002_cudworth_co_498_523 13/02/15 11:26 Pagina 522 522 TROY D. CUDWORTH 4. Jeroboam’s only misdemeanour The main point to be made here is that for the rest of his speech Abijah limited his criticism of Jeroboam solely to the cultic crimes that he committed well after the northern secession (cf. 11,14-15). He chided the northern king that he would not be able to strengthen himself (qzxth) before his army because he relied on large forces and the golden calves he had made (v. 8). For this reason, Abijah would not only triumph over Jeroboam’s larger army but also strengthen himself (qzxth) afterwards (vv. 20-21). With this in mind, Abijah’s assertions in vv. 5 and 8 do not necessarily offer any hidden criticism of northern kingship. They certainly could support explicit statements elsewhere that Jeroboam wrongfully sought an illicit kingship alongside the Davidides, but the Chronicler never provides these since he does not discuss the northern kingdom per se. Hence, the Chronicler does not blame Jeroboam for any crime until after his institution of the false cult in 2 Chr 11,14-15, just as in the account in 1 Kgs 12,25-33. V. Conclusion: Only Rehoboam Receives Blame for the Schism The Chronicler has not so much changed history with regard to the division of Israel’s kingdom as reassessed the actions of Solomon, Rehoboam, and Jeroboam on the basis of their faithful- ness to the temple cult. Since Solomon has finished the task of tem- ple construction laid out before him by David (1 Chr 28,9-10), the Chronicler does not assign him any blame as in the account in 1 Kings. This does not mean the Chronicler denies that he gave the Israelites very difficult work to do or that he never committed any sin (cf. 2 Chr 6,36), but that he wishes to praise him simply for his devotion to the cult. This emphasis has led the Chronicler to place all the blame on Rehoboam for the schism. Rather than simply retell his blunder as 1 Kgs 12,1-24 describes it, the Chronicler contends that Rehoboam disregarded the sincere plea of all Israel, causing the break-up of a fundamental aspect of Israel’s cultic life. With the character of Jeroboam, the Chronicler provides far less detail con- cerning his actions since he writes with regard to only the southern kingdom. He does condemn him for the establishment of a false