The Temple Account of Chronicles Between Kings and Josephus

Differences between the accounts of the temple construction in 1 Kings and 2 Chronicles have long raised questions between the accounts. Although one could focus exclusively on the biblical material to attempt to describe the relationship between them, the ancient historian Josephus may provide another set of data to help clarify the relationship, especially since Josephus makes explicit claims about his own historical method. As a result, the present article examines some of the significant differences between Josephus’s account and the biblical material. The intention is to determine how Josephus’s stated claims inform arguments regarding the shape of the Vorlage of Chronicles. In the end, the article argues that despite the complicated textual picture that emerges, arguments for reconstructing the Vorlage of Chronicles should take into account not only the presence and sequence of material among the textual witnesses but also historiographical aims reconstructed from the content of each text.