review of willi cbq

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1973] BOOK REVIEWS AND SHORT NOTICES 565

in the ancient world. Due to the method of publication, a xeroxed typescript,

many typographical errors remain in the text. In some places, the author'slanguage is a bit too precious for the subject matter, e.g., "the deep structure

of the petition" (p. 65).

St. Michael's College, Toronto, Can. J. T. FORESTELL, C.S.B.

THOMAS WILLI, Die Chronik als Auslegung : Untersuchungen zur literarischenGestaltung der historischen berlieferung Israels (FRLANT 106; Gttingen:

Vanderhoeck & Ruprecht, 1972). Pp. 267. Cloth DM 55; paper DM 51.This could be called a new "Special Introduction to Chronicles." It treats

the old tried-and-true cruxes of sources, date, and purpose ; but with a pregnantly

"original" approach. Thus, though leaving the reader at times uncertain of

where he stands or is heading, it contributes many items to a freshened re

appraisal. Instead of the formerly "big" characteristics of the Chronicler (omis

sion of the North and Elijah, and of all activities of Moses ; von Rad's levitischePredigt; Hezekiah's Passover, Manasseh's captivity, Josiah's fatal disobedience),we here see focused rather long lists of disjointed details supporting more modern

traditions g e schichtlich assertions.There are three chapters, each curiously purporting to combine many long-churned empirical facts with a biblical leitmotif whose relevance is at best

mystical or misty. Thus, the first chapter is entitled "YHWH'S rule in the hand

of David's sons (2 Chr 13:5)Theme and Influence of Chronicles," and a

brief outset bears the subtitle, "1 Chr 10: Saul's Kingship as prolegomenon to

Israel's state history," to which in fact corresponds a three-page assertion of the

authenticity and utter centrality of the Chronicler's first narrative verse after

the genealogies. But virtually the whole of the chapter has nothing perceptible

to do with its title: it is an exhaustive history of the exegesis of Chr, clear and

normal enough except for the lengthy sympathetic attention given to someJewish commentatorsand especially Delmedigo 1591-1655, who furnishes the

motto of the title page, "explanation is not narration," prs l' sippr.

The second chapter is entitled, "'Abram, that is, Abraham' (1 Chr 1:27):

Chronicles as Exegesis," {Die Chronik als Auslegung, title of the whole book).Here nothing at all is said about the Abraham citation or its relevance. Instead,

there are four subdivisions unfolding the Chronicler's intention. This is first

briefly inspected from some a priori categories (midrash; "Die Chronik als

Auslegung" for the third time; discounting of corruptions in transmission).

Thereupon, attention is directed to "the Chronicler at work": (1 ) by the

alterations he himself introduced into the pre-existing (Kings) text; (2) by

his adaptations, glosses, typological, and other interpretations; (3) by his


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566 T H E CATHOLIC BIBLICAL QUARTERLY [Vol . 35

own reflection (pp. 54, 59; p. 187 with Mowinckel admits occasional oral

traditions; only at the very end, p. 233, are enumerated and evaluated thevarying sources named within the Chr text itself, a strangely pre-empirical

procedure considering the 30 pages systematically marshaling all sorts of

secondary comments at the outset). The Chronicler's topographical adaptations

prompt the interesting insight on p. 119, "Every writing of history perforce

strives to update the localizationsnaturally at the risk of error."

The third chapter is entitled, " Th e history of the prophets' [presented as a

citation of 1 Chr 29:29 but not in fact such] and its expositorChronicles as

late postexilic historiography." This latter element of the title is repeated for

the middle of three subheads, the first being geistesgeschichtliche Einordnung

(where does it fit from a cultural point of view? anti-Samaritan polemic? culticfootnotes?), and the third dealing with the relations between prophetism and

history: "Prophet, summarizer, and exegete: primary, secondary [Kings], and

tertiary writing of history according to the Chronicles' concept of the history

of the transmission of traditions." The primary compiling of history is due tothe prophets who were caught up in making it, and who are cited in the twobooks of Chr so copiously. Their absence from Ezra-Neh suffices to prove

this an entirely different work (p. 216; 180ff.; with no advertence to A.

Fernndez' defense of this view) but not by a different author, as S. Japhet,

VT 18 (1968) 332, and D. Freedman's nowhere-cited, CBQ 23 (1961) 441.

Handing on of a prophetism, already recognized as "extinguished," is a

phenomenon of the period following Alexander, during which the Chronicle

must have been written (p. 244), and to whose over-all spiritual outlook it

gives a good clue. This main conclusion of the book is a worthwhile new

insight. First-rank history is what prophets do; so-called historians write this

down; "Chroniclers" in every age manage to look original by just passing

on what they recognize as really charismatic.

Pontifical Biblical Institute, Rome ROBERT NORTH, S.J.


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