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Criterion of multiple attestation


The criterion of multiple attestation or independent attestation is a tool used by Biblical scholars to help determine whether certain actions or sayings by Jesus in the New Testament are from Historical Jesus. Simply put, the more independent witnesses that report an event or saying, the better. See Criteria of authenticity and the Historical Jesus.

The gospels are not always independent of each other. Matthew and Luke, for example, are likely dependent on Mark. The criterion of multiple attestation focuses on the sayings or deeds of Jesus that are attested to in more than one independent literary source such as Apostle Paul, Josephus, Q and/or the Gospel of the Hebrews. The force of this criterion is increased if a given motif or theme is also found in different literary forms such as parables, dispute stories, miracle stories, prophecy, and/or aphorism.

Multiple attestation has a certain kind of objectivity. Given the independence of the sources, satisfaction of the criterion makes it harder to maintain that it was an invention of the Church. Still, this criterion, however useful, is typically one of a number of criteria, such as the criterion of discontinuity and the criterion of embarrassment, along with the historical method.

For example the "Kingdom of God" motif appears in "Mark, Q, the Gospel of the Hebrews, special Lucan tradition, and John, with echoes in Paul, despite the fact that 'Kingdom of God' is not Paul's preferred way of speaking." It also appears in an array of literary genres. The words attributed to Jesus on the bread and wine during the Last Supper (found in Mark, Paul, the Didache and arguably in John) and on divorce (found in Mark and Paul) are examples of sayings that are multiply attested. An example of an event that is multiply attested is Jesus's meeting with John the Baptist (found in Mark and John).


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