David as the New Moses in Theology of the Books of Paralipomenon

Abstract

This article is devoted to one of the important theological concepts of the books Paralipomenon - the image of king David as the new Moses. The purpose of the article is to identify the characteristic features that indicate the development of this theological idea. For this purpose the author considers several episodes from the Chronicler's narration. These episodes include: the genealogies of the Israeli tribes (1 Chr. 2-9); David's transference and establishment of the Ark in Jerusalem (1 Chr. 13:15-16); David's census, which results in the determination of the place for the future Temple (1 Chr. 21); Solomon's sacrifice at Gibeon (2 Chr. 1), which is directly related to the subsequent construction of the Temple by Solomon (2 Chr. 2-7). These fragments show that the whole story of the Chronicler about the reign of David and Solomon is focused on the process of establishing a new cult system of Ancient Israel, the apogee of which is the construction of the Temple in Jerusalem. The inspirer and the organizer represented by King David. The author of the publication comes to the following conclusion: for the Chronicler David is the true founder of the new cult system of Ancient Israel, which became the direct heir to the ancient cult traditions of the era of Moses. David freely modifies and supplements the many precepts of Moses, and all subsequent kings, beginning with Solomon, maintain and regulate all temple services according to the precepts of David. In addition, drawing parallels between the construction of the Tent of Meeting and the construction of the Jerusalem Temple, the Chronicler strengthens the continuity between Ancient Israel and the generations of witnesses of the construction of the second temple.