HISTORICAL CRITICISM

HISTORICAL CRITICISM

Historical criticism examines the origins of earliest text to appreciate the underlying

circumstances upon which the text came to be.

Goals of Historical Criticism:

1. To discover the original meaning of the text in its primitive or historical context and its literal sense.

2. To establish a reconstruction of the historical situation of the author and recipients of the text.

Two Parts to a Historical Criticism

1. To determine the authenticity of the material (its author and the sources of information used)

2. To weigh the testimony to the truth (trustworthiness of the testimonies and determine the probability of the statements to be true)

Two Types of Historical Criticism

EXTERNAL CRITICISM – determines the authenticity of the source. The authenticity of the material may be tested in two ways:

Paleographical - deciphering and dating of historical manuscripts

Diplomatic – critical analysis of historical document to understand how the document came to be and the information transmitted.

INTERNAL CRITICISM - determining the value of the facts, the character of the sources, the knowledge of the author, and the influences prevalent at the time of writing.

Test of Authenticity

To distinguish a hoax (or misrepresentation) from a genuine document, the historian must use tests (which are common in police and legal detection). He examines the materials to see whether they are not anachronistic (too early or too late when the writer could not possibly have been at the place when it happened). He sees if he can identify the handwriting, signature, seal, letterhead. Experts using techniques known as paleography and diplomatics have long known that in certain regions at certain times, handwriting and the style and form of official documents were conventionalized.

Anachronistic styles (idiom, orthography or punctuation) can be detected by specialists who are familiar with contemporary writing.

CONTENT AND CONTEXTUAL ANALYSIS of SELECTED PRIMARY SOURCES

The complete knowledge of the past through credible and reliable sources is essential to the understanding and learning of one’s history.

Content Analysis – is a systematic evaluation of the primary source, such as a text, painting, caricature, or speech, where one could develop and present an argument based on their own understanding from their readings

Contextual Analysis – considers specifically the time, place, and situation when the primary source was written. The analysis includes the author’s background and authority on the subject.