1 Chronicles
The Reign of David.
Authorship.
The name of the book "Chronicles" comes from the Vulgate. When translated from the Hebrew language (devri hayyammim) it means "events of the times", or from the Greek language meaning "things leftover.
Some have suggested that the author may well have been Ezra but their is insufficient proof to authenticate this. The date of the writting is post-exilic placing it into the third section of the Hebrew scriptures.
Background.
The two books of Chronicles reveal something of the reconstruction of the religious foundations of Judah who where God`s chosen people. These books are tremendously important from an historical point of view for they introduce the reader to the many important events that surrounded and moulded Judah as a nation.
Having said that the historical content refers primarily to the theological and spiritual purpose of God for the nation. The books have been written to give the Jews as the covenant people of YAHWEH a true spiritual foundation for a theocracy.
The writer wants the nation to grasp the important fact that as a people they need to grasp the the nature of their relationship to God and be aware that their relationship is a covenant one. As a safeguard against idolatry Yahweh decreed perscribed forms of worship in the temple and that worship was to be conducted by a divinely ordained priesthood under the protection of the Davidic dynastic.
Date.
The books were written after the Babylonian captivity and their contents were absolutely necessary for a returning people to their home land. The emphasis on heritage, the temple, apostacy and idolatry, plus the covenantal relationship and the reminder of the Messanic hope of the Davidc Line is impressed ontheir consciousness.