'[1]: ix The 4th-century Christian bishop Athanasius of Alexandria was the first to label this collection of biblical books as "histories".
[2] This term is misleading for three reasons: The books provide a collection of stories about the Israelites spanning nearly a millennium, from their conquest of Canaan until the return to Zion in 539 BCE.
The historical books tell of the entry of the Israelites into the Promised Land after The Exodus, the leadership of the biblical judges, the establishment of the United Monarchy and its subsequent division into the northern Kingdom of Israel and southern Kingdom of Judah, and the Babylonian captivity.
[3][4] Modern scholars think that what reliable material can be found in these books of the Bible describes a period from the late second millennium to the 4th century BCE, often written down long after the alleged events, and edited several times.
In addition, they warn that it is important to try to distinguish fact from fiction and that the term "historical books" should be taken with a grain of salt.