Sundav School Lesson
(Continued from Pace 3)
History u Propaganda
In a very real sense, the
Chronicler complemented the i
work of the great prophets In I
his emphasis upon the fact that
the Jews needed to learn from
the failures of their ancestor*.
Thus the Chronicler "propagan
dized" historical facts in order
to accent the accomplishments
of the kings he deemed to have
been good and to detract from
the accomplishments of those he
regarded as having been bed
Icings. We must inquire into the
I reasons that prompted the
Chronicler to write "history" in
this way. We must also ask
whether or not the Chronicler
was Justified in writing such
"propaganda history."
| We need to remember that !
the Chronicler Is more a preach- \
er exhorting his readers to a
particular way of life than he is
a historian recording historical
fact for academic reasons. In
this he is really not much dif
ferent from any other ancient
historian, for all ancient his- .
tori an* were primarily concern
ed to convey the meaning and
message they believed to be en
ihrined in certain historical
events. They were less concern
ed with simply reporting the
facta.
The Old Testament historians
wrote "religious propaganda his
tory." But we must distinguish
between two kinds of propa
ganda history. Bad propaganda
history is evil and malicious,
begetting wickedness in men;
men; good propaganda history
enshrines noble virtues and
eternal truth, begetting goodness
in men.
The real question to ask is
not, Is this the true history,
actual fact? Recognizing that It
is propaganda history, we ought
to ask, Does it teach noble and
enduring truth? If the answer
to this question is Yes, then the
propaganda history ought to be
heeded and Its great lessons and
truths appropriated by all gene
rations.
Hugh Anderson expressed this
view aptly when he wrote: "The
historians of Israel vitwed his
tory as the sphere of God's ac
tivity. Their purpose in telling
the story of Israel was to con
front men with the sovereign
authority of a high and holy
God, calling upon them to sur
render their lives to Him in
love for Him and their fellow
men. We acknowledge that If
there is a bias here; It Is a bias
in the right direction. This la
good propaganda history."
Values In the Work
Of the Chronicler
What we have said above
brings us to the consideration
of those qualities that were of
supreme value for the Chron
icler, as indicated In his writ
ings, Including Ezra and Nehe
miah.
The Chronicler (1) affirmed
that God is Lord of history, (3)
affirmed not only the beauty of
(Continued *n Page 8)
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