Biblical "Criticism"

We who hold the Scriptures dear to our heart sometimes flinch when we hear the words "Biblical Criticism."

We have come across the term in some of the books in this course. As was pointed out, "criticism", in ths context, does not mean to "talk down about." However, there were some Bible schlars, who talked about "Higher criticism." They were mostly not orthodox (what we would loosely call, "liberal.") They did seem to do a lot of harm because they did not accept things such as miracles, etc. It looks sort of like a bunch of "unbelievers" talking about the Bible.

Their is another type of criticism that is engaged in by Bible believing Christians. It is called textual criticism. It basically is involved in trying to discover the accurate words that were probably in the original manuscripts of Scripture. The oldest things we have are based on handwritten copies of the originals. So, that type of criticism does not destroy faith, nor does it attempt to tear down Scripture. Rather, it ia an attempt to delve into the Word of God. Textual criticism is also an attempt not to twist the words of Scripture, but to portray those words and their meanings accurately.

Summary: (In my mind, and a little oversimplified) "Higher Criticism" = "Bad."
"Textual Criticism" (Sometimes called "Lower Criticism) = "Good!"