Anabaptistica
Southwestern Journal of Theology
Volume 56, No. 2 – Spring 2014
Managing Editor: Terry L. Wilder
By Scott W. Hahn. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2012. 224 + xi pages. Paperback. $24.99.
Among the books of the Bible, Chronicles may well receive the least amount of attention. Such is especially true when considering the role that Chronicles plays in Christian theology. The nature of the book as history, much of it already represented in Samuel and Kings, and its attention to lists, including the first nine chapters of genealogies, probably has something to do with the lack of attention. Can one even do theology with such a book as Chronicles?
Hahn has done so. This book is a look at Chronicles with an eye towards its theological message. Beyond the introduction, each of the seven chapters addresses a unit of Chronicles and consists of four sections: an outline of the unit, a synopsis of the unit, a commentary, and a section outlining a Christian interpretation of the unit.
Hahn characterizes Chronicles as “prophetic historiography characterized by the author’s profound assimilation and interpretation of the covenantal and liturgi- cal worldview of the Hebrew Bible” (3). By “covenantal worldview” Hahn means the fundamental nature that covenant plays in God’s relation to humankind. For the Chronicler, the way that God interacts with the world is expressed through his covenants to creation, Adam, Abraham, Moses, and David. By “liturgical worldview” Hahn means that for the Chronicler, praise and worship of God, performed according to God’s instructions, is the purpose of all creation. Covenant and liturgy are the forces that move history forward and unify all of salvation history.
Chronicles is an attempt “at the recapitulation of the history of the people Israel” (3) although it “reflects a broadly internationalist, even cosmic outlook” (22). Fundamental to the Chronicler’s telling of this history is typology. The Chronicler connects the events that he is recounting to other events in the canonical history, such as the binding of Isaac (Akedah), the Exodus, and Sinai (particularly the golden calf ). Again and again Hahn shows how the Chronicler uses the language and patterns of these events in describing the history of the Davidic dynasty in order to show unity in God’s work and to encourage his audience that God will continue to work in similar ways in the present and the future. As Hahn puts it, “What happened in the past is crucial for the Chronicler, but only because in the what of history he sees the patterns of divine intention and intervention revealed—the why of history” (7, emphasis his).
Hahn shows how the Chronicler presents David as a new Moses and Solo- mon a new Joshua. He shows David to be a new Melchizedek priestly king and how the temple is a picture of creation portrayed in the Garden of Eden. Through each major section of Chronicles, Hahn points out these connections. The number of typological associations is numerous, but Hahn does more than simply assert them. He points out the verbal, structural, and thematic similarities upon which he bases these associations.
Several features of Hahn’s commentary distinguish it as theological interpre- tation. Hahn knows well that he is interpreting the book within a particular faith tradition: Roman Catholicism. He is also aware of the fact that he is examining the biblical text through canonical rather than historical lenses (e.g. discussion of date on page 19). However, one comment particularly highlights his work as theological interpretation: “Unfortunately, in aspiring to a scientific reading of the text, scholars often refuse to accept at face value the Chronicler’s faith as a legitimate guide to his authorial intentions; instead they seek to ascribe some ulterior motives for his work. This basic failure of scholarly sympathy is behind a number of persistent misunderstandings of Chronicles” (69).
As a commentary, this work is quite brief. Because of its size limitation much of the material in Chronicles is either ignored or treated in a summary fashion. This observation should not detract from the contribution of the book. It is filled with insightful textual observations. Furthermore, the book is a valuable resource for detecting the underlying unity of Chronicles and the theological and canonical framework that undergirds the work. It is also a valuable contribution to discerning the role that Chronicles may play in the Bible’s theology.
