SUBJECT - CHURCH HISTORY // UNIT - 1 // LESSON - 1 // WHAT IS HISTORY //

 UNIT - 1  - WHAT IS CHURCH HISTORY?

Introduction

Man, by nature is characteristically curious about his past. Thus, every man, tribe, country and nation (humanity: past or present), has a history. Most African cultures attach much value to one’s past. Consequently, individuals or group of people or communities are often rated by the track records of their past. In the same vein, the place for history in Christian faith cannot be overemphasized. This is because the foundation of the Christian faith, according to Earle E. Cairns, is rooted in the history of God becoming man, who lived in time and space in the person of Jesus Christ1. Christianity therefore, counts much on spiritual ancestry as a candid pillar that stands out for a guide on what to hold unto or on what to avoid. The history of our past heroes of faith has gone a long way to inspire, influence and shape the contextualization of our Christian faith today. As it goes without saying it, that people are often affected (either positively or negatively), by the good and or evil past people or events.

LESSON - 1 WHAT IS HISTORY?

The French equivalent for the English word history, is “historie” while its German equivalence is “Geschichte,” both means ‘to happen’. Thus, history is what happened but not the process or the product of what happened. Simply put, history is an incidence, and an actual event in time and space as a result of human action(s) or inaction(s). Such incidence is usually an absolute and objective fact. In otherwords, history cannot be exactly repeated later in another place, although, there could be parallel and identical incidence due to people behaving in similar way at different times and places.

Another way to look at the concept of history is to see it as the information that one gets about an incident (that does exist in the present), through the historian’s research and reflections. History does not study what people failed to do or did not do. To a very large extent, history is the description of what, when, why, and where of any data, that the historian wants to understand, (often times), from the available information. This suggests that history is the interpretation of the past in the light of data gathered. In this sense, history is the subjective reconstruction of the past in the light of the data that is accessible to the historian at the present. No historian can claim the knowledge of absolute truth about the past but rather all historians possess to a very large extent, an objective and impartial truth about the past. In this light therefore, history can be defined as the event, or incident, inquiry or process and product; or information occurring only once in time and space. History as an event, is absolute while on the other hand, history as inquiry and interpretation is relative, therefore it can vary in time.

In addition, history is the reconstitution by those and for those who are living of the lives of those who are dead. History is the written or unwritten narratives consisting of a continuous methodical record in order of time of importance of public event, especially those concerned with a particular country, people, individual and institutions. The elements that constitute history are not exhaustive. In other words, it is difficult for one to produce a comprehensive, systematic and universally accepted taxonomy of the scope of history. This is because, different people approach the definition of history differently. For instance, Galbraith approached the definition of history from scientific point of view. This is in line with Hillary C. Achunike’s opinion that history is a hybrid of science and government. Just as Marc Bloch also argued that history is the science of man in time. By science, they mean the body of knowledge that seeks to tell the truth3. To some extent, history is scientific. History can be defined as the interpreted records of the socially significant human past and sources.

A biblical perspective shows that, history has two sides: the divine and human actors. The former presents history as a God’s revelation in order of time including His successive unfolding of His infinite wisdom, justice, mercy for His glory and eternal happiness of mankind. The latter (i.e. humanly speaking), sees history as the biography of human race and the gradual development (including the normal and abnormal) of the physical intellectual and moral forces to find consummation of general judgment with its eternal reward and punishments.

Succinctly put, history is:

i.                    The reconstruction and interpretation of past events or incidences.

ii.                  History is information about an incident. (Comes from the Attic Greek word historeo which meant to learn by inquiry or investigation)

iii.                The process of objective inquiring into the past that may involve rigorous research, source criticisms while striving to change myths and legends as well as find data about the past.

iv.                The accumulated body of knowledge of the past based on the historian’s interpretation(s) of material or non material evidences available in document or otherwise.

v.                   The knowledge of the significant aspects of our past that is made accessible to the historian.

vi.                History as an event is absolute, occurring only once in time and space; but history as information, inquiry and interpretation is relative and subject to change.

vii.              History may be defined as the interpreted record of the socially significant human past, based on organized data collected by the scientific method from archaeological, literary, or living sources.