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<p> The purpose of this thesis is to challenge the scholarly consensus regarding the historical circumstances which led to the writing of 1 Chronicles by a close examination of the nature and function of the Chronicler's treatment of David. There has to be a reason for the stress which is placed on David by the Chronicler, especially at a time when there was no monarchy ruling in Judah. Much of the study which has been carried out on Chronicles has concentrated to a large extent on linguistic evidence. Linguistic evidence alone, however, is insufficient for drawing any solid conclusions. Thus, the attempt is being maae here to seel-: some answers on thematic evidence. This involves a close study of the Chronicler's treatment of David and the suggestion that David is to be equated with the post-exilic governor of Judah, Zerubbabel. The concentration on the Chronicler's interpretation of the figure of ravid is being used to demonstrate the possibility of reaaing 1 Chronicles as the historical expression of the :novement inspired by the prophecies of Haggai and Proto Zechariah.</p> <p> During the course of the thesis, attention is drawn to the difficulties surrounding the dating of 1 Chronicles as a result of the work of many red.actors, which is evident throughout the book. It becomes more difficult to assign the entire work, in its present form, to 8ny one period in the post-exilic era. However, despite this difficulty, a comparison of the major themes in 1 Chronicles and those in Haggai and Proto Zechariah shows that it is at least possible to date the original form of 1 Chronicles somewhere in the period of 520-515 BCE.</p> / Thesis / Master of Arts (MA)

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This thesis identifies two accounts within David Novak’s Jewish natural law theory. In the earlier account, Novak locates natural law within the Noahide commandments; in the later account, he also locates it within the reasons for the commandments and rabbinic enactments. The change between these accounts is marked by a shift in his description of rationality. The norms of the Noahide code are originally described as known strictly by reference to themselves. As he begins grounding the norms in the imago Dei, that knowledge becomes dependent on a “cultural heritage,” by which Novak comes to mean an explanation based on a doctrine of creation. By comparing the original presentation of the later account with its more developed iteration and highlighting the features that are unique to the earlier and later accounts, it becomes possible to identify components of the later account that are added to his subsequent treatment of the Noahide code and facets of the earlier account that are later added to his discussion of the reasons for the commandments and rabbinic enactments. These efforts at reconciliation include the normative content incorporated into the later account, the metaphysical background added to the later treatment of the Noahide code, the mediating concept of personhood, the phenomenological retrieval of the Noahide commandments, and the argument for minimal and maximal claims. Finally, this thesis analyzes the relationship between Novak’s natural law theory and his view of redemption. Given that as Novak’s natural law theory becomes less dependent on reason and more heavily based on a doctrine of creation, his treatment of redemption changes from being associated with a period of greater human understanding to a time that is characterized by God’s accomplishments on humanity’s behalf, I argue that there is a parallel between those concepts. I then draw on that parallel to show that Novak’s natural law is compatible with, and perhaps inseparable from, his covenantal thought. / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

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