Bible Textual Criticism

When Was Torah Written?

Study of the text of the Pentateuch may reveal important clues to its ancient origin
Old Testament

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The Text

Biblical criticism is the use of critical analysis to understand and explain the Bible. During the eighteenth century when it began, it was based on two things: a concern to avoid dogma and bias by applying a neutral, non-sectarian, reason-based judgment to the study of the Bible; the belief that the reconstruction of the historical events and the history of how the texts developed would lead to a correct understanding of scripture.

The scholarly influences of biblical criticism were rationalist and Protestant in orientation. People began to study the life of Jesus through a historical lens, breaking with the traditional focus on the nature of his divinity. This historical turn marked the beginning of a search for the historical Jesus, which has remained an interest to this day.