The Lights of the Church and the Light of Science / Essay #6 from "Science and Hebrew Tradition"

The essay examines the claim that canonical Scriptures are uniquely free from the mixture of fact and invention found in ordinary histories, tracing the rise and methods of historical criticism that expose varying degrees of veracity in narrative sources. It separates literary, ethical, and aesthetic merit from evidential value, surveys gradations from accurate report to fiction, and considers theological consequences if prominent Old Testament accounts are not literal history. It questions whether New Testament argumentation depends on historicity, evaluates instances treated as typal or allegorical, and assesses how such readings affect the interpretation of religious claims.