INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL CRITICISM

External Criticism

 Sometimes called as "lower criticism"

 Practice of verifying the authenticity of evidence by examining its physical characteristics:
consistency with the historical characteristics of time when it was produced; and the materials
used for the evidence
o Example of the things that will be examined when conducting external criticism of a
document include the quality of the paper, the type of ink, and the language and words
used in the material
 Form and appearance
 Textual circumstances such as time, place, and purpose
 To determine the validity of document
 Originality and accuracy of copy
 If errors are found, it helps assess the nature
 Determining authorship, date, and the trustworthiness of a document or source by
understanding principles that guide external criticism and being well aware of advancements in
related fields

The following questions have been given as covering matters falling under external criticism:

1. Who was the author, not merely what was his name but what were his personality, character,
position and so forth?
2. What were his general qualifications as a reporter-alertness, character, bias?
3. What were his special qualifications and disqualifications as a reporter of the matters here
treated?

a. How was he interested in the event related?

b. How was he situated for observation of the facts?

 c. Had he added the necessary general and technical knowledge for learning and reporting the
events?

4. How soon after the events was the document written? For on purpose the century of composition
may be sufficient; for another, the very hour may be essential.

5. How was the document written. from memory, after consultation with others, after checking the facts,
or by combining earlier trial drafts?

6. How is the document relator to other documents?

a. Is it original source: wholly or in part?

b. If the latter, what parts are original: what borrowed; whence? How credible are the borrowed
materials?

c. How and how accurately is the borrowing done?

d. How is the borrowed material changed; how used?

Internal Criticism

 Sometimes called as "higher criticism"

 The meaning and trustworthiness of the contents/evidence of the documents
 Looks at the content of the source and examines the circumstance of its production
 Looks at truthfulness and factuality of the evidence by looking at the author of the source, its
context, the agenda behind its creation, the knowledge which informed it, and its intended
purposes.
 Validating historical resources is important because the use of unverified, falsified. and
untruthful historical sources can lead to equally false conclusion
 May be carried on positively or negatively, the first being the approach of discovering the real
meaning of the text and the second that approach with a view to find reasons for disbelieving
what the document says thus putting to question the author's good faith, motive, competence,
accuracy and even his knowledge on the subject covered.

Questions to ask to assure the value and worth of conclusions about a document:

1. Who was the author?

2. Is the connection between him and the document a natural and plausible one?

3. Is the subject one with which he could be expected to have some degree of familiarity?

4. Could he have been in the place indicated at the time indicated?

5. Was the information given in the document original with him, or did he copy it from someone else?

6. Are the statements made in the document consistent with known level of intelligence, education,
experience, and individual temperament of the purported writer?

Additional tests suggested to choose the more reliable document or statement in case there are more
than one, are:

1. Are they independent observations?

2. Are they made by the different persons?

3. Are these observations belonging to different groups with varying affiliations?

4. Are these observations secured while operating under different conditions?