Shaping Israelite Identity through Prayers in the Book of Chronicles: The Chronicler’s Hope for Liturgical Community

by Kiyoung Kim

Publisher:

Wipf and Stock

, 2021

What is the post-exilic Israelites’ destiny? What should they have hoped for? How could they actualize their desired community? This book discusses the identity of the post-exilic Israelite community by focusing on the unique rhetorical impetus in the book of Chronicles. Chronicles suggests a picture of the desired future Israel. Yet, the Chronicler does not call for a new identity, creation ex nihilo, from the community but calls for the restoration of the Israelites’ past identity by reporting the history of Israel and Judah. The restoration of their past identity can be actualized when members of the community fulfill portrayed roles and characteristics in Chronicles: worshiping, monotheistic believing, and praying, and Davidic citizenship. Further, recorded prayer plays a crucial role as Chronicles persuades its readers to render or exhibit those roles and characteristics. Prayer invites the community members to participate so that they transform past prayers into their own prayers. By doing so, the prayer participants perceive portrayed roles and characteristics and change their attitude. By rendering and exhibiting desired roles and characteristics, they eventually hope for and actualize a better community, the liturgical community.

Key Features

• Discusses the identity of the post-exilic Israelite community
• Explores how recorded prayer plays a crucial role as Chronicles persuades its readers to render or exhibit those roles and characteristics
• Invites the community members to participate so that they transform past prayers into their own prayers

Table of Contents

• Chapter 1: Introduction
• Chapter 2: Past Prayer Shapes Contemporary Identity
• Chapter 3: Recorded Prayers in Chronicles: Literary Rhetorical Analysis
• Chapter 4: Tracing Israelite Identity in Its Sociohistorical Context in the Post-Exilic Biblical Literature
• Chapter 5: Conclusion

Praise for the Print Edition

This volume offers a close look at how key texts in Chronicles open the door to what makes up Israel and what it should be. At the same time, it offers more than appears on the surface. It also lays out hermeneutical and theological pathways for reading the Old Testament and discovering its message of hope for the future. Such a contribution is of immeasurable value.

Joshua E. Williams, Associate Professor of Old Testament, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary

Product Details

• Title: Shaping Israelite Identity through Prayers in the Book of Chronicles: The Chronicler’s Hope for Liturgical Community
• Author: Kiyoung Kim
• Publisher: Wipf and Stock
• Print Publication Date: 2021
• Pages: 248
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
• Resource ID: LLS:SHPNGSRLTCMMNTY
• Resource Type: Monograph
• Metadata Last Updated: 2022-12-22T22:45:20Z

About Kiyoung Kim

Kiyoung Kim (Ph.D. Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary) is an assistant professor of Old Testament at Korea Baptist Theological University/Seminary at Daejeon, South Korea. He is also an ordained pastor, husband to Minhee, and father of three children, Timothy, Andrew, and Shahron.