The Rabbinic Retreat from History and the Forgetting of the Second Temple Past

Why did the Rabbis retreat from history? In past research in both Jewish history and Rabbinics, this question has been much discussed. This essay reconsiders the assumption behind the question, particularly in light of what we have learned about Second Temple Judaism since the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls. In the process, it revisits the figuring of »history« in historiography on Jews and Judaism before and after 70 CE, highlighting the place of Christian concerns in shaping the terms of the debate.