Maximus	Re: Educated Criticism Will MESS YOU UP
	When I was a lad at Bethel, I was not sure which was the greater evil: masturbation or "higher criticism." Each term received equal attention from Brother Knorr on a regular basis. I am embarrassed to tell you that it was many years before I realized that neither I nor Knorr understood the latter term. It's been misapplied in the Society's publications for many years as well. Surely by now SOMEONE in Writing understands a very commonly used expression. If you will, a quotation from the Catholic Encyclopedia. Bear in mind I grew up with "Consolation" (now Awake!) cartoons of nuns with stubble on their shins--and faces. "Biblical criticism in its fullest comprehension is the examination of the literary origins and historical values of the books composing the Bible, with the state in which these exist at the present day. "Since the sacred Scriptures have come down in a great variety of copies and ancient versions, showing more or less divergence of text, it is the province of that department of Biblical criticism which is called textual, or ***lower***, to study these documents with a view to arriving at the purest possible text of the sacred books. [guess who did the ***] "The name ***higher criticism*** was first employed by the German Biblical scholar Eichhorn, in the second edition of his 'Einleitung', appearing in 1787. It is not, as supposed by some, an arrogant denomination, assuming superior wisdom, but it has come into use because this sort of criticism deals with the larger aspects of Bible study; viz., with the authorship, date, composition, and authority of whole books or large sections, as distinguished from the discussion of textual minutiæ, which is the sphere of the lower, or textual, criticism." [***guilty again of this usage] BTW I still cringe at "viz.," which reminds me of "to-wit," which also gives me the shivvers because of that nasal-voiced Judge whose phonograph recording I played: "It is often said that Religion is a snare and a racket." (Note that even then the expression was hedged, and often misquoted today.) Your very fine essay is hereby underscored, emphasized --and greatly appreciated. Max
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