Understanding Biblical Criticism: What It Is * What It Does * Why It Matters

The term “biblical criticism” simply means discerning the most accurate text of the Bible (“textual criticism”) and then exploring issues such as who wrote the various books of the Bible, when they were written, and the circumstances of the writing (“higher criticism”). Yet because the word “criticism” can imply fault-finding and because some prominent biblical critics come to their study with a skepticism of the historical value of the Bible, biblical criticism often stirs up suspicion or ...