https://doi.org/10.21697/ct.2019.89.4.04
Judah as a geographical area and a country inhabited by people has
always been exceptional and extraordinary. The oldest historical source
points to an independent socio-political entity, connected loosely to the
whole of Israel. This independence and self-sufficiency was the mainstay
of existence for this exceptional generation in the history of the chosen
nation. The reason for the uniqueness of Judah in the history of Israel should
be traced back to prehistory that points to the vicinity and influence
of Egypt, which contributed to its independence and self-sufficiency. The
time when this self-sufficiency was particularly tested is connected with
Judah’s relative autonomy and self-rule under Persian supremacy after 538
BC. There is the time of the author’s creative activity 1–2 Chr, whose whole
work is devoted to the New Israel, which stands for the newly-shaped Judean
country under the supervision of Persian imperators. Judah in the books
of 1–2 Chr is the heir of all the most crucial promises Yahweh had made
to Judah’s ancestors. David, the king, and his successors are the guardians
of Yahweh’s promises. Torah assigns the first forms of cult and liturgical
holiness to Moses. Nevertheless, the only role model of holiness according
to 1–2 Chr is Jesse’s son, whom we can undoubtedly call the second Moses.
The members of David’s dynasty are held as the only legitimate sovereigns
of Israel who rule the country, sitting on the throne of Yahweh Himself:
1 Chr 17,14; 28,5; 29,23; 2 Chr 9,8; 13,8. It would be the home of all the twelve
tribes of Israel in which, despite the conflicts, friction, or political obstacles,
all are the heirs of Yahweh’s promises in brotherhood. This idea manifests
itself in the whole work from the detailed description of Judah’s genealogy
to its final verses.
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