Politics · 15 · Jeremiah and Baruch
History written by a people, not a king
Darius boasted, 'I am a Persian; I conquered Egypt; I dug this canal.' Royal inscriptions tell the king's story. The Bible tells a nation's story, and it judges its kings.
In true history, the nation judges the king.
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Scholar John Van Seters distinguished royal self-justification from 'history proper,' which arises when kings are seen in the context of the whole people. The Bible's grand narrative is the earliest and most sweeping example.
Source: Why the Bible Began, pp. 242–243
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