The fallacy of the prevalent proof

David Hackett Fischer back in 1970 in his Historian’s Fallacies: Toward a Logic of Historical Thought, discussed this fallacy one sometimes encounters in discussions of the history of early Christian origins and biblical studies. It refers to using widespread opinion as a method of verification. Often I’ve noticed this coupled with an argument “from authority” … Continue reading “The fallacy of the prevalent proof”


Bauckham’s Jesus and the Eyewitnesses. Chapter 5b

Symbolic Status & Authoritative Status Having passed over any need to argue that the Twelve really were an entity selected by Jesus B proceeds to explain the symbolic and prophetic significance of this group, symbolic of the hope of restoration of an idealized Israel, and prophetic of what God was doing through Jesus.