CHRONICLES. Hebrew name of Chronicles is vivri e., words of the days, annals. In the Hebrew canon they formed a single book, which the Greek translators divided into two with the title irapaXenr6/1Eva, things omitted, because many things omitted in the books of Kings are contained in them. The common name, Chronicles, is from the Latin Chronicon, which Jerome first used (Prolog. galeat. in libr. Regg.) The example of the Septuagint, in dividing the work, was followed by the Vulgate and Luther. D. Bomberg also introduced it into his editions of the Hebrew Bible, so that it is now universal.
The books of Chronicles may be divided into two parts, as follows : I. Containing chapters i.–ix. 34.
II. Containing ix. 35-2 Chron. xxxvi.
The former consists of genealogical lists inter spersed with short historical notices ; the latter, of the history of the kings in Jerusalem from David to Zedekiah.
Sonrces.—The following documents are referred to by the compiler himself : I. The book of Samuel the seer, and the book of Nathan the prophet, and the book of Gad the seer (I Chron. xxix. 29) ; for the history of David.
2. The book of Nathan the prophet, the pro phecy of Ahijah the Shilonite, and the visions of Iddo the seer against Jeroboam the son of Nebat ; for the history of Solomon (2 Chron. ix. 29).
3. The book of Shemaiah the prophet and of Iddo the seer (2 Chron. xii. 15); for the history of Kehoboam.
4. The book of Jehu the son of Hanani, trans ferred into the book of the kings of Israel (2 Chron. xx. 34) ; for the history of Jehoshaphat.
5. The story .(Midrash) of the book of the Kings (2 Chron. xxiv. 27).
6. A work of Isaiah the prophet respecting Uzziah (2 Chron. xxvi. 22).
7. The vision of Isaiah the prophet (2 Chron.
xxxii. 32); for the history of Hezekiah.
8. The book of the Kings of Israel (2 Chron.
xxxiii. 18) • for the history of Manasseh.
9. The Sayings of the Seers (Hosai), in 2 Chron. xxxiii. 19 ; for the history of Manasseh.
to. The book of the Kings of Judah and Israel (2 Chron. xxviii. 26 ; xvi. 11 ; xxv. 26); for the histories of Asa, Amaziah, and Ahaz.
1. The book of the Kings of Israel and Judah (2 Chron. xxvii. 7 ; xxxv. 27 ; xxxvi. 8); for the histories of Jotham, Josiah, and Jchoiakim.
12. The Story (Midrash) of the prophet Iddo (2 Chron. xiii. 22); for the of A bijah.
In relation to Nos. to, it, 8, 4, it is observable, that all refer to one and the same document. A large work is quoted under different names, and consisting of two leading divisions ; the one con cerning the kings of Judah, the other those of Israel. No. 5 seems to us to denote an explanatory docu ment occasionally employed by the compiler of Chronicles. But the term .11fia'rask is obscure. Nos. 1, 3, 4, 7, 9, were prophetic documents, i. e., they were written by prophets ; and it appears to us most probable, that they existed as separate monographs (with the exception of No. 4), rather than that they were incorporated with the large historical work, the book of the Kings of Israel and yudah, which grew to its full dimensions out of memoranda committed to writing in different reigns. No. 12, viz., a Midrash of the prophet Iddo, appears to have contained an explanation of the section of the large work termed the book of Iddo the seer. In No. 9 the word nirl is most probably proper name, not the plural seers.
If the term ori+nrr, in No. 3, means belonging to the genealogical list, and thus refers to the place where the words of Shemaiah and Iddo were to be found, the opinion respecting the prophetic mono graphs in question that they formed a part of the large historical work, would be corroborated. But it is very difficult to tell what it means. Our trans lators seem to have come as near its signification as any critics who have since attempted an explanation. Thenius conjectures, that in the history of Reho boam, contained in the books of Kings, there were copious accounts of the race of David ; and that the section in which particulars respecting Rehoboam and the prophets Shemaiah and Iddo stood, began with a genealogical list. This is more than doubt ful. The manner in which the document is referred to seems to shew that it was not incorporated with the large historical composition, for in 2 Chron. xxxiii. IS, the book of the Zings of Israel is referred to for the history of Manasseh ; whereas for the same king, the sayings of the seers (No. 9) are ap pealed to in the next verse. Surely, therefore, Nos. S and 9 were not identical, nor was the latter a part of the former.