The Temple Administration and the Levites in Chronicles

by Yeong Seon Kim

The author explored sections on gatekeepers, treasures and tax collectors from the book of Chronicles in order to examine whether the selected passages can be used as a source to reconstruct the temple administration in the post-exilic period. The author concludes that the Chronicler's description of the temple administration, especially his incorporation of non-priestly cultic personnel among the Levites, must be considered to comprise an argument of an ideal temple administration. The Chronicler's ideal was grounded in his creative exegetical approaches to Pentateuchal traditions and his responses to the contemporary debate about the legitimate priesthood among different priestly circles.