The Book of Chronicles and Colophonic Chronography

Jelbert, Patricia R. (2018) The Book of Chronicles and Colophonic Chronography. PhD thesis, University of Gloucestershire.

[img]
Preview
Text (Final thesis)
THESIS_PRJelbert_The Book of Chronicles and Colophonic Chronography 01_11_2018_signature_redacted.pdf - Accepted Version
Available under License All Rights Reserved.

Download (3MB) | Preview

Abstract

This thesis examines the repeating citation formulae in the biblical book of Chronicles to discover their nature, purpose and function. The principle focus of this study will be on the repeating formulae, especially the citation references: “And the rest of the acts of King X, first and last, are found in the book of the Kings of Judah and Israel,” or other such references. These usually appear at the end of each king’s reign. In addition, the ending of Chronicles which is repeated at the start of Ezra will be reviewed. Variously designated by different scholars as “titles,” “conclusion formulae” and even “Stichzeile” (catchlines), there is no scholarly consensus about these formulaic citations or their role within Chronicles. An overview of the history of scholarly views on authorship, dating and genre in the book of Chronicles is conducted here, where it may be seen that today there is no settled view on these isagogic elements, which would seem to justify not assuming the isagogic elements a priori. From this starting point the Chronicles’ citation formulae are compared and contrasted with those in the ancient Near Eastern epigraphic materials, especially those of Babylon and Assyria, where colophons are a feature of chronographic literature. A brief look at Egyptian epigraphy is included too. Overall, the thesis finds that these share similar features with those in biblical Chronicles, but also significant differences, depending on the period being examined. The next step is to make an inner biblical comparison of Chronicles’ citations with those found in Kings. Samuel is also examined, and parts of Isaiah and Jeremiah, where relevant. The findings of the ancient Near Eastern comparison of the citation formulae, and the internal biblical comparison with Kings’ source citations, lead to a proposal that points to a genre classification of “Chronicles” with all that this implies about a running account and a pre-exilic commencement date in the time of the first temple of Solomon.

Item Type: Thesis (PhD)
Thesis Advisors:
Thesis AdvisorEmailURL
Pitkanen, Pekkappitkanen@glos.ac.ukhttps://www.glos.ac.uk/staff/profile/pekka-pitkanen/
Mcconville, Gordongmcconville@glos.ac.ukUNSPECIFIED
Uncontrolled Keywords: Bible studies, Old Testament; Book of Kings
Subjects: B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BS The Bible
Divisions: Schools and Research Institutes > School of Creative Arts
Depositing User: Susan Turner
Date Deposited: 25 Jan 2019 17:58
Last Modified: 31 Aug 2023 08:55
URI: https://eprints.glos.ac.uk/id/eprint/6453

University Staff: Request a correction | Repository Editors: Update this record

University Of Gloucestershire

Bookmark and Share

Find Us On Social Media:

Social Media Icons Facebook Twitter Google+ YouTube Pinterest Linkedin

Other University Web Sites

University of Gloucestershire, The Park, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, GL50 2RH. Telephone +44 (0)844 8010001.