Chronicles of History and Worship: Orthodox Christian Reflections on the Books of Chronicles

by Patrick Henry Reardon

The Old Testament Books of Chronicles contain some of the most neglected passages in all of Scripture. Understanding their message can be a difficult and daunting task for the modern reader. Patrick Reardon brings these important books to life, unfolding their powerful message for our own day. Like any family history, the story of Chronicles is told with a distinct purpose in mind. It asks the "What was the real and lasting significance of King David and his house?" Beginning with the long list of names of the first chapter, this heritage is revealed in cosmic significance. It has in fact become the family tree of every true believer. One volume in the Orthodox Christian Reflections series, which also

Genres: Biblical Studies, Christian

192 pages, Paperback

First published October 15, 2006

About the author

Patrick Henry Reardon is pastor of All Saints' Orthodox Church in Chicago, Illinois, and a senior editor of Touchstone magazine.

Father Patrick was educated at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (Louisville, KY), St. Anselm's College (Rome), The Pontifical Biblical Institute (Rome), and St. Tikhon's Orthodox Seminary (South Canaan, PA).

He has authored many books including: Christ in the Psalms, Christ in His Saints, The Trial of Job: Orthodox Christian Reflections on the Book of Job, Chronicles of History and Worship: Orthodox Christian Reflections on the Books of Chronicles, and Creation and the Patriarchal Histories: Orthodox Reflections on the Book of Genesis.

In addition, Father Patrick has published over a thousand articles, editorials, and reviews, in "Books and Culture", "Touchstone", "The Scottish Journal of Theology", "The Catholic Biblical Quarterly", "Pro Ecclesia", "St. Vladimir's Theological Quarterly", and other journals on three continents over the past forty-plus years.

Reviews

[Evelyn]

"As time went on, then, and the citizens of Judah became ever more accustomed to living under Persian rule and without a Davidic king, those given to reflection on their history were obliged to think anew on the meaning of the house of David. In view of the obvious fact that the covenanted monarchy at Jerusalem was now gone, what was to be made of the divine promise that David's throne would last forever?

... This [Psalm 132/131] is exactly how the Chronicler too remembered David - as the true builder of Solomon's temple, the spiritual leader who arranged its priestly and Levitical ministries, the master liturgist who composed its music and provided the singers and instruments to give it voice. Compared with these accomplishments, little else about David was worth remembering. Morever, and more importantly, the Chronicler's view of David is inseparable from his view of Israel. For the Chronicler, what made David different from all other kings of the earth is exactly what made Israel different from all other nations of the earth - the knowledge and correct worship of the on true God.

... It is in this theme of orthodox worship that we perceive the historical perspective of the Chronicler. To his mind, the deepest and most enduring fact of history is the correct, covenanted worship of the true God by His chosen people. Beside this, everything else is relatively insignificant. For him, all other aspects of man's history are judged in importance by their relationship to this standard, for in the estimation of the Chronicler only the correct worship of the true God gives lasting significance to the deeds of men.

… [Christ’s] is the royal priesthood, thus perfecting the concurrence of monarchy and hierarchy adumbrated in the Books of Chronicles.

… Christ provides for God’s people the true worship, the true priesthood, the true temple - all the things that David, through shadows and figures, provided in his own time."

[Curt Engelbrecht]

From the book, p63, second paragraph – (IMO best paragraph in the book, summarizes Reardon's capture of the Chronicler's view of history)

“David perceived what must be perceived by any who would approach God in worship – God determines the nature, structure, and spirit of the worship. Correct (“orthodox”) worship is not the uninformed, spontaneous outpouring of human activity, and the worshipper must be on guard against identifying his own impulses with the agency of the Holy Spirit. Undisciplined, uninformed people are far more likely to act under the impulse of suspect and impure spirits than under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Mere spontaneity and a “sense of fulfillment” are no adequate indications of the agency of the Holy Spirit.”

 

[Michael Gehrling]

This is a very helpful book for appreciating two books of the Bible relatively few Christians have read thoroughly, and even fewer have actually understood - 1 and 2 Chronicles. Reardon does a great job of helping the reader understand the theological perspective and operating thesis of the Chronicler - namely that the real legacy of King David - and the real fulfillment of God's covenant with him - was the establishment of temple worship in Israel. Reardon helps the reader to see this by noting how texts in 1 and 2 Chronicles differ from their counterparts in 1 and 2 Kings, and by explaining how these texts were understood in early church tradition. The book is a blend of Bible commentary and Christian devotional literature. My only complaint is that Reardon's style of writing is unapologetically plain, and at times boring. Though to his credit, he does manage to make interesting the opening chapters of 1 Chronicles, which are comprised entirely of genealogies.