The Rise of the Historical Consciousness

1
The Rise of the Historical Consciousness

• The Enlightenment Challenge to Biblical
  Interpretation

2
Historical Consciousness

• The awareness that all human phenomena are
  particular, defined in themselves by the
  particular time, place and circumstances by which
  they are constituted and circumscribed. Ernst
  Troeltsch

3
Consequences for Understanding Texts

• Content of text shaped by ancient context
• Cultural
• Economic
• Political
• Social
• Influence of authors pre-suppositions
• Patterns of speech
• Ways of thinking

• Meaning shaped by contemporary readers context
• Cultural
• Economic
• Political
• Social
• Influence of readers pre-suppositions
• Patterns of speech
• Ways of thinking

Authors consciousness ? Readers consciousness
4
The Nature ofHistorical Research
5
Historical Research Depends upon Testimony

• Testimony
• Interpreted witness (even material artifacts)
• Requires further interpretation
• Historians interpret testimony
• Presuppositions influence interpretation
• Nature and extent of testimony (texts,
  inscriptions, material artifacts, etc.)
  influences interpretation

6
Objective ofHistorical Research

• Objective is most probable (not certain)
  reconstruction of the past
• I.e., an hypothesis
• Usually a broad outline with some illustrative
  details

7
Reading Historical Research

• Readers of reconstruction add yet another
  interpretive layer