Bebbington, David W. Patterns in History: A Christian Perspective on Historical Thoughts 4th Edition. By David W. Bebbington. (Waco, TX: Baylor University Press, 2018, Pp. ix, 233). Reviewed by Albert Morales.
History takes the form of an image of the past. Historians research the collective memory during a period and provide the facts they learn. But is there a pattern in history? David Bebbington, a British historian, a Professor of History at the University of Stirling in Scotland wrote a book called Patterns in History: A Christian Perspective on Historical Thought. He researched to see if there is repetition of history by analyzing historical thought in a Christian perspective. His attempts to prove his thesis by offering “a study of theories of history designed for those who may occasionally have been provoked into asking themselves whether there is a pattern in the past” (Bebbington 2018, 1).
Bebbington’s book maps out the philosophies of religion ranging from Cyclical to Postmodern history. The initial chapter, “What is History”, introduces the thesis and explains the historical process. He focuses on the discrepancy of historiography. He believed that history books omit what took place in the past. He blamed evidence and historians, “there would be no problem if the evidence were total and reliable, but in fact it is normally meager and often misleading” (Bebbington, 2018, 3). Bebbington adds that some historians misjudge their sources.
His content in chapter one is rich with examples to prove his theories. He used a book, Leaders of Public Opinion in Ireland by W.E.H Lecky to explain the bias that some historians have in their writing. Lecky wrote several editions of this said book. The number of Irish supports for legislative Independence changed in each edition, as they were released throughout the years. He argued that this was Lecky political opinion and not firm evidence. By the end of chapter, he gives the reader an explanation of the philosophy of historiography. He explains that by the end of the book, we will have the meaning of history and how Christians interpret history.
In the following chapter, Bebbington moves to the view of Cyclical history. His narratives include Greco-Roman, Chinese Dynasty, Ancient Middle East, and Indian history. He studied the popularity and the pattern of growth “in the rise and fall of dynasties, nations or civilizations” (Bebbington 2018, 40). The Christian view of history differs from Cyclical history. Bebbington briefly mentions that there may be some similarity there is no essential association. He mentions the Old and New Testaments. He explains that some historians argued that the philosophy of the Old Testament is an example of cyclical. But, adds that “Christian idea of history is derived from belief in a God who intervenes in the world” (Bennington 2018, 43).
The most provoking chapter is the philosophy of historiography. This chapter supports Bebbington’s viewpoints in the 1st chapter. He discussed the analysis on how historians write and the interest it convenes in philosophy, “this subdiscipline is critical because it criticizes the process of composing history” (Bebbington, 2018, 161). Bebbington describes that many writers lack passion within this field which leads to inaccurate analysis. He continues with the debates between the schools of positivists and idealists. The differences of positivists and idealists on the issue of historical explanation. Bebbington explains, positivists “answer that it is a matter of identifying causes” and idealists “questions the whole concept of causation when applied to the human world” (Bebbington 2018, 166).
Bebbington’s book is well written and contains various summaries of theories from ancient times to today. He offers different outlooks that historians can and should provide to its audience. Bebbington believes historians as any person can embrace a Christian outlook on history. But he questioned if Christian historians could put their concept of historical process in their writing. He explains that Christian historians “can all too easily fall into the twin trap of describing overboldly the outworking of the divine will and of ignoring details that do not readily fit into the resulting scheme” (Bebbington 2018, 201). Christian historians had to learn humility. He understood the importance of a Christian worldview. He believed faith and history should be brought together.
Mostly History 