Abstract

For ancient man, including the Graeco-Romans, every moment was a revelation of divine workings in time; archetypes of life in mythical representation had general validity as ways of consciously taking cognizance of the past. Reliable myths which qua talis were experienced became history. Thucydides dismissed pseudo-myths told only to hold the interest of listeners, but retained myths that placed events in broader frameworks to solve the riddle of history. His history claimed eternal validity as an account of the struggle for power in all- ages. Greek historians saw repetition of identical patterns in history. The Jews saw history as realization of God's revealed plan for the future. The Jewish-Christian historians gave "witness" to this plan, while the Greek was a creator who gave "accounts" by placing events in broader frameworks