This book analyses a much neglected writer's contribution to the debate
within Judaism in the post-exilic period about who might legitimately be
included within the reconstituted Jerusalem community, and notably the
Chronicler's attitude to the status of the Samaritan sect. It has been
almost universally accepted that Chronicles and Ezra-Nehemiah are all
parts of a single work, and so the rather 'exclusive' attitude of
Ezra-Nehemiah has been read back into Chronicles. Many believe that the
Chronicles intended to reject the Samaritan claim to inclusion. Dr
Williamson challenges both the assumption of unity of authorship and the
attribution of an exclusive attitude to the Chronicler, providing
evidence to support the case for separate authorship, and examining
Chronicles in its own right. A study of the use of the word 'Israel' and
an analysis of the narrative structure jointly lead to the conclusion
that the Chronicler reacted against the over-exclusive attitudes of some
of his contemporaries, and looked for the reunion of 'all Israel' around
Jerusalem and its temple. This study will interest both Old Testament
scholars and students of Jewish history and culture.
