Chronicles and Kings are both Jewish historical books found in the Old Testament.
Both "Chronicles" and "Kings" are important clues for understanding the history of ancient Israel.
However, the two books are very similar, and it is sometimes difficult to understand what the differences are.
In this article, we will discuss the features and differences between Chronicles and Kings!
What is "Chronicles"?
"Chronicles" is one of the Jewish historical books in the Old Testament.
The Chronicles can be broadly divided into
Like this, it is divided into two volumes.
The Jewish "Chronicles"
It overlaps with "Samuel" and "Kings," which are also Old Testament history books.
Therefore, in Judaism, it is not a prophetic book but one of the "various books".
Christianity's "Chronicles"
In Christianity, the book of Chronicles is treated as a history book in the same way as the book of Kings, and is included after it.
The title "Chronicles" was first used by the Christian theologian Hieronymus.
In the Greek Bible, "Chronicles" is meant to be a supplement to the book of Kings and other histories.
Who is the author of Chronicles?
The original author of this book is traditionally attributed to Ezra.
The author of "Chronicles" is traditionally attributed to Ezra, because his writing style are similar to Ezra's.
The book may have been written by the same group of authors as "Ezra" and "Nehemiah".
It is also thought so.
Contents of "Chronicles"
While based on "Samuel" and "Kings," "Chronicles" uses original sources to write the history of Israel.
Some of the features of the book are
- Descriptions about the Temple
- Many lists of names of people in office
- Ignores the history of the Northern Kingdom of Israel
and so on.
What is the Book of Kings?
The Book of Kings is one of the ancient Jewish historical books in the Old Testament.
Originally, it was one book together with "Samuel," but it seems to have been divided into two separate books.
The book of Kings itself is also divided into an upper and lower section, a tradition that has existed since the Septuagint, one of the oldest surviving translations of the Old Testament.
The book of Kings can be roughly divided into
Who is the author of the book of Kings?
Even though the books are similar to Chronicles and Samuel, the authorship is quite different.
The original author of the book of Kings is
Jeremiah?
The author of the book of Kings is traditionally said to be Jeremiah.
If you would like to know more about the "Book of Jeremiah",
Summary of the Book of Jeremiah in the Bible
The Book of Jeremiah is considered one of the three major prophetic books in the Old Testament. What were the prophecies that Jeremiah made?
Please read this article.
Contents of the Book of Kings
The book of Kings was written after the Book of Samuel, and some of its contents overlap with those of the book of Chronicles.
Summary of Differences in Contents
Here is a summary of the differences between the two history books, "Chronicles" and "Kings".
- The contents of the two history books are not all the same (some overlap).
- The authors of each book are different (Chronicles: Ezra, Kings: Jeremiah).
- Originally, "Kings" was one with "Samuel".
For those who want to know more about Samuel, one of the same history books,
The story of Samuel from the point of view of its characters is explained!
Please read this article.