tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1824261000607570706.post3018054723488156911..comments2023-07-03T11:49:37.837+01:00Comments on Theologies: On swallowing a spider to catch a flyMarikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02613745498284783614noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1824261000607570706.post-39349096943868293522009-08-16T17:37:32.982+01:002009-08-16T17:37:32.982+01:00The earliest origins of historical criticism might...The earliest origins of historical criticism might be Greek thought. The Greeks were one of the earliest cultures to consider the distinction between myth and history. The Alexandrian Jews picked this tendency by Platonizing/allegorizing their own scriptures.<br /><br />The earliest Christians picked this from the Alexandrian Jews and the Christians were mostly content with questioning the historical validity of the Old Testament. However, the Gnostics were even more influenced by the Alexandrian Jews and maybe that is how this allegorizing came into Christianity. The Gnostics took it a step further and questioned the historical validity of the New Testament as well. So, the seed for historical criticism was planted long ago.<br /><br />Early Christians in general weren't all that concerned with historical truth other than the heresiologists declaring a few basic certainties that all good Christians had to agree upon. However, those historical certainties had to be declared because so many people (Christians and otherwise) were questioning them. As I understand from my readings, it wasn't until the Protestant Reformation that theologians started worrying in a focused way about the accuracy of the historical details.Marmaladehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02701062765483715442noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1824261000607570706.post-3754569532631482812009-08-14T20:20:22.744+01:002009-08-14T20:20:22.744+01:00I can't pretend to know enough to really answe...I can't pretend to know enough to really answer your questions in any sort of comprehensive way, Matt and Ruth, but I'm pretty sure that most of the basic historical criticism questions - did Moses write his own death story, why do several of the gospels tell the same stories in almost identical words - weren't asked until pretty late. I just don't think they're the sort of questions people were interested in much, and I suspect that they wouldn't have had the tools to answer them even if they were.<br /><br />I do know that Peter Abelard caused a massive scandal in the 11th century or so by publishing a book called "Sic et Non" in which he juxtaposed quotations from different church fathers to prove that they contradicted each other, contrary to the popular assumption that "the tradition" spoke with a single voice.Marikahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02613745498284783614noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1824261000607570706.post-77745818559441764372009-08-13T16:57:45.774+01:002009-08-13T16:57:45.774+01:00G.K. Chesterton draws an entertaining analogy to H...G.K. Chesterton draws an entertaining analogy to Higher Criticism (at least, I've always understood that that's what he's getting at, though he refers to it as 'the New Theology') <a href="http://www.readbookonline.net/readOnLine/20711/" rel="nofollow">here</a>.<br /><br />Thoughts on historical reliability: I don't know about all periods in history, but the Anglo-Saxons were very aware of their cultural and historical separation from the events of the New Testament, and actively sought out information on the holy land and intervening events. I suppose a lot of early church interest in history (there was plenty - witness Eusebius and Bede) was less to do with the original texts and more to do with how they spread. I suppose the Bible itself just wasn't regarded as a historical source very often?<br />There's been a lot of textual criticism and scrutiny about the Biblical texts around for yonks, but perhaps that always treated the Bible as gospel first and history second. Marika, do you know of anyone before Historical Criticism who suggested that perhaps Moses didn't write his own death story?Ruth Wallacenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1824261000607570706.post-65978438629183374652009-08-12T18:20:01.370+01:002009-08-12T18:20:01.370+01:00was the historical reliability of the bible not an...was the historical reliability of the bible not an issue before the 18th century? Did people not care or just assume it was history.Matt Wilsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05602642806307440912noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1824261000607570706.post-46810644946053774932009-08-07T16:58:08.145+01:002009-08-07T16:58:08.145+01:00Sideways angle on it – it reminds me of the way th...Sideways angle on it – it reminds me of the way that in the West we view Rushdie's magical realism as fantasy, whereas on the subcontinent they see it as history. http://www.charlierose.com/view/clip/9515 <br /><br />Let's have more readings, and all at once!Gabriel Smyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13894658019635435783noreply@blogger.com