LESSON 1 Historical Data- are sourced from the artifacts

HISTORY that have been left by the past.

-“historia” = Greek word, learning by inquiry - Relics of remains or the testimonies of
- Aristotle- systematic accounting of a set of witnesses
natural phenomena - A source is an object from the past or a
-knowledge is derived through conducting a testimony concerning the past on which
process of scientific investigation of past events historian depend to create their own
depiction of the past.
2 theories of investigating history - Ex. Relics (potsherd, coin, ruin,
- Factual history- present readers the manuscript, book, portrait, stamp etc.)
plain and basic information (what, - Testimonies of witnesses, whether oral
when, who) or written
- Speculative history-goes beyond facts ( Ex. Record of the property exchange,
why and how) speeches, commentaries
-cause and effect of the event
Historians- people who studies or write about Historian deal with the following:
history -Dynamic or genetic- the becoming
Historiography- the practice of historical -Static- the being
writing, traditional method in doing historical -Interpretative- explains why and how it
research happened
-Descriptive- tell what, when, who,
The limitations of Historical knowledge where it happened
-History-as-actuality- whole history of the past
-history-as-record- history through surviving Written sources of history
records 1. Narrative or literature –
-“incompleteness” of the “object” that historian chronicles or tracts presented
studies in narrative form
- Scientific tract- typically composed in
History as the subjective process of re-creation order to inform contemporaries
-Verisimilitude- the aim of the historian - Newspaper –may shape opinion
Means the truth, authenticity, plausibility - Ego document or personal narrative –
(memoir) to persuade readers
Historical method and historiography - Novel or film- to entertain, to deliver
-Historical method- the process of critically moral teachings
examining and analyzing the records and - Biography- in praise of the subject’s
survival of the past worth and achievements
- Panegyric – a public speech or
-Historiography- the imaginative construction of published text
the past from the data derived by that process - Hagiography- the writing of the lives of
the saints
-Historical analysis- a. select the subject to 2. Diplomatic sources- those
investigate, b. collect probable sources of which document/record an
information on the subject, c. examine the existing legal situation or create
sources genuineness, in part of in whole, d. new one
extract credible “particulars” from the sources - “best” source
- Charter- classic diplomatic source , legal
Lesson 2 instrument
- Formal properties
 - Sealed or authenticated
3. Social documents- are 2 historical criticisms
information pertaining to 1. External critiscm
economic, social, political, or 2. Internal criticism –
judicial significance
- Ex. Government report, municipal Historical criticism starts on 17th century
accounts, research findings etc. during the protestant reformation and
gained popular recognition in the 19th and
Non- written sources of History 20th century.
1. Material evidence – known as the
archaeological evidence The passing of time has advanced historical
Ex. Pottery, jewelry, dwellings, graves and criticism into various methodologies used
churches, roads, etc. today such as
2. Oral evidence- much are told by “tales - source criticism – analyzes and studies
or sagas of ancient people and folk the sources used by biblical authors,
songs or popular rituals. interview - form criticism- seeks to determine a
(present age) unit’s original form and historical
context of the literary tradition,
Primary vs. Secondary sources - redaction criticism- regards the authors
Primary sources of the text as editor of the source
-original, first-hand account materials
-original, factual - tradition criticism – attempts to trace
Ex. Diaries, journals, letters, newspapers, the developmental changes stages of
magazine, government records, photographs, the oral tradition from its historical
maps, postcard, posters, recorded or emergence
transcribed speeches, interviews - canonical criticism- which focuses its
interpretation of the bible on the text
Secondary sources biblical canon
-materials made by people long after the events
being described had taken place to provide 2 parts of Historical criticism
valuable interpretations of historical events. 1. Determine the authenticity of the
Ex. Biographies, histories, literary criticism, material, also called provenance of a
books written by a third party about historical source .
event etc. -the critic should determine the origin
of the material, its author, and the
Lesson 3 sources of information used. External
Historical criticism examines the origins of criticism is used in determining these
earliest text to appreciate the underlying facts.
circumstances upon which the text came to be. 2. Weight the testimony to the truth. The critic
must examine the trustworthiness of the
2 important goals testimonies as well as determine the probability
1. To discover the original meaning of the of the statements to be true.
text in its primitive or historical context - The process is called internal criticism or
and its literal sense or sensus literalis higher criticism since it deals with more
historicus important matters than the external form.
2. To establish a reconstruction of the
historical situation of the author and 1. External criticism – determines the
recipients of the text. authenticity of the material may be
 tested in two ways, by paleographical Anachronistic styles- (idiom, orthography)
(the deciphering and dating of historical can be detected by specialists who are
manuscripts) diplomatic criticism familiar with contemporary writing
(critical analysis of historical document
to understood how the document came Anachronistic references to events ( to
to be. early, to late) or the dating of the document
-the material must be tested based on at the time when alleged writer could have
the place and time it is written been at the place (alibi) uncover fraud
-the material must be determined if the - Sometimes skillful forger has all too
material is raw carefully followed the best historical
- Content must be viewed every sources and his product becomes too
possible angle, as forgery was not obviously a copy of a certain passage.
unknown during middle ages - Skillful paraphrase and invention he is
given away by the absence of trivia and
2. Internal criticism- determines the otherwise unknown details from his
historicity of the facts contained in the manufactured account
document. - Provenance- creates presumption of its
- The character of the sources, the genuineness.
knowledge of the author , and
influences prevalent at that time of
writing must be carefully investigated.

TEST OF AUTHENTICITY
Anachronistic- to distinguish a hoax or a
misrepresentation from a genuine
document

15th century- paper was rare and printing

was unknown
16th century- pencils did not exist
19th- typewriting was not invented

Isographies- dictionaries of biography giving

examples of hand writing

Paleography and diplomatics- have long

known that in certain regions at certain
times handwriting and the style and form of
official documents were conventionalized.

-Found in 17th century by Dom Jean

Mabillon- French monk

Seals –the subject of special study by

sigillographers, and experts