Chronicle-writing conventions masked authors’ failure to explain events theologically

Evidence

But as skepticism about the source of inspiration thought of as communication led to a questioning of the idea that the scriptures were divinely given, a concern with their historical authenticity—with true origins—became increasingly urgent. If God did not directly inspire the Gospels, then Christian belief demanded that at least the accounts of Jesus they contained should be “reliable,” because only then would they guarantee the life and death of Christ in this world, and thus bear witness to the truth of the Incarnation. — Talal Asad, Formations of the Secular, 194 (#corroborates, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Doubting scripture’s divine authorship shifted Christian concern onto historical reliability — Talal Asad, Formations of the Secular:…, 194; Theologians’ claims mislead text-driven scholars about actual religion-politics separation; Polemical texts selectively omit events that contradict their argument — Norman Daniel, Islam and the West, 531 (+1 more)

Broader Connections

• Doubting scripture’s divine authorship shifted Christian concern onto historical reliability #corroborates (0.95) — Talal Asad, Formations of the Secular, 194
• Theologians’ claims mislead text-driven scholars about actual religion-politics separation #complicates (0.95)