Q&A: History
Originally published:
This is an English translation (via GPT-5.4). Read the original Hebrew version.
History
Question
A. Why didn’t the Sages write a history book? It seems so obvious! Did they want to hide something?
(Especially after they disqualified reading the Book of Maccabees)
Answer
Why would they write history books? That really isn’t part of our culture. It seems to me that history books are an innovation of the Greeks and Romans.
Discussion on Answer
A. The prophets also didn’t write history books. They described events that, in their view, had educational-religious value, not mere historiography.
B. It seems to me: nothing at all. That is precisely their innovation—history for history’s sake.
A. Why didn’t the Sages write them, while the prophets did?
Seemingly, the books of the Hebrew Bible (Tanakh) are historical narratives.
B. What were the Greeks and Romans trying to achieve by writing history?