Quotes About History

Israel's beginnings are mysterious from an archaeological point of view, so we can't be dogmatic about explaining how and when Israel began. But it does seem that a nation eventually called "Israel" probably came on the scene gradually and relatively peacefully.

adapting the past to speak to changing circumstances in the present.

the ancient Israelites were an ancient tribal people.

It may be hard—sometimes impossible—to see the history in Israel's stories, but we do get a good picture of how these ancient Israelites experienced God.

How do biblical writers talk about the past?

the Bible is ancient, ambiguous, and diverse.

In reading the Bible we are watching the spiritual journeys of people long ago.

Moses is not receiving a new bit of information. Rather, God is leaving no doubt in Moses' mind who it is that is speaking with him. God is saying to him: "I am Yahweh, the 'I AM,' the God of the patriarchs. The one you have heard about is the one speaking with you now.

As quite distinct from Jewish interpretation, the history of modern evangelical interpretation exhibits a strong degree of discomfort with the tensions and ambiguities of Scripture.

The idea of reimagining God as times and circumstances change should, therefore, not strike us as odd or the least bit troubling—our Bible is full of reimagining. Without it, there wouldn't be a "New" Testament or a Christian faith tradition. The entire history of the Christian church is defined by moments of reimagining God to speak here and now.

The three most charismatic leaders in this century inflicted more suffering on the human race than almost any trio in history: Hitler, Stalin, and Mao. What matters is not the leader's charisma. What matters is the leader's mission.

we invented the concept back while your DNA was still trying to break free from mollusks.

All because I was too stupid to learn from past mistakes. Just like all the other dreaming fools throughout history, wrapped up with seductive, clean equations, their simplistic, isolated elegance, giving no thought to the messy, bloody, physical application that was their ultimate reality. As if we didn't have enough weapons already. But that's human nature, we've always got to go one better, to increase the terror another notch. And for what?

It does seem somewhat classical. One can hardly credit that Dante did actually get shown around Hell.

That was the trouble with history, Oscar thought: Once the distance had grown long enough, any event could be seen favorably. The true horror faded with time, and ignorance replaced it.

fulfilled with the grand opening there, on 3 September 1883, of the Gaiety Palace of Varieties.

So far as the facts in the case are concerned, Dr Howell and I had called our book a 'true' history.

If you're looking for family entertainment, don't study history or prehistory.

Peter G. Tsouras

Peter G. Tsouras

Sheer stupidity — that much underrated force in history.

Obviously, the history of the franchise is a history of anomalies.

the Garden of Ediacara.

For my children. For you. So that you could be safe. So that what happened to them," he nods toward the photo of his mother and his sister, "would never happen to you. Because it will never really go away, this thing. It goes underground for a generation or two, but always reemerges.