Jewish History: An essay in the philosophy of history

What is Jewish History? In the first place what does it offer as to quantity and as to quality? What are its range and content and what distinguishes it in these two respects from the history of other nations? Furthermore what is the essential meaning what the spirit of Jewish History? Or to put the question in another way to what general results are we led by the aggregate of its facts considered not as a whole but genetically as a succession of evolutionary stages in the consciousness and education of the Jewish people?If we could find precise answers to these several questions they would constitute a characterization of Jewish History as accurate as is attainable. To present such a characterization succinctly is the purpose of the following essay.