Edwin Johnson (historian)
Encyclopedia
Edwin Johnson English
historian
, is best known for his radical criticism
s of Christian
historiography
, continuing scholarship in the vein of Bruno Bauer
, S.A. Naber, and Allard Pierson
. Among his works are "Antiqua Mater: A Study of Christian Origins" (1887, published in London anonymously) and "The Pauline Epistles: Re-studied and Explained" (1894).
In Antiqua Mater Johnson examines a great variety of sources related to early Christianity
"from outside scripture", coming to the conclusion that there was no reliable documental evidence to prove the existence of Jesus Christ or the Apostles. He asserts that Christianity had evolved from a Jewish Diaspora
movement, he provisionally called the Hagioi. They adhered to a liberal interpretation of the Torah
with simpler rites and a more spiritualized outlook. Hagioi is a Greek word meaning "saints", "holy ones", "believers", "loyal followers", or "God's people", and was usually used in reference to members of the early Christian communities. It is a term that was frequently used by Paul
in the New Testament
, and in a few places in Acts of the Apostles
in reference to Paul's activities
Both Gnosticism
as well as certain Bacchic
pagan
cults are also mentioned as likely precursors of Christianity.
In The Pauline Epistles and The Rise of English Culture Johnson made the radical claim that the whole of the so-called Dark Ages between 700 and 1400 A. D. had never occurred, but had been invented by Christian writers who created imaginary characters and events. The Church Fathers
, the Gospels, St. Paul
, the early Christian texts as well as Christianity in general are identified as mere literary creations and attributed to monks (chiefly Benedictines) who drew up the entire Christian mythos
in the early 16th century. As one reviewer said, Johnson "undertakes to abolish all English history before the end of the fifteenth century." Johnson contends that before the 'age of publication' and the 'revival of letters' there are no reliable registers and logs, and there is a lack of records and documents with verifiable dates.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
, is best known for his radical criticism
Radical Criticism
Radical Criticism is a movement around the late 19th century that, typically, denied authentic authorship of the Pauline epistles. This went beyond the higher criticism of the Tübingen school which held that a core of at least four epistles had been written by Paul of Tarsus in the 1st...
s of Christian
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
historiography
Historiography
Historiography refers either to the study of the history and methodology of history as a discipline, or to a body of historical work on a specialized topic...
, continuing scholarship in the vein of Bruno Bauer
Bruno Bauer
Bruno Bauer was a German philosopher and historian. As a student of GWF Hegel, Bauer was a radical Rationalist in philosophy, politics and Biblical criticism...
, S.A. Naber, and Allard Pierson
Allard Pierson
Allard Pierson was a Dutch theologian, historian, and art historian. He was a leading proponent of radical criticism in the Netherlands.-Life:Pierson's father was a merchant in Amsterdam, his mother an author of pietist works...
. Among his works are "Antiqua Mater: A Study of Christian Origins" (1887, published in London anonymously) and "The Pauline Epistles: Re-studied and Explained" (1894).
In Antiqua Mater Johnson examines a great variety of sources related to early Christianity
Early Christianity
Early Christianity is generally considered as Christianity before 325. The New Testament's Book of Acts and Epistle to the Galatians records that the first Christian community was centered in Jerusalem and its leaders included James, Peter and John....
"from outside scripture", coming to the conclusion that there was no reliable documental evidence to prove the existence of Jesus Christ or the Apostles. He asserts that Christianity had evolved from a Jewish Diaspora
Jewish diaspora
The Jewish diaspora is the English term used to describe the Galut גלות , or 'exile', of the Jews from the region of the Kingdom of Judah and Roman Iudaea and later emigration from wider Eretz Israel....
movement, he provisionally called the Hagioi. They adhered to a liberal interpretation of the Torah
Torah
Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five books of the bible—Genesis , Exodus , Leviticus , Numbers and Deuteronomy Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five...
with simpler rites and a more spiritualized outlook. Hagioi is a Greek word meaning "saints", "holy ones", "believers", "loyal followers", or "God's people", and was usually used in reference to members of the early Christian communities. It is a term that was frequently used by Paul
Paul of Tarsus
Paul the Apostle , also known as Saul of Tarsus, is described in the Christian New Testament as one of the most influential early Christian missionaries, with the writings ascribed to him by the church forming a considerable portion of the New Testament...
in the New Testament
New Testament
The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
, and in a few places in Acts of the Apostles
Acts of the Apostles
The Acts of the Apostles , usually referred to simply as Acts, is the fifth book of the New Testament; Acts outlines the history of the Apostolic Age...
in reference to Paul's activities
Both Gnosticism
Gnosticism
Gnosticism is a scholarly term for a set of religious beliefs and spiritual practices common to early Christianity, Hellenistic Judaism, Greco-Roman mystery religions, Zoroastrianism , and Neoplatonism.A common characteristic of some of these groups was the teaching that the realisation of Gnosis...
as well as certain Bacchic
Dionysus
Dionysus was the god of the grape harvest, winemaking and wine, of ritual madness and ecstasy in Greek mythology. His name in Linear B tablets shows he was worshipped from c. 1500—1100 BC by Mycenean Greeks: other traces of Dionysian-type cult have been found in ancient Minoan Crete...
pagan
Paganism
Paganism is a blanket term, typically used to refer to non-Abrahamic, indigenous polytheistic religious traditions....
cults are also mentioned as likely precursors of Christianity.
In The Pauline Epistles and The Rise of English Culture Johnson made the radical claim that the whole of the so-called Dark Ages between 700 and 1400 A. D. had never occurred, but had been invented by Christian writers who created imaginary characters and events. The Church Fathers
Church Fathers
The Church Fathers, Early Church Fathers, Christian Fathers, or Fathers of the Church were early and influential theologians, eminent Christian teachers and great bishops. Their scholarly works were used as a precedent for centuries to come...
, the Gospels, St. Paul
Paul of Tarsus
Paul the Apostle , also known as Saul of Tarsus, is described in the Christian New Testament as one of the most influential early Christian missionaries, with the writings ascribed to him by the church forming a considerable portion of the New Testament...
, the early Christian texts as well as Christianity in general are identified as mere literary creations and attributed to monks (chiefly Benedictines) who drew up the entire Christian mythos
Mythology
The term mythology can refer either to the study of myths, or to a body or collection of myths. As examples, comparative mythology is the study of connections between myths from different cultures, whereas Greek mythology is the body of myths from ancient Greece...
in the early 16th century. As one reviewer said, Johnson "undertakes to abolish all English history before the end of the fifteenth century." Johnson contends that before the 'age of publication' and the 'revival of letters' there are no reliable registers and logs, and there is a lack of records and documents with verifiable dates.
External links
- "Antiqua Mater" in PDF format
- Antiqua Mater: A Study of Christian Origins
- Edwin Johnson's "The Pauline Epistles - Re-Studied and Explained", 1894
- Edwin Johnson's "The Pauline Epistles - Re-Studied and Explained", 1894 in PDF Format
- Study Version of Edwin Johnson's "The Pauline Epistles - Re-Studied and Explained", 1894
- Hermann Detering's Radical Critics site *Electronic copy at University of Michigan Library
- Rise of Christendom
- Also translated The Prolegomena of Jean Hardouin. Catalog listing at University of Michigan Library. Alternate link. Copy available online http://hdl.handle.net/2027/mdp.39015015383212