VI.III.2. As regards Judah and Benjamin, and to a certain extent
Levi also, the case of course is somewhat different from that
of the ten extinct tribes. It is conceivable that here a living
ethno-genealogical tradition may have kept the present connected
with the past. Nevertheless, on closer examination, it comes out
that most of what the Chronicler here relates has reference to the
post-exilic time, and that the few fragments which go up to a
higher antiquity are wrought into a connection which on the
whole is of a very recent date. Most obtrusively striking is it
that the list of the heads of the people dwelling in Jerusalem
given in ix. 4--17 is simply identical with Nehemiah xi. 3-19. In
this passage, introducing as it does the history of the kings (x.
seq.), one is by no means prepared to hear statements about the
community of the second temple; but our author is under the
impression that in going there he is letting us know about the old
Jerusalem; from David to Nehemiah is no leap for him, the times
are not distinct from one another to his mind. For chap. viii.
also, containing a full enumeration of the Benjamite families,
with special reference to those which had their seat in the
capital, Bertheau has proved the post-exilic reference; it is
interesting that in the later Jerusalem there existed a widespread
family which wished to deduce its origin from Saul and rested its
claims to this descent on a long genealogy (viii.
Pages:
466
467
468
469
470
471
472
473
474
475
476
477
478
479
480
481
482
483
484
485
486
487
488
489
490