11: 1 & 2 Chronicles

Cameron Howard explores 1 and 2 Kings. Solomon's wisdom, the divided kingdom, and God's faithfulness through exile.

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1 & 2 Chronicles may not top anyone’s list of favorite Bible books, but scholar Dr. Cameron Howard makes the case that these overlooked texts have a lot to teach us. In this episode of the Bible in a Year podcast, Dr. Howard, Associate Professor of Old Testament at Luther Seminary and author of The Old Testament for a Complex World, joins hosts Jennie Wojciechowski and Kathryn Schifferdecker to explore how 1 & 2 Chronicles retells the history of Israel with a bold new agenda. From nine chapters of genealogies to the Edict of Cyrus, Chronicles covers roughly 500 years of history while making a deliberate argument about David’s legacy and the legitimacy of temple worship practices in the post-exilic period.

What makes Chronicles so fascinating is what it reveals about how the Bible works. Dr. Howard highlights the Chronicler’s willingness to leave out unflattering stories, amplify David’s greatness, and root second temple practices in an authoritative past, all while openly reinterpreting texts that already existed in Samuel and Kings. The conversation also explores the curious viral moment of the Prayer of Jabez, the striking absence of women from the narrative, and what it means for us today that scripture itself models the ongoing, Spirit-led work of retelling old stories for new times.

This episode is part of The Bible in a Year from Luther Seminary podcast, where we journey through each book of the Bible over 52 weeks.

Resources Mentioned

The Old Testament for a Complex World by Cameron Howard
The Prayer of Jabez: Breaking Through to the Blessed Life by Bruce Wilkinson
Women’s Bible Commentary (Westminster John Knox Press) — specifically the article on Chronicles by Christine Mitchell, which addresses the erasure of women from the narrative

Bible Bingo: Key Words to Watch For

Genealogy
Written in the records
Prophets
David
Temple

Connections to the Rest of Scripture

1 Chronicles 4:9–10 The Prayer of Jabez
1 Chronicles 29:29 Appeal to written records (the records of Samuel, Nathan, and Gad)
2 Chronicles 22 Queen Athaliah
The Edict of Cyrus end of 2 Chronicles / beginning of Ezra

Cameron’s 7-Word Summary

“Hooray for David and the Temple. We have receipts.”

Featuring

Cameron B.R. Howard

Cameron B. R. Howard, associate professor of Old Testament, joined the Luther Seminary faculty in July 2012. She received her Ph.D. from Emory University in 2010. She also holds a Master of Theological Studies degree from the Candler School of Theology at Emory and a Master of Theology degree from Columbia Theological Seminary. Howard is the author of The Old Testament for A Complex World: How the Bible's Dynamic Testimony Points to New Life for the Church (Baker Academic, 2021). Committed to making academic biblical scholarship accessible and relevant to clergy and laypeople, Howard has written over two dozen essays for WorkingPreacher.org and is a contributor to BibleOdyssey.org. She is a member of the Society of Biblical Literature and a ruling elder in the Presbyterian Church (USA).

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Hosted By

Kathryn Schifferdecker

Kathryn M Schifferdecker is Professor and Elva B. Lovell Chair of Old Testament at Luther Seminary. Ordained in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America in 2001, Schifferdecker was associate pastor for five years at Trinity Lutheran Church, Arkdale, Wisconsin, before coming to Luther in 2006. Schifferdecker is a frequent contributor to Working Preacher, Word & World, and the author of "Out of the Whirlwind: Creation Theology in the Book of Job" (Harvard University Press, 2008). She is currently writing a commentary on the book of Esther.

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Jennifer Wojciechowski

Jennifer Hornyak Wojciechowski is assistant professor of church history, and she has been teaching at Luther since 2019. Prior to this, she taught in the religion department at Augsburg University.

Wojciechowski graduated summa cum laude from the University of Minnesota (2005), received her Master of Arts at Bethel Seminary (2011) and her Ph.D. from Luther Seminary (2019).

She is author of the book “Women and the Christian Story: A Global History” (Fortress, 2022) and numerous articles in publications including Word & World and Minnesota History. Her research focuses on women’s history, American history, and the intersection of religion and social reform.

She is the associate editor of the journal Word & World.

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About The Bible in a Year Podcast

This podcast guides you on a journey through the books of the Bible, providing insights on how Scripture can shape your life today. Each episode focuses on one or two books of the Bible in fun, engaging, and authentic conversations between Luther Seminary faculty and guest Bible scholars who are experts on the book(s) in question. Join us as we make our way through the Bible in a year — new episodes drop every Wednesday in 2026!

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