ABSTRACT
In his History of Antiquity, Eduard Meyer wrote, the golden age of the Judean monarchy created a true historiography. That statement cannot be brushed aside, and it brings us to the second main motivation in the historical thinking of the Old Testament. The widespread opinion that our Western historical thinking is derived essentially from ancient Israel is partly correct and partly false, just as true and false may be said of many aetiologies within the Old Testament. On the other hand, in the Old Testament it is in the nature of aetiologies and paradigms up to a certain point, and is their particular strength, not to have allowed themselves to be historicized easily, and not always finally and incontestably. Thus in the Old Testament historical thinking provides an especially appropriate way of talking about God. It is theologically qualified only because its subject is this one and only God Yahweh, who in history acts upon his people Israel.
