<P> Much of the content of Chronicles is a repetition of material from other books of the Bible, from Genesis to Kings, and so the usual scholarly view is that these books, or an early version of them, provided the author with the bulk of his material . It is, however, possible that the situation was rather more complex, and that books such as Genesis and Samuel should be regarded as contemporary with Chronicles, drawing on much of the same material, rather than a source for it . There is also the question of whether the author of Chronicles used sources other than those found in the Bible: if such sources existed, it would bolster the Bible's case to be regarded as a reliable history . Despite much discussion of this issue, no agreement has been reached . </P> <P> The translators who created the Greek version of the Hebrew Bible (the Septuagint) called this book "Things Left Out", indicating that they thought of it as a supplement to another work, probably Genesis - Kings, but the idea seems inappropriate, since much of Genesis - Kings has been copied almost without change . Some modern scholars proposed that Chronicles is a midrash, or traditional Jewish commentary, on Genesis - Kings, but again this is not entirely accurate, since the author or authors do not comment on the older books so much as use them to create a new work . Recent suggestions have been that it was intended as a clarification of the history in Genesis - Kings, or a replacement or alternative for it . </P> <P> The message which the author wished to give to his audience was this: </P> <Ol> <Li> God is active in history, and especially the history of Israel . The faithfulness or sins of individual kings are immediately rewarded or punished by God . (This is in contrast to the theology of the Books of Kings, where the faithlessness of kings was punished on later generations through the Babylonian exile). </Li> <Li> God calls Israel to a special relationship . The call begins with the genealogies (chapters 1--9 of 1 Chronicles), gradually narrowing the focus from all mankind to a single family, the Israelites, the descendants of Jacob . "True" Israel is those who continue to worship Yahweh at the Temple in Jerusalem, with the result that the history of the historical kingdom of Israel is almost completely ignored . </Li> <Li> God chose David and his dynasty as the agents of his will . According to the author of Chronicles, the three great events of David's reign were his bringing the ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem, his founding of an eternal royal dynasty, and his preparations for the construction of the Temple . </Li> <Li> God chose the Temple in Jerusalem as the place where he should be worshiped . More time and space are spent on the construction of the Temple and its rituals of worship than on any other subject . By stressing the central role of the Temple in pre-exilic Judah, the author also stresses the importance of the newly - rebuilt Persian - era Second Temple to his own readers . </Li> <Li> God remains active in Israel . The past is used to legitimise the author's present: this is seen most clearly in the detailed attention he gives to the Temple built by Solomon, but also in the genealogy and lineages, which connect his own generation to the distant past and thus make the claim that the present is a continuation of that past . </Li> </Ol>

Who wrote 1 and 2 chronicles in the bible