This study focuses on the Chronicler's special interest in Levite singers. It takes into consideration the socio-ideological milieu of the Jerusalem temple community in the Persian period and the Mesopotamian elite professional norms and practices that nourished the singers and their music. It also explores the conception of the earthly temple as representative of its heavenly counterpart, and looks at the way in which this shaped the Chronicler's theological frame of reference.The work is divided into two parts. Part I examines the Mesopotamian scribal-musical background, to which Ko attributes the rise of music in Chronicles. Part II considers the Chronicler's ideological perspective, the language of the temple and the educational, scribal, and liturgical services of Levite singers. By focusing on the characterisation of the Levite singers in the light of their Mesopotamian counterparts, Ko shows how they sought to foster cosmic stability according to the terms of the Davidic covenant.

Sheds light on the purpose of the books of Chronicles by examining the social environment of the Jerusalem temple community

List of FiguresList of Abbreviations1. IntroductionPart I: The Influence of Mesopotamian Scribal Musical Culture2. Scholar Singers in Mesopotamia3. King Jehoiachin of Judah and the Influence of Mesopotamia on the Jewish Exile CommunityConclusion of Part IPart II: The Theological Significance of the Service of Levite Singers in the Book of Chronicles4. Temple as Counterpart as a Pre-Understanding of the Chronicler5. Prophecy for Covenantal Stability: Music and Prophecy in the Education Context of Levite Singers6. Remember Yhwh's Covenantal Faithfulness: The Shaping of Yhwh's Hymns in the Scribal Context of Levite Singers7. Double Synchronisations for Cosmic Stability: Song and Sacrifice in the Liturgical Context of Levite SingersConclusion of Part II8. ConclusionAppendix A: The Composition of 1CHR 23-27 and 2CHR 36:22-23Appendix B: GlossaryAppendix C: Mesopotamian TextsAppendix D: A Chronological Chart of Ancient MesopotamiaAppendix E: A Synoptic Table of Enuma Elis and GenesisBibliographyIndex