Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Ian Hutchesson" <mc2499 AT mclink.it>]

>But who is the author of the works of Herodotus, when did he or she
>live, where did he or she live? What was the process by which he or she
>wrote these (hi)stories?
>
>OK, we have a name and perhaps a few autobiographical details - though
>many of the events recorded date back long before the time of this
>putative individual. 

So there is no means of treating that data in itself as 
historical. It can only be treated as historical when 
there is some overlap with other usable material, for 
example archaeological.

It is the period in which the author is witness that 
historical material comes from Herodotus.

>But we have names and biographies in the books of
>Joshua and Samuel though not in Judges. 

The question "who" is not so much for a name per se. The 
author of 2 Maccabees remains unnamed, but the text gels 
with other literary and archaeological material for the 
period it deals with. (This doesn't mean that it is taken 
on face value though.)

>What makes Herodotus different
>and more historical than any of these?

The text's relationship with historically verifiable events.

>PS We should not easily confuse the author of Judges with the
>post-exilic editor who added a few comments about the fate of the tribe
>of Dan.

How can you make a non-arbitrary separation?


Ian