As we turn to examine the ‘addresses’ in the Books of Chronicles, on any count an important feature of the total work, we find that a number of critical questions concerning the work of the Chronicler remain unresolved in contemporary scholarship. These must at least be noted where any discussion of the books takes place. Broadly they fall into four categories:

1. the unity of I & II Chronicles

2. the relation of I & II Chronicles to the Books of Ezra and Nehemiah

3. the date of the ‘Chronicler’

4. the text of Samuel/Kings used by the Chronicler.

These questions overlap since the answer given to one will affect the answers given to others. They are ‘unresolved’ in that there is no general consensus of scholarly opinion about them and because, at least and especially with (4), insufficient evidence is available to provide a clear solution. Before we begin our discussion of the addresses in Chronicles some brief outline of these issues needs to be given.

There is certainly little agreement as yet concerning the unity of I & II Chronicles. As long ago as 1927 J. W. Rothstein and J. Hänel argued that, while the original Chronicler wrote soon after 432 bce, a redactor, working about 400 bce, revised his work, while various further additions were made even later.