In his latest addition to the esteemed Anchor Bible Commentaries, scholar Gary Knoppers examines one of the most neglected books of the Old Testament and established its importance as a key to understanding the nation of Israel.

Who were the Israelites? Was Israel's first king, Saul, a hero or a disaster? Was David a gifted and accomplished leader or a murderer and a cheat? Did Solomon preside over the most glorious epoch in Israelite history or did he lead the nation into a fateful decline?

In I Chronicles, the distinguished scholar Gary Knoppers addresses these questions through a thoughtful and exacting reading of one of the last books of the Hebrew Bible. He shows that Chronicles, which contains a variety of viewpoints on the major events and people, provides a distinct perspective on much of Israel's past, especially the monarchy. He discusses how the chronicler's introduction to the people of Israel redefines Israel itself; explains and defends the transition from Saul to David; and shows how the Davidic-Solomonic monarchy was not only a time of incomparable achievement and glory, but also the period during which the nations most important public institutions -the Davidic dynasty, the Jerusalem Temple, the priests, and the Levites--took formative shape.

I Chronicles, part of a two-volume set, is the first to employ systematically the Dead Sea Scrolls to reconstruct the biblical author's text. Knoppers reveals how Chronicles is related to and creatively drawn from many earlier biblical books, and presents a fascinating look at its connections, in both compositional style and approach, to the historical writings of ancient Mesopotamia and classical Greece. Featuring a new translation and an extensive introduction that incorporates up-to-date research, this volume replaces the Anchor Bible I Chronicles commentary written by Jacob Myers in 1965.

The Old Testament book of Chronicles presents unique problems to students of the Bible. Here Dr. Roddy Braun takes a fresh look at the biblical text and sheds light upon its meaning for God's people in both Old Testament times and today. Taking careful note of Chronicles' dependency upon earlier Old Testament writings, he leads the serious Bible student through such issues as: The relation of 1 Chronicles to parallel passages in Samuel and Kings What "the Chronicler" intended to convey with his own independent contributions to Israel's history and theology The role of Solomon's temple as a uniting force for the Chronicler, who faced the reality of the division between Israel in the north and Judah in the south The book's emphasis upon God's covenant with David as reaching its goal in the construction of the temple.

Dr. Braun investigates thoroughly the effect of God's covenant with David in this important part of Scripture. Did the tragic division of the kingdom following Solomon's death mean God had forsaken the covenant? Were the northern tribes too a part of that "all Israel" that was being summoned to return to faithful observance of the priestly services at Solomon's temple in Jerusalem? What was the meaning of such a summons at the time of the Exile, when both Israel and Judah lay in ruins? Such questions are explored with an expert's eye to history and background, theology, and textual considerations.

The author-with his remarkable combination of scholarly insights and pastoral experience-also notes the themes of unity, joy, and generosity in worship emphasized by the Chronicler. He was apparently anxious not simply to reunite the kingdom, but also to restore spiritual depth and enthusiastic support to worship-issues that continue to be vital to the people of God today.