[Topic Name] — [one-line framing of the question]
Template for
docs/gospel/topic documents. Copy this file, fill every section, delete this blockquote. SeeREADME.mdfor the method this template implements.
1. The Scriptural Claim
What the text(s) actually say. Quote or closely paraphrase with precise citations (book:chapter:verse, and translation if a specific wording matters). If more than one passage addresses the topic and they disagree with each other, say so here, before any outside source enters the picture — internal biblical disagreement is itself evidence.
2. The Spectrum of Scholarship
Named positions, arranged from the traditional pole to the most skeptical serious pole. For each: who holds it (named scholars/schools, not "some say"), and the actual argument/evidence they cite — not a caricature of the position.
- Traditional / confessional: ...
- Mainstream historical-critical (state plainly if this is the academy's actual center of gravity, not a compromise position invented for balance): ...
- Minimalist / skeptical: ...
- Fringe positions, if any exist on either end, labeled as fringe: ...
3. The Independent Record
What non-scriptural evidence exists: archaeology, epigraphy, contemporary non-Christian/ non-Jewish sources, administrative/diplomatic records, material culture. Date every item and name the actual find/document, not "archaeologists have found."
4. The Gap Table
| Attested (independent sources / physical evidence) | Assumed (plausible, widely repeated, rests on scripture alone or inference) | Legendary Accretion (added later, for a traceable reason) |
|---|---|---|
| ... | ... | ... |
5. Open Questions
What genuinely isn't known. State it as unknown rather than resolving it for comfort.
6. Sources
Bibliography in APA 7th-edition format. Prefer primary evidence and named scholars/schools over unlinked general claims. Scripture and other ancient texts with standard numbering are cited in-line (book:chapter:verse); modern scholarship gets full reference-list entries. Never invent a page range, publisher, or year that has not been verified.