The Levitical Genealogies in 1 Chronicles 5-6 and the Formation of Levitical Ideology in Post-Exilic Judah

Abstract

In this article the Levitical genealogies in 1 Chron. 5-6 are dealt with. The older genealogical tradition can be reconstructed where the diverse genealogies of the important cultic personnel of the time of David and Solomon are harmonized: Zadok, the high priest; Heman, the seer of the king; Asaph, the leading singer at the cult; Ethan (= Jeduthun ?!), probably the leading gatekeeper. Further, it is argued that this old genealogical tradition was subsequently completed by the genealogy of Samuel. Finally, the Chronicler used the completed genealogy for his own purposes to argue for the legitimacy of the cultic practice of his own time, which had been reorganized during the time of Nehemiah.