The Chronicler’s high opinion of Josiah is evident from the opening accession summary note in 34:1–2, where he is compared to his ancestor David, an honor bestowed in 2 Chronicles 10–36 only on Hezekiah (2 Chron. 29:2). Rising to power in the final third of the seventh century BC, a period that saw the shift of imperial power from Assyria to Babylon, would give Josiah the political space to enact his key religious reforms (34:3–33) in three phases: his eighth (34:3a), twelfth (34:3b–7), and eighteenth (34:8–33) years. The last reform is initially focused on the reconstruction of the temple, supported through the contributions of a united Israel (34:8–13). This physical restoration, however, is soon eclipsed by the discovery of a law book (most likely the book of Deuteronomy), which prompt…