Chaotic Writing as a Literary Element in the Story of Ahaz in 2 Chronicles 28

This article subjects the account of Ahaz in 2 Chronicles to a synchronic literary analysis in light of the Vorlage in Kings in order to demonstrate that the "chaotic writing" that marks it forms part of the effect the Chronicler is attempting to create. By displacing and interpolating verses, he thereby paints a picture of Ahaz as a vile sinner who transgresses by nature rather than a rational tactician. This impression is heightened by the placement of the account of the Judahites' capture and return at the centre of the narrative. The logical, coherent, sequential nature of this unit - constructed on the basis of a complication, crisis, falling action, and resolution - contrasts sharply with the rough-edged, broken pericopae on either side of it. It thus accentuates the chaos and confusion of the narrative as a whole.