Retribution in Chronicles: Ideology and Reality

Cover
Titel
Preface
Table of Content
List of Abbreviations
Chapter 1: A Survey of Scholarly Approaches to Retribution
	I. Introduction
	II. Retribution as a Means of Reinforcing the Mosaic Law
	III. Retribution as a Corollary of Divine Justice
	IV. The Didactic Purpose of Retribution
	V. Retribution and Divine Grace
	VI. Retribution and Divine Inscrutability
	VII. Recent Approaches to Retribution
	VIII. Summary and the Purpose of the Present Study
Chapter 2: A Survey of Retribution in Chronicles
	A. Evidence of Individual, Corporate and Transgenerational Retribution
		I. Evidence of Individual Retribution
			1. Monarchs who Start Well but Fall Away
			2. The Transformation of Manasseh
		II. Evidence of Corporate Retribution
			1. The Conjunction of the People and the Ruling Monarch
			2. Evidence of Vicarious Judgment
		III. Evidence of Transgenerational Retribution
			1. Transgenerational Punishment in Hezekiah’s Speeches
			2. Transgenerational Responsibility in the Chronicler’s Explanation of the Exile
		IV. The Lack of Systematization in the Chronicler’s Scheme
	B. Retribution in Context
		I. The Purpose of Retribution in Chronicles
		II. The Chronicler’s Influences
		III. The Mechanism of Retribution
		IV. Dating Chronicles
		V. The Significance of the Temple in Fourth-Century Yehud
		VI. Retribution as Ideology
Chapter 3: Retribution and Ideology
	A. The Pre-eminence of the Temple in Chronicles
		I. Conflicting Ideological Commitments
		II. The Chronicler’s Ideology of the Temple
			1. The Transfer of the Kingdom from Saul to David
			2. Israel’s Support for David in Response to the Divine Word
			3. The Dynastic Oracle and the Election of Solomon
			4. Divine Sovereignty and Human Activity in the Construction of the Temple
	B. Yahweh’s Irrevocable Commitment to Israel
		I. Divine Sovereignty in the Preservation of the Davidic Line
		II. Divine Sovereignty in the Return from Exile
		III. Divine Sovereignty Eclipsing Human Decision-Making
		IV. Conclusion
Chapter 4: Retribution and Reality
	A. Reality Constraining Retribution
		I. Judah’s Partial Deliverance as a Reflex of the Book’s Post-Exilic Setting
			1. Cycles of Exile and Restoration
			2. The Influence of Retribution in the Account of Shishak’s Invasion
			3. Irregularities in the Outworking of Retribution
			4. Connections with the Post-Exilic Setting of the Work
			5. The Need for Ongoing Reform During Asa’s Reign
		II. Jehoshaphat’s Appointment of Judges
	B. The Ongoing Prospect of Military Attacks
		I. The Motif of War and Peace in Chronicles
		II. The Chronicler’s View of War and Its Contemporary Application
		III. The Pattern of Reform Followed by an External Threat
			1. The Two Unprovoked Attacks During Asa’s Reign
			2. The Coalition Which Comes Against Jehoshaphat
			3. Sennacherib’s Campaign Against Hezekiah
		IV. Understanding Military Attacks Within the Framework of Retribution
			1. The Response of Righteous Kings as a Paradigm for Post-Exilic Yehud
			2. Political Upheaval in the Late Persian and Early Hellenistic Periods
			3. The Tension Between Trusting Yahweh and Military Preparations
			4. The Chronicler’s Affirmation of Conventional Military Means
			5. Military Preparations Playing a Positive Role in Defensive Wars
			6. The Chronicler’s Programme for Dealing with External Threats
Chapter 5: Conclusion
Appendix 1
Appendix 2
Bibliography
Index of References
Index of Modern Authors
Index of Subjects