When the Bible was written, the Greek word, historia, meant story. So, the Bible is a collection of instructive stories, allegorical in nature. Only a few Christians take the Bible as literal history...
There are more than five books which are called 'the history books'. They are: Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1&2 Samuel, 1&2 Kings, 1&2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther. There are however five...
Although probably every single Old Testament book contains something of historical value, the books which are commonly regarded as specifically historical are these: Joshua Judges Ruth 1 & 2...