Historical Argument- Criteria for Authenticity

While perusing through the various pieces of evidence concerning the historical Jesus, it will be useful to determine what types of ancient accounts can be taken as trustworthy.

Here are some of the criteria for the authenticity of ancient texts:

• Multiple Attestation
• If multiple, independent accounts of the same events are documented, it is more likely that the information is accurate.
• Embarrassment
• If someone writes something that is embarrassing for himself/herself, it is more likely that it is true than something that makes the writer look good.
• Coherence
• If the account is similar to another account with previously established reliability, it is more likely to be accurate.
• Sitz im Leben
• "Setting of life". If the writing describes occurrences that are outside of the culture of the time (an extreme example would be saying that Jesus used tear gas to clear the temple), then it is less likely that the account is true
•  Internal Consistency
• If the account makes multiple statements which cannot be true at the same time, it loses credibility
• Vividness of Narration
• The inclusion specific details, as opposed to making broad generalizations can sometimes be an indicator of authenticity

Obviously, there are many more criteria that could be included! If you know of any, feel free to leave a comment!