Historiography of the New Testament
Mr Charlie Nicholls, Classics Teacher, led the recent Year 9 Athenaeum session focusing on the nature of the New Testament as a historical source. The students began by discussing what they thought the aim of the New Testament was, followed by possible objections to its authenticity as a source.
These objections were then explored alongside potential counterarguments. There was a consideration of what other sources of the time support the evidence, the motives of the New Testament authors, and the extent to which interpretations may have changed over time.
Mr Nicholls considered that even if a sceptic was satisfied as to many of the points above, the challenge of the miracle recorded in the New Testament—most notably the resurrection—would remain. Furthermore, given the nature of the Christian message, there would be present-day implications if such miracles were accepted as true.
Mr Cavendish noted that David Hume, the Enlightenment philosopher who wrote about his rejection of miracles, very much reflected the spirit of his time. He also remarked that many people’s objections to Marx’s theories of history were sometimes rooted more in his predictions about the future than in his analysis of the past.
In some senses, then, a text can live on and resonate in the present—whether divinely inspired or driven by materialism.
