Faith, Reason and Theology on Biblical Historicity

• Main Author: Francisco Varo Pineda
• Format: Article
• Language: Spanish
• Published: Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana 2019-10-01
• Series: Cuestiones Teológicas
• Subjects: historia de israel; antiguo testamento; jesús histórico; nuevo testamento; interpretación bíblica.
• Online Access: https://revistas.upb.edu.co/index.php/cuestiones/article/view/9231

Research regarding historical background and literary composition of biblical writings during the last decades has followed an independent path and has been done outside of theology. The methodologies used within the academic world and the results reached so far, pose challenges to theologians and clergymen regarding the identification of the actual achievements and limitations of such researches. Bearing this in mind, the article presents some considerations regarding the findings of those researches in order to outline some practical recommendations for biblical research and the teaching of theology. After reviewing the contributions of the most relevant researchers of “independent histories” of ancient Israel and those that could be labeled as the “third search” for historical Jesus, the emergence of some agreements is established, as well as the limitations of some methodological assumptions that, by accepting only what common human experience could prove, exclude some higher-order realities or present Jesus as a figure that cannot be either Christ or son of God. The conclusion is that a reasonable balanced should be encouraged. On the one hand, a healthy openness towards the possibility that some events have taken place that, because of their own nature, cannot be proved empirically. On the other, preventing to present as facts what are literal readings of the biblical writing.