Books of Chronicles

From Textus Receptus

In the masoretic text, Chronicles is part of the third part of the Tanakh, namely Ketuvim ("Writings"). In most printed versions it is the last book in Ketuvim (following Ezra-Nehemiah). This order is based on medieval Ashkenazic manuscripts. The order of the books of Ketuvim given in the Talmud (Bava Batra 14b-15a), though it differs from the Ashkenazic order, also places Chronicles at the end of Ketuvim. In these traditions, Chronicles becomes the final book of the Bible. However, in early Tiberian manuscripts such as the Aleppo codex and the Leningrad codex, Chronicles is placed as the first book in Ketuvim, preceding Psalms.

The Jewish ordering of the canon suggests that Chronicles is a summary of the entire span of history to the time it was written. (This might also be the reason the Chronicler commences his genealogy with Adam.) Steven Tuell argues that having Chronicles as the last book in the canon is appropriate since it "attempts to distill and summarize the entire history of God's dealings with God's people."

In Christian Bibles, Chronicles I & II are part of the "historical" books of the Old Testament, following Kings and before Ezra. This order is based upon that found in the Septuagint, followed by the Vulgate, and relates to the view of Chronicles as "supplements" to Samuel and Kings.