readphi | external + internal criticism

forgeries of documents

_________ in whole or in part without being usual, are common enough to keep the careful historian constantly in guard

• to bolster a false claim or title

• less mercenary considerations

why are historical docs fabricated? (2)

editors’ tricks

occasionally misrepresentations of the nature of printed works results from the _______

test of authenticity

To distinguish a hoax or a misrepresentation from a genuine document, the historian has to use tests that are common also in police or legal detection

anachronistic

belonging to a period other than that being portrayed

Anachronism

a person, thing, or idea that exists out of its time in history, especially one that happened or existed later than the period being shown, discussed

Anachronistic style (idiom, orthography or punctuation)

can be detected by specialists who are familiar with contemporary writing

anachronistic

references to events that are too early, too late or too remote; or dating of a document at a time when the alleged writer could not possibly have been at the place designated (the alibi) uncovers fraud

garbled documents

document that in its entirety or in large part is the result of a deliberate effort to deceive may often be hard to evaluate, but it sometimes causes less trouble than does the document that is unauthentic only in small part

garbled documents

such parts are usually the result, not of studied falsehood, but of unintentional error

garbled documents

occur most frequently in copies of documents whose originals have disappeared, and are generally due to that kind of error of omission, repetition, or addition with which anyone who has ever made copies soon becomes familiar

garbled documents

the result not of carelessness but deliberate intention to modify, supplement, or continue the original

garbled documents

Such a change may be exerted to indicate the differences between the original text and the glossary or continuations, but future copyists are often less careful or more confused and make no such distinctions

textual criticism

The historians borrowed the technique of _______ from the philologists and Bible critics

restoration of texts

complicated but can be briefly described; the first task is to collect as many copies of the dubious text as diligent search will reveal

author

the style and contents of passages under discussion may be attributed to the ____

author and date

essential components of external criticism

author and date

Without this information, it would be impossible to prove or disprove authenticity through tests related to anachronisms, handwriting, style, alibis, or other factors associated with the author’s milieu, personality, and actions

external criticism

evaluating the authenticity of historical documents

internal criticism

establishing the credibility of the given testimony as indicated in historical documents and/or other sources

historical fact

specific detail derived directly or indirectly from historical documents and deemed credible after careful testing according to the principles of historical method

interrogative hypothesis

When analyzing a document for its isolated facts, a historian should approach it with specific questions in mind

1. Was the ultimate source of the detail (the primary witness) able to tell the truth?

2. Was the primary witness willing to tell the truth?

3. Is the primary witness accurately reported with regard to the detail under examination?

4. Is there any independent corroboration of the detail under examination?

four key tests

credible historical evidence

Any detail (regardless of what the source or who the author) that passes all four tests is _______

hearsay evidence

should be dismissed by the historian, as it is considered unacceptable when it cannot be verified as an accurate account of primary testimony

corroboration

process of confirming or supporting a statement, theory, or piece of evidence with additional evidence or testimony

independent testimony of two or more reliable witnesses

what must a testimony pass in order to be considered a credible historical evidence

competence

depends upon degree of expertness, state of mental and physical health, age, education, memory, narrative skill

to detect hoax and misrepresentation

what is the purpose of using tests of authenticity in historical analysis