many questions, that, for clearness' sake, it seems better to discuss separately its religious and its

political aspect, so far as this is possible.

* Amon became the father of Josiah at the age of 16 (c omp. 2 Kings 21:19).

First and foremost in this reign stand the measures of religious reformation inaugurated by Josiah.

These comprise the preliminary abolition of idolatry; the repair of the Temple; the discovery in it

of the Book of the Law; the consequent national reformation by the king; and, lastly, the solemn

national observance of the Passover. We have stated the events in the order of their time, and as

given in the Book of Kings, from which the arrangement in the Book of Chronicles differs only in

appearance. Each of these two accounts relates, with different circumstantiality, one or other of the

events mentioned - in each case in accordance with the different view-point of the writers, to

which reference has frequently been made. Thus the main t opic in the Book of Kings is the

religious reformation, alike in its positive aspect as regarded the Temple, the Law, and national

Religion (2 Kings 22:3; 23:3), and in its negative aspect in the abolition of idolatry (2 Kings 23:4-

20). On the other hand, the chronicler records at greatest length, and with fullest detail, the Paschal

observance (2 Chronicles 35:1- 19), while he passes very briefly over what might appear as of

graver importance (2 Chronicles 34:4-7).

This will explain what otherwise might have seemed a difficulty in the arrangement of the

narrative. The account both in the Book of Kings and in Chronicles places the Temple restoration

"in the eighteenth year of king Josiah." But in the former the record of the religious reformation

begins with this event, while the chronicler prefaces it by a very brief summary of what had

previously been done for the abolition of idolatry (2 Chronicles 34:3 -7). That something of this

kind must have preceded the restoration of the Temple seems evident. It cannot be supposed that a

monarch like Josiah should for seventeen years have tolerated all that Amon had introduced, and

then, in his eighteenth year, suddenly proceeded to the sweeping measures which alike the writers

of Kings and of Chronicles narrate. It is, therefore, only reasonable to accept the statement of the

latter, that "in the eighth year of his reign, while he was yet young" [in his sixteenth year - when

presumably he commenced personally to administer the government], king Josiah "began* to seek

after the God of David his father," and that "in the twelfth year he began to purge Judah and

Jerusalem" from their idolatry (2 Chronicles 34:3).

* That is, in his public and official capacity.

And then the chronicler, who, as we have stated, makes only briefest reference to the reformation

described with such detail in 2 Kings 23:4-20, at once adds to the mention of the initial measures

towards the abolition of idolatry a summary of what was finally done in that direction, after the

restoration of the Temple and in consequence of the discovery of the Book of the Law (vers. 4-7).

That such is really the purport of the narrative appears also from the reference at the close of the

account of the Temple restoration in 2 Chronicles 34:33, which synchronizes with 2 Kings 23:4.

It was only natural that such preliminary measures as the chronicler relates should have been

followed by, as indeed they must have stood in connection with, the restoration of the Temple and

its services. This was done in the eighteen th year of Josiah's reign. Nearly two and a half centuries

had passed since the former restoration by Joash (2 Kings 12:4-16), and the sacred building must

have greatly suffered under the idolatrous kings, especially during the late reigns of Manasseh and

Amon. As the restoration was naturally on the same lines with the previous one under Joash, the

two accounts are necessarily similar. The collections for the Temple repairs, to which reference is

made, must have begun some years previously (2 Kings 22:4) - perhaps so early as the eighth year

of the king's reign. But what specially interests us is that contributions came not merely from

Judah, but from the Israelitish inhabitants of what had been the kingdom of Israel (2 Chronicles

34:9). This indicates not only a religious movement among them, such as previously in the time of

Hezekiah, (Compare 2 Chronicles 30:1, 18.) but that politically also the remnant of Israel in the

land was drawn into a hopeful alliance with Judah. Yet further insight into the character of the