Josiah and His Reforms: The narrative about this new child king (reminiscent of another child king, Joash, who saved the Davidic dynasty from being destroyed by northern influence) has constantly fascinated Bible scholars. It is a common view that King Josiah, who reigned over Judah in approximately 641/640–610/609 B.C., is idealized as the zenith of Davidic kingship in the Deuteronomistic description in 2 Kings 22–23. There he represents the antithesis of Manasseh, who is seen as the nadir of Judahite history in the Deuteronomistic construction. The Chronicler altered the portrayal of Manasseh significantly. The question remains whether the Chronicler did the same for Josiah.

Four temporal markers determine the progress and focus of the narrative. It starts in the eighth year when King Jos…