Fundamental Key Field in any Relational (Factual) Database
for Christian Origins are the extant texts themselves
Forget Jesus, Marcion, Tertullian, Eusebius, Paul, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Epiphanius, Origen and the host of hypothetical historical identities involved in the received tradition of Christian history. They are hypothetical identities with no real guarantee of being historically factual. Stuff that has a much greater guarantee of being factual are the physical archeological primary sources of evidence from antiquity. This includes the extant manuscripts which we have before our eyes in the 21st century.
IMHO it is true that:
In order to approach the texts themselves they need to be classified into meaningful groups. Hence:
PROPOSITION: THERE ARE THREE MAJOR CLASSES OF CHRISTIAN LITERATURE
1) NTC (canonical)
2) NTA (apocryphal)
3) EH (stuff from the "Fathers")
As a result some assumptions could be made:
It seems reasonable to assume that a group, community or communities produced the NTC sometime in the early centuries of antiquity. This bunch of authors may be called Group 1
It also seems reasonable to assume that another group, community or communities produced the NTA sometime in the early centuries of antiquity. This bunch of authors may be called Group 2
It also seems reasonable to assume that yet another group, community or communities (this one within the church itself) produced the EH (materials of Ecclesiastical History as defined above) from Eusebius in the 4th century and his continuators in the following centuries. This bunch of authors may be called Group 3.
If these above assumptions are true then there are some implications:
a) Authors in Groups 1, 2 and 3 are probably distinct to their group and do not overlap into other groups.
b) Most scholarship (but not all) assume Group 1 wrote first, Group 2 wrote afterwards and that Group 3 wrote last and longest.
c) Group 3 referred to Group 1 as the Evangelists and to Group 2 as the heretics.
d) The earliest extant (physical) manuscripts:
for Christian Origins are the extant texts themselves
Forget Jesus, Marcion, Tertullian, Eusebius, Paul, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Epiphanius, Origen and the host of hypothetical historical identities involved in the received tradition of Christian history. They are hypothetical identities with no real guarantee of being historically factual. Stuff that has a much greater guarantee of being factual are the physical archeological primary sources of evidence from antiquity. This includes the extant manuscripts which we have before our eyes in the 21st century.
IMHO it is true that:
- "Apart from archaeological evidence,
the only facts we can attain are the texts.
We must therefore reason about the texts that relate facts,
not about the facts related by the texts."
From Christianity to Gnosis and from Gnosis to Christianity
~ Jean Magne (1993)
https://archive.org/details/fromchristianity0000magn
In order to approach the texts themselves they need to be classified into meaningful groups. Hence:
PROPOSITION: THERE ARE THREE MAJOR CLASSES OF CHRISTIAN LITERATURE
1) NTC (canonical)
2) NTA (apocryphal)
3) EH (stuff from the "Fathers")
As a result some assumptions could be made:
It seems reasonable to assume that a group, community or communities produced the NTC sometime in the early centuries of antiquity. This bunch of authors may be called Group 1
It also seems reasonable to assume that another group, community or communities produced the NTA sometime in the early centuries of antiquity. This bunch of authors may be called Group 2
It also seems reasonable to assume that yet another group, community or communities (this one within the church itself) produced the EH (materials of Ecclesiastical History as defined above) from Eusebius in the 4th century and his continuators in the following centuries. This bunch of authors may be called Group 3.
If these above assumptions are true then there are some implications:
a) Authors in Groups 1, 2 and 3 are probably distinct to their group and do not overlap into other groups.
b) Most scholarship (but not all) assume Group 1 wrote first, Group 2 wrote afterwards and that Group 3 wrote last and longest.
c) Group 3 referred to Group 1 as the Evangelists and to Group 2 as the heretics.
d) The earliest extant (physical) manuscripts:
- from Group 1 are from the 3rd/4th century.
- from Group 2 are from the 3rd/4th century.
- from Group 3 are from the 9th-15th centuries.
Statistics: Posted by Leucius Charinus — Tue May 07, 2024 4:32 am