The Historian (of Religions) as Detective

Abstract

Since my graduate school days, I have been interested in the philosophy of history, especially in historiographical methods. And, I have long been intrigued by the proposition that such methods are also represented by those of detectives (e.g., Robin Winks 1969), particularly, the detectives of fiction. However, it was only with my retirement that I began extensively to read detective novels and, given my historical field of Graeco-Roman religions, I was especially interested in those of Lindsey Davis about Marcus Didius Falco, a private informer, that are set in the first-century Roman Empire. What might be the historiographical value of such novels, if any? This question was intensified by the recent argument of philosopher Alex Rosenberg (2018) that historical narratives are no more trustworthy than fiction. Consequently, I reflect, in this article, on the historical value both of historical narratives and of historical fiction.