Tendenzkritik is a technique in historical research specially associated with F. C. Baur and A. Schwegler and others of the Tübingen school, since it was they who applied it to the reconstruction of the early history of the church. In principle, it is a matter of plain common sense, and was already in use among secular historians before the Tübingenians adopted it. If it can be established that a document was written with a clear propagandist purpose, then it becomes probable (other things being equal) that its writer bent the facts, or made a tendentious selection from among them, to fit his purpose; and it is therefore necessary to make allowance for such distortion, in any attempt to get back to the truth about what actually happened. Accordingly, a question of prime importance for the historian in interpreting a document and estimating its worth is, What was this document for? What did its author hope to achieve by it? A classic example of Tendenzkritik is the estimate of Acts reached by New Testament scholars over against Galatians. It is a familiar fact that, whereas the Epistle to the Galatians shows Paul at one point taking issue with Peter, and reflects a difference (if not a conflict) between the leaders of the Gentile and Jewish missions respectively, the Acts presents a picture of basic harmony between Paul and the leading figures in the Jerusalem church. Equally, it is well known that, in certain details, Galatians and Acts are difficult, if not impossible, to reconcile.