Historicity (Bible Studies)
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Historicity refers to the historical authenticity of a person, event, or place. Particularly in the field of Biblical studies, beginning in the 19th century with the German academics, there has been a movement of scholars and academics who question the historical genuineness of such figures as Adam and Jesus, and events such as the Flood. In fact, this critical attitude towards Biblical sources is an extension of historical criticism, which began, in the West, during the Renaissance as scholars started to question and then reject the more fabulous reports contained in Classical histories.
Not to be confused with the distinct term Historicism used in Continental philosophy to refer to the historical aspect of phenomena.
[edit] Famous Debates
Many of the greatest debates over the historicity of certain historical or mythical figures have been settled (or at least greatly altered) by archeology. Most famously, the amateur archeologist Heinrich Schliemann dug up what he claimed were the ruins of Troy, the city which features in the Iliad and which scholars contemporary to Schliemann had dismissed as nothing more than a myth. The site is now accepted as that of Troy, although archeologists have bewailed Schliemann's careless destruction of the upper layers of the site in his haste to reveal the stone foundations beneath.
One of the great unresolved debates is the academic argument surrounding the historicity of Jesus of Nazareth. While the historicity of Jesus was unquestioned for almost a millennium in Christendom, the academic community is not Christendom. Historians have taken a variety of positions regarding the facticity, authenticity, and interpretation of the primary and secondary sources used to confirm or deny his historicity. Few figures in Western culture have been fought over as ardently as Jesus, and each party in these battles has shaped Jesus according to their views; Thomas Jefferson, for example, promulgated a version of the New Testament from which the miracles had been expunged. Some of the earliest Christian sects (brutally suppressed as heresies by the ruling Church authorities), held that Jesus, though real, was a purely spiritual being who had never existed in human form. In the 18th century, scholarship began to develop which questioned the existence of Jesus entirely. Much attention has been directed towards Paul's statements about Christ, while others point to the late dates of Gospel texts and the lack of corroborating evidence.
The historicity of Atlantis is another great debate, cherished by amateurs and professionals alike. Several archeological sites have been proposed as sites for Atlantis by those who believe it to be a historical location.
