The Issues of the Higher Criticism
Introduction
Historical criticism, also known as the historical-critical method or higher criticism is a branch of the method of interpretation of the Bible which studies the origins of ancient texts in order to understand "the world behind the text"[1]. It studies the history of the reception of the Scriptures, their historical context, the process of the stages of their production and their recipients.
Using history, linguistics,
philology, epigraphy, sociology, archeology, the historical-critical method
aims to discover the primitive or original meaning of the text in its
historical context origin and its literal meaning and to establish a
reconstruction of the historical situation of the author and the recipients of
the text. It focuses in particular on the sources of the documents in order to
determine the author, the date and the place of composition.
Origins
There is nothing in
historical-critical theology that has not first made its appearance in
philosophy. It has its roots both in the ideology of the Protestant Reformation
and in the European Enlightenment[2].
He begins with philosophers such as Bacon (1561-1626) and Hobbes (1588-1679),
Descartes (1570-1650), Hugo Grotius (1583–1645), Matthew Tindal (1653–1733 ), Spinoza (1632-1677) and Hume (1711-1776) on the
subject inductive thinking as the only source of knowledge (The separation of
faith and reason and doubt as the foundation of knowledge)[3].
It quickly developed in the Age of Enlightenment with the advent of humanism in
Europe. Biblical critics of the Old and New Testaments will be the main object
of study for several researchers (Hermann Gunkel, Rudolf Bultmann etc ...
Presuppositions
The historical-critical method
is identified by several characteristics which are among others: the rejection
of the Bible as the inspired Word of God, the reason is above the Bible, the
rejection of the reliability of miracles and other supernatural events, the depreciation
of Apocalyptic and Eschatological Prophecies of the Bible, the minimizing the
need for faith in God and obedience to His commandments.[4]
Evaluation
The general aim of the historical-critical method is
to study what really happened in the events described or mentioned. For most
proponents of this school, the Bible is a historical work. Therefore, it is
subject to historical inquiry and the results of historical research. Its
objectives are among others to present a set of facts that show what really
happened and why, to illuminate the past, by creating a complete image of the
history of a culture, to understand the meaning of events and interpret them.
Discrepancies in parallel biblical narratives, discrepancies in non-biblical
material, historical improbabilities, supernatural occurrences, creation
theories and literary genres are all problems that historical criticism draws
upon.
Limitation and Issues
Although it
provides a multitude of research tools useful for Bible study such as grammars,
lexicons, concordances, editions of original texts and manuscripts, theological
dictionaries, commentaries and stories, critical research has several
shortcomings[5]: it is secular and profane
and is unable to handle the biblical claims of divine revelation and unique
events in history; faith is replaced by intellectual dualism (reason); it tends
to exalt himself as the only way to read the Bible; it objects to the text's
claims, taking the text away from the reader, thus frustrating the effort to
read the Bible as a revelation from God; it often puts the scholar at odds with
the text and the text is not heard as it should be. The historical-critical
method still cancels inspiration and lowers biblical authenticity and authority,
Its end result is to reject the miracles of the Bible and the biblical
prophecies
[6].
The direct consequence of this method is that the Bible becomes a simple book like all other books. The Bible is no longer the Word of God. And if the Bible becomes a simple book like all other books, then the written revelation of God is canceled and salvation through Jesus Christ is no longer a truth. However, one question remains: where is salvation in historical criticism? In other words, does the historical-critical method lead to salvation? The answer is no.
[1] Soulen Richard and Soulen R. Kendall, Manuel de critique biblique, 3e éd., Rév. Et élargi. Éd., (Louisville, Ky.: Westminster John Knox Press 2001), 78.
[2] Linnemann Eta (1994) "Historical-Critical and Evangelical Theology," Journal of the Adventist Theological Society: Vol. 5: Iss. 2, Article 3 (Access March 2020, 15).
[3] Ibid.
[4]
General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, Methods of Bible Study: Committee at
the Annual Council Session in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, October 12, 1986 (Access
March 15, 2020).
[5] Edgar Krentz, The Historical-Critical Method (Philadelphie: Fortress Press, 1975), 63-72.
[6] Ibid., Methods of Bible Study.
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