Full Description
This study focuses on the Chronicler's special interest in Levite singers. It takes into consideration the socio-ideological milieu of the Jerusalem temple community in the Persian period and the Mesopotamian elite professional norms and practices that nourished the singers and their music. It also explores the conception of the earthly temple as representative of its heavenly counterpart, and looks at the way in which this shaped the Chronicler's theological frame of reference.
The work is divided into two parts. Part I examines the Mesopotamian scribal-musical background, to which Ko attributes the rise of music in Chronicles. Part II considers the Chronicler's ideological perspective, the language of the temple and the educational, scribal, and liturgical services of Levite singers. By focusing on the characterisation of the Levite singers in the light of their Mesopotamian counterparts, Ko shows how they sought to foster cosmic stability according to the terms of the Davidic covenant.
Contents
List of Figures
List of Abbreviations
1. Introduction
Part I: The Influence of Mesopotamian Scribal Musical Culture
2. Scholar Singers in Mesopotamia
3. King Jehoiachin of Judah and the Influence of Mesopotamia on the Jewish Exile Community
Conclusion of Part I
Part II: The Theological Significance of the Service of Levite Singers in the Book of Chronicles
4. Temple as Counterpart as a Pre-Understanding of the Chronicler
5. Prophecy for Covenantal Stability: Music and Prophecy in the Education Context of Levite Singers
6. Remember Yhwh's Covenantal Faithfulness: The Shaping of Yhwh's Hymns in the Scribal Context of Levite Singers
7. Double Synchronisations for Cosmic Stability: Song and Sacrifice in the Liturgical Context of Levite Singers
Conclusion of Part II
8. Conclusion
Appendix A: The Composition of 1CHR 23-27 and 2CHR 36:22-23
Appendix B: Glossary
Appendix C: Mesopotamian Texts
Appendix D: A Chronological Chart of Ancient Mesopotamia
Appendix E: A Synoptic Table of Enuma Elis and Genesis
Bibliography
Index
