Rewriting Biblical History : : Essays on Chronicles and Ben Sira in Honor of Pancratius C. Beentjes / / ed. by Harm van Grol, Jeremy Corley.

• Superior document: Title is part of eBook package: De Gruyter DGBA Backlist Complete English Language 2000-2014 PART1
• MitwirkendeR: BECKING, BOB,; BOER, ROLAND,; CALDUCH-BENAGES, NÚRIA,; CORLEY, JEREMY,; EGGER-WENZEL, RENATE,; GILBERT Maurice, S.J.,; GREGORY, BRADLEY C.,; GROL, HARM VAN,; KNOPPERS, GARY,; KOET, BART J.,; MITCHELL, CHRISTINE,; MULDER, OTTO,; REITERER, FRIEDRICH V.,; SCHWEITZER, STEVEN J.,; WIERINGEN, ARCHIBALD L.H.M. VAN,; WIERINGEN, WILLIEN VAN,; WRIGHT, BENJAMIN G. III,
• HerausgeberIn: Corley, Jeremy,; Grol, Harm van,
• Place / Publishing House: Berlin ;, Boston : : De Gruyter, , [2011]; ©2011
• Year of Publication: 2011
• Language: English
• Series: Deuterocanonical and Cognate Literature Studies , 7
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (390 p.)

Old Testament texts frequently offer a theological view of history. This is very evident in the Books of Chronicles and in the final section of Ben Sira (Ecclesiasticus). Today there is renewed interest in both these works as significant theological and cultural Jewish documents from the centuries before Jesus. Both Chronicles and Ben Sira aim to recreate a national identity centered on temple piety. Some chapters in this volume consider the portrayal of Israelite kings like David, Hezekiah, and Josiah, while others deal with prophets like Samuel and Elijah.

The Books of Chronicles and Ben Sira 44-50 both rewrite previous biblical history in different ways. While the postexilic Books of Chronicles rewrite earlier narratives from Samuel and Kings, Ben Sira’s Praise of the Ancestors offers a new presentation of biblical history from the Genesis patriarchs to Nehemiah, prior to the praise of the high priest Simon. Whereas older scholarship regarded the historiography of Chronicles and Ben Sira as secondary and derivative, today there is renewed interest in these works as significant theological and cultural documents. Both Chronicles and Ben Sira present a theological message that involves the creation of a national identity centered on temple piety. The essays in this volume investigate how both works rewrite their source materials on particular biblical characters and themes. Some chapters consider the portrayal of kings like David, Rehoboam, Hezekiah, Manasseh, Josiah, and Zedekiah. Other chapters deal with prophets like Samuel and Elijah, while further essays offer perspectives on Ben Sira’s Praise of the Ancestors as a whole. This Festschrift honors Professor Pancratius C. Beentjes, who has made a significant contribution to scholarly research into the Books of Chronicles and Ben Sira.

Table of Contents

Frontmatter -- Preface -- Appreciation of Pancratius C. Beentjes -- Contents -- Abbreviations -- Chronicles and Ben Sira: Questions of Genre -- Aaron’s Polyvalent Role according to Ben Sira -- Canonical Assimilation in Ben Sira’s Portrayal of Joshua and Samuel -- The Warrior-Poet of Israel: The Significance of David’s Battles in Chronicles and Ben Sira -- 1 Chronicles 16: The Chronicler’s Psalm and Its View of History -- The Temple in Samuel–Kings and Chronicles -- Solomon in Chronicles and Ben Sira: A Study in Contrasts -- Rehoboam Meets Machiavelli -- Elijah as Reconciler of Father and Son: From 1 Kings 16:34 and Malachi 3:22-24 to Ben Sira 48:1-11 and Luke 1:13-17 -- Sirach 48:17-25 and the Isaiah-Book: Hezekiah and Isaiah in the Book of Sirach and the Reader-Oriented Perspective of the Isaiah-Book -- Saint or Sinner? Manasseh in Chronicles -- Josiah and His Prophet(s) in Chronicles and Ben Sira: An Intertextual Comparison -- More than a Pawn in their Game: Zedekiah and the Fall of Jerusalem in 2 Chronicles 36:11-21 -- New Elements in Ben Sira’s Portrait of the High Priest Simon in Sirach 50 -- Why Some Women Were Included in the Genealogies of 1 Chronicles 1–9 -- The Absence of Named Women from Ben Sira’s Praise of the Ancestors -- The Review of History in Ben Sira 44–50 and Wisdom 10–19 -- Bibliography of Pancratius C. Beentjes 1974–2011 -- Contributors -- Index of Ancient Sources -- Index of Modern Authors -- Index of Subjects