When were the books of 1 and 2 Chronicles written and by whom?

Answer 1

The Book of Chronicles is another history that more or less parallels the rather earlier Deuteronomic history, but presents the priestly point of view. Scholars say that it was written shortly after the Babylonian Exile, using the Deuteronomic history for its source. Chronicles attempts to resolve some of the inconsistencies found in the Deuteronomic history and introduces new theological concepts by placing them in a pre-Exilic context. For example, the notion of Satan entered Judaism during the Exile, and 1 Chronicles 21:1 says, "And Satan stood up against Israel and provoked David to number Israel." Because Kings (part of the Deuteronomic history) was written before the Exile, the corresponding passage contains no mention of Satan. The anonymous author of Chronicles is now referred to as the Chronicler.

Answer 2

A:H. G. M. Williamson (The World of Ancient Israel: Sociological, Anthropological and Political Perspectives, The concept of Israel in transition) says that the Book of Chronicles can be dated to the middle of the fourth century BCE but that it was somewhat revised a generation later.

Answer 3

A:1 and 2 Chronicles were written as a single book, but were split into two, probably for the Greek Septuagint, because of the difficulty of writing the entire book onto a single papyrus scroll.

H. G. M. Williamson (The World of Ancient Israel: Sociological, Anthropological and Political Perspectives, The concept of Israel in transition) says the Book of Chronicles can be dated to the middle of the fourth century BCE, being lightly revised a generation later.

For much of the twentieth century, the Books of Chronicles has been held to reflect closely the policies of Ezra. In fact, an old Jewish opinion was that Ezra was the Chronicler. More recently, many writers have agreed both that the definition of Israel in Chronicles is markedly different from Ezra's and that the book should not be joined to Ezra and Nehemiah. Because the author of Chronicles was anonymous, he is simply referred to as the Chronicler.

Answer 4

AnswerThe Books of Chronicles are believed to have been written shortly after the return from the Babylonian Exile, so around the end of the sixth century BCE.