Historical Critical Analysis is the main way in which the Bible (both the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament and the New Testament) has been examined and read by scholars in the last century.
The term refers to a range of methodologies which examine the origins of biblical texts, in relation to other contemporaneous texts, to form critical approaches and to questions of authorship, audience and authenticty. The aim is to get as close to the 'original text' and its 'original meaning' as possible. For many years Historical Critical Method has been the cornerstone upon which biblical scholarship is built, even as modern studies examine other theoretical approaches to reading the text in history, tradition, and from different audience perspectives the Historical Critical Method still presents the crucial starting point for students and scholars.
An introduction to one of the core methods of approaching biblical texts.
David R. Lawis Reader in Christian Thought in the School of Arts, Histories and Cultures, at the University of Manchester. He is author of
Inspiration(Continuum, 2001) and
Briefly: Sartre's Existentialism and Humanism(2007).
Introduction: Definition, Issues, and Presuppositions of Historical Criticism
A Brief History of Historical Criticism
Textual Criticism
Source Criticism
Form Criticism
Redaction Criticism
Conclusion: Strengths and Weaknesses of Historical Criticism
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