: H IS T O R Y : IN T RO D U C T I O N

MAIN T O P I C 1
O U R C E S A N D C R I TI C I S M S
HISTOR IC A L S

LESSON 2 : H I S T ORI C A L
CRITICISMS
LESSON 2: HISTORICAL CRITICISMS
It is a branch of
criticism that
investigates the origin
of text or source in
order to understand the
word behind the text.
 LESSON 2: HISTORICAL CRITICISMS

It tries to understand the text’s *Who wrote it?

meaning in its original context * When was it written?
* What else what
happening at the time
It seeks greater understanding of the of its writing?
text. * How did it come to
be in the form we have
it today?
It seeks establish a reconstruction of
historical situation of the author and
* What did it mean to
recipients of the text. the people who first
read or heard it?
GOALS OF
HISTORICAL Discover the text primitive or original *Authorial intent
historical context.
CRITICISMS
LESSON 2: HISTORICAL CRITICISMS

Types of
LESSON 2: HISTORICAL CRITICISMS
 This type of criticisms
Types of looks for the obvious sign
of forgery or
misrepresentation.
 It is interested in the
writing styles of the
eyewitness and his
ignorance of the facts.
 The historian also
analyzes the original
manuscript ; its integrity,
localization and the date
it was written.
 LESSON 2: HISTORICAL CRITICISMS
TEST OF AUTHENTICITY
Anachronism To determine the author’s
means out of time
handwriting, signature or seal.
or order,
something that
could not have
been there at that To determine the date of
particular time. document to see whether it is
anachronistic.
 It helps us test the reliability of a source.
 LESSON 2: HISTORICAL CRITICISMS

TEST OF AUTHENTICITY
OBVIOUS SIGN OF
FORGERY To determine the author’s
 patch writing handwriting, signature or
 hesitation as revealed seal.
by ink blobs,
 pauses in the writing
 tremor causing poor To determine the date of
line quality document to see whether it is
 erasures anachronistic.
 LESSON 2: HISTORICAL CRITICISMS

TEST OF AUTHENTICITY
Orthography is a set of
conventions for writing
a language. It includes
norms of spelling,
hyphenation, By looking for the
capitalization, word anachronistic style.
breaks, emphasis and
punctuation.
 LESSON 2: HISTORICAL CRITICISMS

TEST OF AUTHENTICITY
Orthography is a set of The anachronistic
conventions for writing reference to events.
a language. It includes
norms of spelling,
hyphenation, By looking for the
capitalization, word anachronistic style.
breaks, emphasis and
punctuation.
 LESSON 2: HISTORICAL CRITICISMS
TEST OF
AUTHENTICITY The provenance or
custody of the document.
Provenance
 Who wrote it?
is the place of  Why was it written?
origin of earliest  What is it?
known history.  Where was it produced?
 When was it produced?
 LESSON 2: HISTORICAL CRITICISMS

Semantics &
Hermeneutics
TEST OF
AUTHENTICITY
The provenance or
custody of the document.
 LESSON 2: HISTORICAL CRITICISMS

Hermeneutics on the other

hand is theory and
methodology of
TEST OF interpretation.
AUTHENTICITY
Semantics is the linguistic
study of meaning.
LESSON 2: HISTORICAL CRITICISMS

 This type of criticism

Types of looks for deeper or
more intense study of
sources.
 It refers to the accuracy
of the content of the
document.
 It investigates the
content or substance of
a document and the
author’s point of view.
 LESSON 2: HISTORICAL CRITICISMS
 Author of the
Types of source, it’s context,
the agenda behind
it’s creation, the
knowledge which
informed it and it’s
intended purpose.

… the use of unverified, falsified and untruthful historical

sources can lead to equally false conclusions.
 LESSON 2: HISTORICAL CRITICISMS

Ability to tell the

truth.
ITY
EDI OF
BIL
T
TES

Determine the
approximate date.
CR

Identification of the
author.
 LESSON 2: HISTORICAL CRITICISMS

ITY Ability to tell the

EDI OF

truth.
BIL
T
TES

 Examine how near an eyewitness to the event

CR

 The competence of the eyewitness.

 The degree of the attention of the eyewitness.
 LESSON 2: HISTORICAL CRITICISMS

ITY Look for

corroboration.
EDI OF
BIL

 independent testimony of two or more

T
TES

reliable sources.
CR

Willingness to tell
the truth.