Abstract:
It is my contention that some of the methods used by a significant portion
of Scholars of Religion – Biblical Scholars – are suspect. The following
paper criticises Biblical scholars’ use of the ‘Criteria of Authenticity’ in
studying Biblical texts, such as the Gospels. Objections to the Criteria
offered by various Biblical scholars, historians and philosophers are
considered, and it is concluded that methodologies revolving around the
Criteria should be reviewed and replaced. One alternative is Bayesian
reasoning, which is revealed to be already in use by historians, and which
makes the work of historians, Biblical scholars and academics in other
disciplines more transparent. A review of objections to Bayesian
methodology reveals them to be largely irrational. It is finally argued that
Bayesian reasoning could be useful in all academic disciplines, which
essentially must utilise and build on an existing knowledge base, in order
to formulate probabilistic hypotheses.
Key words: Criteria of Authenticity, Bayes’ Theorem, Bayesian
reasoning, Biblical scholars