Though God cannot alter the past, historians can
It all depends upon how one takes the word ‘alter’ to mean. It means simply to change. Then change what ? There are many types of changes and ‘change’ is used in many contexts. We speak of the change of weather, change of ministry, change of timetable or change of mind.
Then what does the statement mean ? It means that historians change history and give it new interpretations. Events have happened and cannot be changed even God himself cannot change the past, but historians can look upon past events in history from different angles according to their convictions. Thus the way Gibbon wrote history is different from the school of Toynbee.
Historians lay stress and emphasis on history in different ways. What had really happened may be disapproved and a new light could be thrown on past events. A few examples will illustrate the point. There is a popular episode in the History of India, known as The Black Hole of Calcutta which was only a myth, so blame was foisted on the poor Nawab of Bengal by the English in order to make him look like a scapegoat.
Another leaf in the Indian History is the Sepoy Mutiny. British Historians love to magnify the horrors of the Mutiny, but modem Indian historians look upon it as the first struggle for Independence, which was completed almost a century later by M.K. Gandhi. Thus we see the meaning of how man can alter the past even history if God can’t.
Another example is Joan of Arc who fought against the Black Prince. In her days she was subjected to inquisition and was accused of witchcraft and was burnt at the stake. History has altered the past and Joan has been canonized to become St. Joan.
Even in current times when one country attacks another to liberate it from a conqueror it is seen as a rape. This is the case in the Middle East, South Vietnam and Cambodia.
Thus we see the statement is true to some extent that historians are able to change history; that is to change the meaning of an event which occurred without changing the event itself.
Another aspect of history was that it was looked upon only as a chronicle of events, a catalogue of genealogies, a course of events, leading to battles and war and their settlements. Here a great emphasis was laid on the dates and personalities. But a new school of historians is coming up headed by Professor Toynbee. He looks upon history in a more scientific way and to them history is nothing but a mass social movements in which the events are only milestones.
