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Rh form, when the ritual and Law of Israel were regulated in accordance with its fully elaborated precepts; the whole complex system being supposed to have been imparted to Israel by Moses. Now, when the Chronicler and others like him turned to the historical records of their people, the books of Samuel and Kings, they found many things which must have sorely puzzled them. For those records constantly relate events in ways which run counter to the provisions of the completed Pentateuch, sometimes ignoring, sometimes contradicting and breaking, its laws and practices. It is utterly unlikely that he and his fellows were aware that those books reflect the customs of an earlier period; so that in altering their narrative (as he does) he was not conscious of falsifying history. Even if he was, we must not judge his conduct by the opinions of our own time, but remember that "he lived in an age when certain accepted theories were regarded as more authentic than recorded facts" (Kent, Student's O.T. vol. ii. 23). It is fair, however, to believe that in the inconsistencies of the older histories with the observances of his own day he saw only an astonishing ignorance or carelessness in matters of the Law on the part of the older writers—a state of affairs which called loudly for correction. For the good name of David and Solomon, for the honour of the pious Kings of Judah, as well as for the edification of his contemporaries (and, maybe, for the confusion of the Samaritans), such flagrant blemishes had to be removed. And in Chronicles he has produced a thorough revision of the history of Judah in accordance with the principles and provisions of the completed Pentateuch. Throughout the entire work this aim is consistently pursued. It must be therefore considered a main feature of the Chronicler's purpose. The alterations of the text of Samuel-Kings which he has made on this account will be so frequently pointed out in the notes that here one simple example will suffice. In 2 Sam. viii. 18 it is said, "And the sons of David were priests." Since in the Chronicler's time it was unthinkable that any could be priests save members of Levitical