Bible Interpretation, Student Workbook, SW05

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B I B L E I N T E R P R E T A T I O N

“Higher” and “Lower” Criticism of the Bible: What is the Difference?

[Higher criticism is] that portion of biblical studies that attempts to assess compositional features such as date of writing, authorship, destination, sources used in writing (oral, written, etc.), and general literary form (including comparison with contemporary non-biblical literary features and styles); done constructively and with a high view of the integrity of Scripture, this area of study can make important contributions; done without a high regard for Scripture it can be a destructive influence; hence, the term is sometimes used for rationalistic approaches to the Bible over the last hundred years that tended to treat it solely as a human work, not as an integrated revelation from God; [compare this to] lower criticism ( = textual criticism), which deals with establishing the best text of Scripture to work with.

~ Paul Karleen. The Handbook to Bible Study . (electronic ed.). New York: Oxford University Press, 1987.

I. Cross-reference Aids, Topical Bibles, Cross Reference Bibles, and Topical Concordances

Video Segment 2 Outline

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A. Cross-reference aids (helpful in the Finding General Principles stage )

1. Definition: Cross-reference aids help us tap into the interconnections between texts of the Bible on the same or related themes by comparing Scripture with Scripture .

2. Recommended cross-reference aids

a. The New Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge , Jerome H. Smith, ed. (Thomas Nelson 1997)