Verifying History

In this lecture His Holiness Pope Shenouda III addresses the subject investigating history, affirming that not everything narrated is a sound history, and that the researcher needs a precise method to distinguish facts from imagination, popular heritage and preaching.

Main idea

• The necessity of returning to original references from multiple sides and comparing opinions to avoid denominational bias or errors resulting from relying on a single reference.
• Emphasizing that doctrinal differences (such as the dispute over the two natures and the one nature) affect the narration of history and must be balanced during investigation.

Spiritual and educational dimension from a Coptic Orthodox perspective

• Preserving historical facts is important for the integrity of doctrine and the church; fictional stories or exaggerations in miracles, if not investigated, may distort the image of saints and rites.
• Faith does not preclude rational caution; rather faith should be united with a sound historical method: reading, comparing, analyzing, and citing Biblical verses where necessary.

Practical examples and topics requiring investigation

• The dispute over the positions of historical figures (such as the relationship of Saint Mark with Peter or Peter’s going to Rome) and one must research in Biblical evidence and ancient references.
• Criticism of the mĭāmir (hagiographies) and life-narratives of saints: distinguishing history from folklore, popular stories and imagination.
• Verification in liturgical records: who arranged the order of the agpeya and the psalms and prayers, and where came the liturgical pieces as we know them.

Position on miracles and extraordinary narratives

• There is no objection to recording miracles that are historically reasonable, but exaggerations and hundreds of undocumented miracles require critical investigation.
• A call for specialized committees to purify the narrative books and popular stories from imagination and present reliable historical accounts.

Conclusion and recommendation

• The student must not be satisfied with a single reference or the customary narration; rather they should study both sides, balance, compare, analyze, and cite the original texts, reason and logic.
• There is a need for specialists in the history of the church and rites to purify references, and to form a correct historical basis that preserves the heritage and does not distort it.

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