Discuss the criteria scholars use to test the authenticity of a Gospel tradition. What is the logic behind each? Choose one or two examples from the Gospels and apply the criteria to them.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The Answer is The criterion of independent attestation states that stories that appear in multiple sources that are independent of one another are more likely to be historically reliable. For example, several sources attest to Jesus' association with John the Baptist, that Jesus had a brother named James, and that Jesus taught in parables. These traditions, therefore, are likely historically reliable. The criterion of dissimilarity states that a story that goes against the Christian agenda is likely to be historically reliable, because it is unlikely that Christians would fabricate a story that worked against their beliefs. For example, all of the following pass the criterion of dissimilarity: Jesus' baptism, his betrayal by Judas, and his crucifixion. The criterion of contextual credibility states that any story that cannot plausibly be placed within a first-century Palestinian setting is not historically reliable. For example, Jesus' encounters with Nicodemus and the Samaritan woman in the Gospel of John depend on a verbal misunderstanding in Greek, but Jesus and his followers spoke Aramaic. These stories, therefore, are not contextually credible and are not reliable traditions about the historical Jesus.

Discuss the Criteria Scholars Use to Test the Authenticity of a Gospel