The criterion of embarrassment is a method used in historical research where an account is considered likely authentic if it appears to be something the author would not invent due to its potentially embarrassing nature. This approach has been applied by some Biblical scholars to evaluate the historical likelihood of events and statements attributed to Jesus in the New Testament (Murphy2011-sf,Wikipedia_contributors2022-wn).

Examples in the New Testament include

• Peters Denial of Jesus (Ludemann2010-te)
• The Disciples not understanding the purpose and mission of Jesus
• Jesus’ Baptism (Beilby2010-bx))
• Jesus’ Own Family Did Not Believe
• John the Baptist’s Doubt
• The Disciples Doubted After the Resurrection
  • The Disciples Were Sincere In Their Beliefs
• Jesus Does not Know the Time of His Coming (Meier1997-wl)
• Women are the First to Witness the Resurrection. (Origen1980-ku)
  • The Status Of Women In The 1st Century
• Jesus Cursed a Fig Tree
• The Crucifixion of Jesus
  • Did Jesus Survive The Cross

Is this used in non-biblical studies?

Some critics of the Bible will say that this method is only used by Christian apologists, however this simply is not true as historians have used it in extra-biblical studies (Caesar2012-on, Hoffmeier2015-en, Pritchard2016-wt, Harper1894-ir, L1950-az, Vansina1965-on, Goodman2007-kj), also the Bible is the subject of greater controversy due to it's popularity and so it of course comes up more in that field of study. A similar idea called "Declaration against interest" is used in a court of law where:

Is it reliable?

The criterion of embarrassment is generally not sufficient enough on it's own to "Prove" a historical case on it's own. It has limitations (Meier2016-zr), examples include:

• Something that might be considered embarrassing in one era and social context may not have been so in another.
• Embarrassing details may be included as an alternative to an even more embarrassing account of the same event.
• The embarrassing point may be intentionally designed to prove a point or a lesson.

The Criterion of Embarrassment is a tool used in historical research to assess the authenticity of accounts. It posits that narratives containing potentially embarrassing or unfavorable details about the author or their community are less likely to be fabricated. This method has been applied in Biblical scholarship to elements of the New Testament that seem unlikely to be invented, such as Peter's denial of Jesus, the misunderstanding of Jesus' mission by his disciples, and the initial disbelief of Jesus' family in his mission. This criterion is not exclusive to Biblical studies; it has been utilized in other historical contexts as well, such as in studies of Julius Caesar, ancient Near Eastern texts, and the origins of monotheism. However, it's important to note that the criterion has its limitations and is not used in isolation to prove historical cases.