Retribution in Chronicles : Ideology and Reality

Neil J. Morrison seeks to explain the lack of systematization in the outworking of retribution in Chronicles. While retribution is designed to foster religious commitment, it is often constrained by other factors so that the divine and human poles of the nexus come to predominate at different points.

Neil J. Morrison seeks to clarify the nature and purpose of the theme of divine retribution in Chronicles. He contends that retribution represents a malleable motif which serves the ideological purpose of fostering religious commitment and bolstering the status of the Second Temple. Nevertheless, the outworking of retribution in the narrative has been constrained by other ideological commitments and the exigencies of the contemporary world. For example, the divine provision of the temple and God''s irrevocable commitment to Israel often overshadow retribution. Similarly, the uncertainties of the late-Persian or early-Hellenistic setting necessitated a more flexible approach to retribution, underscoring the importance of human activity rather than waiting upon divine intervention. This theory explains how retribution serves a didactic purpose without representing a systematic theological dogma.