[jjotto]

Yep. The confusion went on from the time of Nebuchadnezzer, who ‘mixed up’ distinct populations, and then the Greeks mixed up ideas. That’s why Jews rely on an explicit history handed down from identifiable teacher to identifiable student. It’s a maze, as all scholars agree.

[Cronos]

Yep. The confusion went on from the time of Nebuchadnezzer, who ‘mixed up’ distinct populations, and then the Greeks mixed up ideas. That’s why Jews rely on an explicit history handed down from identifiable teacher to identifiable student.

Actually it dates from the Neo-Assyrian Empire, a hundred+ years earlier starting from Tiglath-Pileser III to Sennacherib and Sargon II's nation-moving tactics.

The bit about why Jews rely on an explicit history handed down from identifiable teacher to identifiable student is the same reasoning for Church tradition.