LESSON 3 HISTORICAL CRITICISMS HISTORICAL CRITICISM examines the origins of earliest text to appreciate the underlying circumstances upon which the text came to be (Soulen & Souten, 2001) It has two important goals: First, to discover the original meaning of Uhe text in iby primitive or historical context and its literal sense or sensus eM MSIONEM. Second, (o establish a reconstruction of the historical situation of the author and recipients of the text. Historical criticism has two types, CXte/AAlEFIETCISM ATG iitey HTC ers) Historical criticism has its roots in the 17 century during (he Protestant Reformation and gained popular recognition in the 19" and 20" ceniurics (Ebeling, 1963). The absence of historical investigation paved the way for historical criticisin to rest on philosophical and theological interpretation. The passing of Lime has advanced historical criticism into various methodologies us: d today such as source 1 iticiam (which analyzes and studies the sources used by biblical authors), form crilicisin (which seeks to determine a unit's original form and historical contextof the literary (adition), redaction criticism (which regards the author of the text as editor of the source materials), (raditien criticism (which attempts to trace the developmental stages of the oral Wradition from its historical emerg nce to its literary presentation), canonical criticism (which focuses its interpretation of the bible on the text of biblical canon), and related inci hodoloyics (Soulen, 2001). There are two parts toa historical c ci mn. The first part is to determine the authenticity of the material, also called provenance of a source. The critic should determine the origin of the material, 1(s author, and the sources of information used, External eriticisn: is used ta determining these facts. The second part i fo weigh the testimony to the truth. Phe critic must examine the trustworthiness of the testimonies as well as determine the probab yof the statements to be true. This process is called internal criticism or higher criticism since it deals with more important matters than the external form. Externalleritigism determines the authenticity of the source. The authenticity of the material may be tested in two ways, by palaeopraphical (the deciphering and dating of historical manuscripts) and diplomatic criticism (critical anal of historical document to understand how the document came io be, the infor mation transmitted, and the relationships between the facts purported ity the document and the reality). The material must be investigated b. time and place it is written. The critic must determine whether the mater investigation is raw, meaning unaltered, and il exists exactly as the author lef vt don the funder READINGS IN PHILIPPINE HistoRYn every possible angle, as forgery was not unknoy, authenticity of the material can be examined fq same subject or written during the san, The content must be viewed i during the Middle Ages. The o sources having the other genuin! “ a eels agreementsand differences or disagreements of son, period. The similarities or serio! imil common details, such as the culture and traditions, and events during the po . a by which the document was made can be a basis for judging the authenticity the text. 2. MOMMANEEESMPABermines the historicity of the facts contained in thy document, It is not necessary to prove the authenticity of the material o document. However, the facts contained in the document must first be testeg before any conclusion pertaining to it can be admitted. In determining the value of the facts, the character of the sources, the knowledge of the author, ang the influences prevalent at the time of writing must be carefully investigated It must be ascertained first that the critic knows exactly what the author saig and that he/she understands the document from the standpoint of the author, Moreover, the facts given by the author or writer must be firmly established as having taken place exactly as reported. TESY OF AUTHENTICITY ‘Yo distinguish a hoax or a misrepresentation from a genuine document, the historian must use tests common in police and legal detection. Making the best guess of the date of the document, he/she examines the materials to see whether they are not anachronistic: paper was rare in Europe before the fifteenth century, and printing was unknown; pencils did not exist there before the 16 century; typewriting was not invented until the 19" century; and Indian papér came only at the end of that century. The historian also examines the inks for signs of age or of anachronistic chemical composition. Making the best guess of the possible author of the document, he/she sees if he/ she can identify the handwriting, signature, seal, letterhead, or watermark. Even when the handwriting is unfamiliar, it can be compared with authenticated specimens. One of the un(ulfilled needs of the historian is more of what the French call “isographies” or the dictionaries of biography giving examples of handwriting. For some period of history, 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. The disciplines of paleography and diplomatics were founded in 17 century by Dom Jean Mabillon, a French Benedictine monk and scholar of the Congregation of Saint Maur, Seals have been the subject special study by sigillographers, and experts can detect fake ones. Anachronistic styles Gdiom, orthography, or punctuation) can be detected by specialists who are familitt Contemporary writing. Often spelling particularly of proper names and signatures: revel forgery as would also unhistoric gramm ar, " READINGS In PuiLippINe HisTo™Anachronistic references to events (too carly or too late or too remoie) or the dating of a document at a time when the alleged writer could not possibly have been at the place designated (che alibi) uncovers fraud. Sometimes the skillful forger has all too carefully followed the best historical sources and his product becomes tuo obviously a copy in certain passages; by skillful paraphrase and invention, he/she is given away by the absence of trivia and otherwise unknown details from his/her manufactured account. However, usually if the document is where it ought to be (e.g, ina family’s archives, of in the governmental bureaw’s record) its provenance (custody, as the lawyers refer to it), creates a presumption of ils genuineness (Gottschalk, 1969).