(DOWNLOAD) "Greek Historiography and the Chronicler's History: A Reexamination." by Journal of Biblical Literature * Book PDF Kindle ePub Free
eBook details
- Title: Greek Historiography and the Chronicler's History: A Reexamination.
- Author : Journal of Biblical Literature
- Release Date : January 22, 2003
- Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines,Books,Professional & Technical,Education,
- Pages : * pages
- Size : 243 KB
Description
In scholarly criticism of the Chronicler's work it has become almost axiomatic to say that the composition of Chronicles bears no signs of either Hellenic or Hellenistic influence. (1) Indeed, many commentators have used the putative lack of parallels with the conventions of ancient Greek historiography as a prime reason to rule out a late date for Chronicles. (2) In other words, there is no relationship whatsoever between the literary conventions found within classical historiography and those found in the Chronicler's work. The putative lack of a relationship has become one of the grounds for ruling out a late date for the composition of Chronicles. According to this widely accepted reconstruction, the book belongs to a period prior to the meeting between western and eastern Mediterranean cultures purportedly initiated by the conquest of Alexander the Great. The failure to explore comparisons with the conventions of classical historiography is unfortunate. (3) Cross-cultural studies offer the benefits of comparing similar phenomena in a plurality of social settings, illuminating otherwise odd or inexplicable traits of certain literary works, exploring a set of problems in different societies, and calling attention to the unique features of a particular era or writing. Moreover, ancient Greece does offer national histories that may be compared with the Deuteronomistic History and the Chronicler's History. (4) A number of historiographical writings from classical Greece have been scrutinized with a view to the composition of Genesis and the Deuteronomistic History, even though almost all scholars date Genesis and the Deuteronomistic History significantly earlier than the Chronicler's work. (5) Problems of chronology and geographical distance have not prevented scholars from undertaking such cross-cultural studies with the Pentateuch, the Former Prophets, and Ezra-Nehemiah. (6) Given such precedents, it is surely ironic that the chronological boundary of 332 B.C.E.--Alexander's conquest of Palestine--has inhibited most scholars from making comparisons with the compositional techniques found in Chronicles.