“The historian who continues to look for a “preserved” Jesus has no other recourse but skepticism. The historian who is intent to find “an objectively true picture” of Jesus has simply misunderstood the historian’s task to account for varying and evolving social memories and explain their most plausible relationship.”
Anthony Le Donne. Historical Jesus: What Can We Know and How Can We Know It? (p. 76). Kindle Edition.
the archives near Emmaus 
Reblogged this on The Musings of Thomas Verenna and commented:
An excellent quote.
Is this TRUE, that ‘the historian’s task IS TO to account for varying and evolving social memories and explain their most plausible relationship?’
This is a presupposition about the nature of being a historian. This particular presupposition embeds within it, a particular view of what history is capable of which makes answering questions about what history is capable of ‘circular’ (in some fashion).
Andrew T.— What is the task of the historian then if it is not to account for ‘varying and evolving social memories and explain their most plausible relationship?’