken as one. Only the LXX, which gave these books a special new name, divided the originally single sacred book into two, and this division was included in the printed editions of the Hebrew Bible after the Bomberg edition (1517). The basis for the division could lie in the very content of both books, of which 1 Chronicles, after the genealogical tables (chapters 1–9), contains a complete, complete history of the reign of David (chapters 10–29), and 2 Chronicles – the reign of Solomon (chapters 1–9) and subsequent kings of Judah 1 until the Babylonian captivity (chapters 10–36). Obviously, the content of 2 Chronicles is generally covered or coincides with the content of 3 and 2 Kings. The nature of the book's narrative. Chronicles is sufficiently defined by the Hebrew name dibre hayamim - words or deeds of days, i.e. past, and Latin blessed. Jerome: Chronicon, chronicle: these are annals, chronicles compiled on the basis of the historical records of the prophets (see (2 Chron. 9:29, 12:15, 13:22), etc.), partly common with those records that served to compile the 3rd and 4th books of Kings (see Commentaries. Bible vol. II, p. 164), partly - exclusively available only to the sacred writer Paralipomenon, e.g. “the story of the book of kings,” midrash sefer hamalachim (2 Chronicles 24:27); “the prayer (tefillah) of Manasseh” (2 Chronicles 33:18–19). In connection with this, there is greater documentation or statistical accuracy of the book’s presentation. Chronicles compared to 3 and 4 Kings. As for the purposes of the books of Chronicles, based on the inaccurate title of these books in the LXX (Παραλειπόμενα - “omitted” or “forgotten”), this purpose was often seen as providing an addition to other historical books of the Old Testament, in particular - regarding 2 Chronicles - to 3 and 4 books of Kings, or to give an abbreviated summary of them content. In reality, however, the book of Chronicles often repeats stories that have been described in some detail before, and sometimes important historical news is completely omitted. Rather, keeping to the Hebrew name of the books of Chronicles, one should see in them annals or chronicles of a predominantly religious, theocratic, liturgical nature: the idea of ​​theocracy and the cult of Jehovah is the dominant idea of ​​the books of Chronicles, hence the special detail in the narrative about the pious kings, and similar detail in the description of various institutions in public worship, in remarks about the sacred tribe of Levi and its individual clans. The religious-theocratic idea that dominates the book of Chronicles gave the basis for the blessed. Jerome to say: “The book of Chronicles, i.e. The ἐπιτομή (abbreviation) of ancient documents is such that if anyone, without knowing it, wants to appropriate the knowledge of the scriptures to himself, he laughs at himself. Almost every name and every combination of words touches on stories missing in the books of Kings, and sets forth countless gospel questions.” (“Letter to Peacock. On the study of the Holy Scriptures.” Works of Blessed Jerome of Stridon in Russian translation, part 3, Kyiv, 1894, p. 83). The Jewish genealogical tables placed in the chapters (1 Chron. 1–9), which made it possible to accurately analyze who comes from the sacred tribe and who is a layman (1 Ezra 2:59–63; Neh. 7:61–65), could have an important practical significance in the life of Judaism who returned from captivity. Remarks of a religious and cult nature should have been even more important in the reconstruction of the religious and liturgical life of Judaism during the construction of the second Temple of Jerusalem. Most importantly, what is in the book. Chronicles exudes the same divinely exalted spirit as in other sacred books (cf., for example, (2 Chronicles 6:18) and (Acts 7:48), etc.). Patristic interpretations on the book. Chronicles - Blessed Theodoret and St. Ephraim the Syrian. From Western scientists, the former: Kalmet, Clerik, Cornelius and Lyapide, and new ones: Berto (1873), Keil (1870), etc. In Russian literature about the book. Chronicles, see Metropolitan of Kyiv Arseny. Introduction to the Holy Books of the Old Testament (Kyiv, 1873), prof. A. A Olesnitsky. Guiding information about the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments from the works of the fathers and teachers of the Church (St. Petersburg, 1894); his, State Chronicle of the Kings of Judah or the Forgotten Books (Παραλειπόμενα). Proceedings of the Kyiv Theological Academy 1879, Nos. 8 and 12; prof. prot. A. S. Tsarevsky, Origin and composition of the first and second books of Chronicles (Kyiv, 1878); prof. P. A. Yungerova, Origin and historicity of the books of Chronicles, Orthodox Interlocutor 1905, September; Interpretative notes from Prof. Gulyaeva, Historical books of the Old Testament (Kyiv, 1866), etc. In the Codex Alexandrinus LXX there is an inscription: Παραλειπομένων β. των βασιλειων Ιουδα – 2 Chronicles “about the reigns of the Jews.” You might be interested in: