HISTORICAL METHOD
● The process of critically examining and analyzing the records and survivals of
the past.
● Uses Historical Criticism to evaluate historical sources
IMPORTANCE OF HISTORICAL METHOD
1. Finding solutions for contemporary problems: Enables us to form
solutions to contemporary problems by seeking verisimilar information in the
present in to the past
2. Understanding the trends for present and future: Throws light on the
trends today and gives prediction on what might happen
3. Understanding importance and repercussions found in cultures:
Stresses the relative importance and the effects of the various interactions
that are to be found within all cultures.
4. Re-evaluation of presented historical data and facts: Every information
presented before is reevaluated in relation to selected hypotheses, and
generalizations that aim to shed new light or verified information.
HISTORICAL CRITICISM
● Evaluation of documents or different accounts
Aim:
1. Find out whether a document or idea is acceptable as authentic or not
2. Eliminate errors and to know the truth
EVALUATION OF HITORICAL SOURCES
1. CREDIBILITY - defined as "the quality or power of inspiring belief". Credible
sources, therefore, must be reliable sources that provide information that one
can believe to be true.
2. AUTHENTICITY - refers to the proven fact that something is legitimate or real
3. PROVENANCE - refers to the sources of information, such as entities and
processes, involved in producing or delivering an artifact
EXTERNAL CRITICISM
● also known as LOWER CRITICISM
● authenticates evidence and establishes texts in the most accurate possible
form
● identify the genuineness of a document
● involves authorship and textual circumstances
● who wrote the document?
● When was the document written?
● Where was the document written?
● For what purpose was the document written?
● Under what conditions was the document written?
EXTERNAL CRITICISM: TESTS OF AUTHENTICITY
1. Anachronistic Document Date - determining the date of the document to
see whether they are anachronistic (i.e. being out of time)
2. Author - determining the author's manuscript (handwriting), which includes
signature and seals
3. Anachronistic Style - determining whether the idiom, orthography
(conventional spelling), or punctuation is anachronistic
4. Anachronistic Event Reference - determining whether the event mentioned
is too early, too late, or too remote/distant
5. Provenance or Custody - determining its genuineness
6. Semantics - determining the meaning of the text, phrase, sentence, or word
7. Hermeneutics - determining the ambiguity (i.e. open to more than one (1)
interpretation: vague)
INTERNAL CRITICISM
- Is the real meaning of the statement difference from its literal meaning?
- How did the author report?
- Are there inner contradiction in the document?
- Does the document contain bias of any sort?
● also known as HIGHER CRITICISM
● looks within the data itself to try to determine the truth facts and the
reasonable interpretation
● refers to the accuracy of the contents within a document
● trustworthiness
● veracity
INTERNAL CRITICISM: TEST OF CREDIBILITY
1. Author's Identification - determining the author's reliability, mental
processes, personal attitude, and relationships
2. Date Approximation - determining the event's date that must be verisimilar,
if not exact, to the actual date
3. Ability to Tell the Truth - determining the witness' nearness to the event,
competence, and degree of attention to attain verisimilar facts.
4. Willingness to Tell the Truth - determining if the author consciously or
unconsciously tells falsehoods
5. Corroboration - determining if the piece of information receives, supports,
orconfirms a theory or finding, usually referring to historical facts
IMPORTANCE OF INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL CRITICISM
● Use of unverified, falsified, and untruthful historical sources can lead to
equally false conclusions
● Without thorough criticisms of historical evidences, historical deception and
lies will be highly probable
● TO AVOID HISTORICAL DISTORTION
CONTENT AND CONTEXTUAL ANALYSIS
CONTENT VS. CONTEXT
CONTENT CONTEXT
● The material given to us that ● The given interpretation of the
is left for interpretation content
● The subjects or topics covered ● The parts of a discourse that
in a book or document surround a word or passage
and can throw light on its
meaning
● The matter dealt within a field ● The interrelated conditions in
of study which something exists or
occurs
CONTENT ANALYSIS VS. CONTEXT ANALYSIS
CONTENT ANALYSIS CONTEXT ANALYSIS
● A systematic evaluation of ● It considers specifically the time,
the primary source that place, situation where the
enable an individual to primary sources were written.
present and develop an The analysis as well includes the
argument based on his author’s background, authority on
understanding of the the subject and intent, and its
evidences from his relevance and meaning to people
readings and society today
Things to Consider when doing Things to Consider when doing Context
Content Analysis: Analysis
● Main Idea of the Document ● Background of the Event
● Specific Information ● Background of the Author
● Author’s Intention/Purpose
● Relevance/Contribution to the
Present Times
THE AUTHOR’S PERSPECTIVE
The author’s perspective consists of the background, point of view, argument and
attitude.
● The author’s background consists of the author’s early life, his educational
attainment, and the kind of environment he or she grew up with.
● The point-of-view is the way how the author addresses the content to the
reader. It can be first- person, second-person, or third-person
● The author also expresses his or her content with an argument in mind. This
is the main theme the author intends for the readers to see his or her side of
the story
● The author’s attitude reflects the tone or mood of the material at hand. It
reflects the current situation in the material at the time of its conception, or the
current emotions the author was feeling when he made the material