closing verses of II Chronicles are also repeated verbatim at the
beginning of Ezra.

Throughout these books the interest is religious and ceremonial rather
than civil and national. They constitute in reality a history of the
Jerusalem temple and its institutions. The whole may properly be
designated as the "Ecclesiastical History of Jerusalem." It traces the
history of Jerusalem and the southern kingdom from the earliest times to
the close of the Persian period. Its author, who is commonly known as the
Chronicler, evidently lived during the earlier part or middle of the Greek
period. Certain characteristics of his literary style and point of view
indicate that he wrote about 250 B.C. His peculiarities and methods of
writing are clearly revealed by a comparison of the older parallel history
of Samuel-Kings with the books of Chronicles. In general he lacks the
historical spirit and perspective of the earlier prophetic historians. He
also freely recasts his record of earlier events in order to bring it into
accord with the traditions current in his own day. Above all he aimed to
establish the authority and prestige of the Jerusalem temple, and to prove
that Jehovah "was not with Israel" (II Chron. 25:7), which was represented
in his day by the hated Samaritans. The hatred engendered by the Samaritan
feud explains many of the peculiarities of the Chronicler. He was, in
fact, an apologist rather than a historian. Thus post-exilic institutions,
as, for example, the temple song service with its guilds of singers, are
projected backward even to the days of David, and the events of early
Hebrew history are constantly glorified. The numbers found in the
earlier, prophetic sources are magnified, and at every point it is easy to
recognize the influence of the Chronicler's familiarity with the splendor
and magnificence of the great Persian and Greek empires, and of his
desire to inspire his fellow-Jews with national pride and with loyalty to
their religious institutions.