Academic Fail
September 19, 2012 at 3:24 am
(This post was last modified: September 19, 2012 at 3:26 am by FallentoReason.)
Although I'm studying engineering at uni, I've taken a class in ancient Greek and Roman history because it is a new requirement that we have to branch out and expand our horizons. Anyways, we finally covered the topic I was looking forward to all semester which was the rise of Christianity. Most of the material from that lecture I had already looked at from my own research and what not (which was actually reassuring being able to hear what I know but from a trustworthy, well... 'trustworthy' source.. we'll get to that in a second).
At the end of of that lecture I went to the front to discuss a little with my lecturer. I told him I didn't really have any questions to do with the lecture material but instead I was just wondering if it was possible to be a professional historian and a Christian at the same time. "Well, yes. I'm both actually" he said. I found this to be a little surprising and unexpected, but I went into what I was going to say anyways (I thought he wouldn't have been a Christian). I asked him if it's true that Irenaeus was the first church father to quote the Gospels by name (185A.D.). He agreed. Then I asked how we can actually know then that e.g. the Gospel of Matthew was written by Matthew if the connection is so weak. He said "well, the person's name doesn't matter. I have no doubt though that the author shook hands with Jesus at some stage". Then we talked a little more and the thing about the Synoptics came up. Even before I said anything, he himself admitted that the evidence is there to show that Mark preceded Matthew and Luke and that M & L most likely used Mark. I hesitated for a second and then asked the usual question that makes me facepalm, "if Matthew is dependent on Mark, then what makes you think Matthew, a witness, wrote his own Gospel"? His eyes gave it all away really, but he proceeded to answer by saying "it doesn't matter who wrote the Gospel, as long as it is what Matthew believed really happened".
I was amazed that a university lecturer had to resort to moving the goal posts... My engineering mind begs for the absolute answers to all of this, but when I get people being intellectually dishonest I get frustrated to no end.
p.s. I guess he also indirectly answered my first question. No, you can't be an [honest] historian while being a Christian.
/vent
At the end of of that lecture I went to the front to discuss a little with my lecturer. I told him I didn't really have any questions to do with the lecture material but instead I was just wondering if it was possible to be a professional historian and a Christian at the same time. "Well, yes. I'm both actually" he said. I found this to be a little surprising and unexpected, but I went into what I was going to say anyways (I thought he wouldn't have been a Christian). I asked him if it's true that Irenaeus was the first church father to quote the Gospels by name (185A.D.). He agreed. Then I asked how we can actually know then that e.g. the Gospel of Matthew was written by Matthew if the connection is so weak. He said "well, the person's name doesn't matter. I have no doubt though that the author shook hands with Jesus at some stage". Then we talked a little more and the thing about the Synoptics came up. Even before I said anything, he himself admitted that the evidence is there to show that Mark preceded Matthew and Luke and that M & L most likely used Mark. I hesitated for a second and then asked the usual question that makes me facepalm, "if Matthew is dependent on Mark, then what makes you think Matthew, a witness, wrote his own Gospel"? His eyes gave it all away really, but he proceeded to answer by saying "it doesn't matter who wrote the Gospel, as long as it is what Matthew believed really happened".
I was amazed that a university lecturer had to resort to moving the goal posts... My engineering mind begs for the absolute answers to all of this, but when I get people being intellectually dishonest I get frustrated to no end.
p.s. I guess he also indirectly answered my first question. No, you can't be an [honest] historian while being a Christian.
/vent
"It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it" ~ Aristotle
