Church Historiography: Meaning, Development, Features, and Criticism!

The study of how the history of the Christian Church has been written and interpreted over time is known as church historiography. It examines the methods, viewpoints, and theological biases that have influenced historical writing about the Church in addition to the factual documentation of events, organizations, and individuals in Church history. Church historiography reflects the shifting doctrinal, political, cultural, and social contexts in which Christian history has been documented, from the early patristic narratives of the Church Fathers to contemporary critical scholarship.

A major part of the UGC NET History syllabus covers historiography. In this article, we will examine the features of Church Historiography for the UGC NET History Exam. Each year, one or two questions are included in this section.

In this article the readers will be able to know about the following:

• What is Church Historiography?
• Development of Church Historiography
• Features of Church Historiography
• Criticism of Church Historiography
• Eusebius of Caesarea: Father of Church Historiography

Fig: church historiography

What is Church Historiography?

The study of historical texts about Christianity, which dates back to before the First Council of Nicaea in 325, is known as Church historiography. Christian history has been explored by historians using a range of sources and techniques.

The belief that world history is the result of divine intervention in human events was first established by Christian historiography in the fourth century and continued throughout the Middle Ages in the writings of historians like Bede. Early modern European historiography was inspired by humanism and the advanced secularisation of critical thought.

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The concept of time in Church historiography was stable. But with time, their views changed. 

• The pre-Christian tradition of writing history influenced historians to think of time as a quantifiable series. This shift in perspective made the ability to write history using chronology easy. 
• Connections with Byzantine Empire and the Arab world brought forth a variety of impacts that enhanced medieval European historiography.
• The past was seen as a temporal development corresponding to the earthly time. It led to a general tendency to arrange historical events in the order in which they occurred. 
• The Bible was viewed as a history of spiritual facets and a literal account of how the Christian religion developed. The Bible brought together the various books of the Christian past. It gave it a single history inside a historiographical framework merged with a unified system of symbolisms, combining tradition with history and representation. 

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Features of Church Historiography

The term providential historiography has been used to refer to Church historiography. It is different from Graeco-Roman history and is Universal and linear. It served as the foundation for account writing in medieval Europe. Christian authors dominated the field of historiography for eight hundred years.

• Christian historians created the concept of universal history. They depicted the universe's development from its beginning to the final judgment. 
• Christian historiographers introduced the chronological sequence of historical events. Christian history placed each event inside its chronological context. The incidents were listed in order of when they happened.
• Periodization was introduced to history by Christian historiographers. With Christ as the focal point, they separated history into two sections. The different occurrences are chronologies from the birth of Christ, backwards and forward- BC and AD.
• The first attempt to develop a connection between the Church and the State was made through Christian history. It influenced the Church's perspective on the government and politics. In his work, the City of God, St. Augustine portrayed the Church and the State as two intertwined cities.
• According to Church historiography, God's will guide the course of history. This notion steered Christian historical philosophy.
• According to Church historiography, the two's struggle defines how history will unfold. According to St. Augustine, historical research aims to follow the advancement of the tension between the Church and the State.

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Criticism of Church Historiography

Church historiography has had many flaws from the very beginning. 

• It had unquestioningly adopted the entire pre-Christian and Jewish history. So, it becomes quite challenging to believe the people and events recorded in the Gospel as accurate. 
• While revelation and Church historiography are closely intertwined, it might be hard to prove revelations in the past. It is a known fact that one can acquire knowledge through observation, intuition, and disclosure. 
• Knowledge gained through the latter two approaches cannot be referred to as historical knowledge since historical knowledge must be such that it can be pondered upon and resurrected in the historian's mind. 
• The difference between "holy" and "secular" history in Church historiography was harsh. It considered religious history sacred and secular history impure. It became so hostile to worldly deeds that it did not care to think them deserving of our attention. As a result, a sizable portion of human activity was left outside the purview of history. 
• Church historiography created a ring of fictional piety and authority about itself. It is the only branch of history to argue for immunity from critical analysis.

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Eusebius of Caesarea: Father of Church Historiography

A pioneering work from the 4th century, The Church History of Eusebius of Caesarea, provided a chronological narrative of the growth of Early Christianity starting in the 1st century. It was originally written in Koine Greek; Latin, Syriac, and Armenian manuscripts still exist today. Early in the fifth century, Theodoret of Cyrrhus, Syria, a bishop, and two advocates in Constantinople named Socrates Scholasticus and Sozomen wrote continuations of Eusebius' church history. They greatly influenced how history would be written for the next thousand years. The outcome was the first comprehensive historical account written from a Christian perspective.

The medieval chronicle was modelled after Eusebius' Chronicle. It aimed to present a comparison timeline of pagan and Old Testament history.

Eusebius used a variety of ecclesiastical monuments and documents, acts, and similar sources. He frequently quoted the originals at length, which included information that had yet to be preserved elsewhere. For instance, he claimed that Matthew wrote the Gospel of the Hebrews, and according to his Church Catalogue, it is the only Jewish Gospel. It has historical significance even though it makes no claims of completeness.

Even if the author didn't want it to be essentially so, it does a fair amount to defend Christianity. It also does not convey the history of the early Christian Church coherently or orderly. Eusebius has frequently been charged with intentionally faking the truth. He is not objective when judging people or things.

Conclusion

In St. Augustine's writings, the Christian understanding of history reached youth. The Church was made to look like the City of God and served as a warning against sin, injustice, immorality, and improper behaviour. Because their actual city was remote from Rome, the fall of Rome had no significance for the Christians. St. Augustine saw history as an eight-stage linear passage, with five stages in the past, one in the present, and two in the future when Christ will take on human form to rescue humanity. In light of this, the Christian perspective on historical change is described as "charismatic, linear, universal, and impersonal."

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Church Historiography Previous Year Questions

1. Arrange in chronological order the following schools of historiography:

Options. (a) Enlightenment Historiography

(b) Church Historiography
(c) Annales Historiography

(d) Subaltern Historiography

Options:
A. (a), (c), (d), (b)
B. (b), (c), (a), (d)
C. (b), (a), (c), (d) 
D. (a), (b), (d), (c)

Ans. C. (b), (a), (c), (d)