Historical Books: 1 Chronicles–2 Maccabees

Historical Books1 Chronicles–2 Maccabees Christopher T. Begg, Thomas Hieke, Fred W. Guyette, and Brian J. Meldrum ________ 1216. Primogeniture in Israel and in the ANE Context: An Analysis of Some Elements of the Question starting from 1 Chr 5: 1–2 Bartlomiej Cyryl Kowalczyk, "La primogeniture in Israel e nel contesto del VOA: analisi di alcuni elementi della questione a partire da 1 Cr 5, 1–2, " Anton 98 (2, 2023) 209–45. In various cultures, both ancient and modern, the firstborn son often enjoys a special position among his brothers. This special position confers, e. g. , certain particular rights in matters of inheritance and in the exercise of authority within the family, broadly understood. My article investigates the concept of the firstborn in biblical Israel, and in the broader context of the ANE. The point of departure for this analysis is 1 Chr 5: 1–2, where the relationships among three of Jacob's sons, i. e. , Reuben, Joseph, and Judah, are described. This text contains various elements that serve to define the concept under consideration here. My article is intended to provide a helpful launching pad for further research, specifically further research that will not only be descriptive of the reality of primogeniture in biblical Israel and the ANE, but will also seek to discover whether or not it is possible to identify a particular feature of the concept of primogeniture that serves to distinguish the people of Israel from its neighbors. Adapted from published abstract—C. T. B. 1217. The Gibeon Shrine in 2 Chronicles Itamar Kislev, "A Sanctuary without the Ark: The Cultic Shrine at Gibeon according to Chronicles, " The Pentateuch and Its Readers, 173–90 see #1517. K. 's study calls attention to the Chronicler's attempt to legitimate Solomon's sacrificial activity at Gibeon by underscoring Gibeon's validity as a cult site. This legitimation effort, K. suggests, also created an ancient precedent for the conditions in the Second Temple, which was understood to be a locus of divine presence but lacked the First Temple's ark. Adapted from editors' preface K. concludes: "The elaborate chronistic portrayal of the shrine at Gibeon can therefore probably be understood as part of the Chronicler's strategy: to use the shrine at Gibeon as a model and precedent for the Second Temple. By presenting a legitimate cult site that somehow was also a locus of the divine presence even without an ark, he could validate the Second Temple where the cult was conducted under similar conditions" (p. 190). —T. H. 1218. The Cushites in Herodotus and Chronicles: Revisiting the Asa Narrative of 2 Chronicles 14–16 Louis C. Jonker, "The Cushites in Herodotus and Chronicles: Revisiting the Asa Narrative, " OTE 36 (1, 2023) 89–105. The theme of the "Cushites" in the Book of Chronicles has been investigated by various scholars. The Cushites are mentioned in passing in various passages in the book, as well as more prominently in the first part of the Chronicler's Asa narrative in 2 Chronicles 14–16. Herodotus also devotes attention to the Cushites in Book III of his Histories. In this article, I bring these ancient discussions of the Cushites into dialogue with each other. More particularly, I focus, not only on the different ways in which these two historiographies use the Cushites as a rhetorical trope, but also on the issue of the possible influence of classical literature on literary developments in Yehud. Adapted from published abstract—C. T. B. 1219. Ahaz's Altar and Monarchical Polytheism in 2 Chronicles 28 Benjamin Scolnic, "The Altar of Ahaz and Monarchical Polytheism, " JBQ 51 (3, 2023) 171–81. King Ahaz reigned in Israel from 743 to 727 b. c. e. . His altar in the Temple in Jerusalem was modeled on a pagan altar he saw when he was on a state visit to Damascus. 2 Chr 28: 23 provides this explanation of Ahaz's initiative: "For he sacrificed to the gods of Damascus which had defeated him, saying, "Because the gods of the kings of Syria help them, I will sacrifice to them that they may help me. " The prophet. . .