by Doug Mason 40 Replies latest watchtower bible
What is it about Higher Criticism that petrifies the Watchtower? What are they trying to hide?
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/higher%20criticism
Why are they opposed to Lower Criticism? Or are they?
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lower+criticism
Doug
They're trying to hide the level of their ignorance - and the lies that they've told for over 100 years...
What does it mean by "literary history" of the Bible?
@Doug: The definition you reference says:
"study of biblical writings to determine their literary history and the purpose and meaning of the authors"
It is because the "purpose and meanting of the authors" of the Bible (even if you want to say God wrote it) are 180 degrees from offical WT doctrine. They don't want any oportunity for pandora's box to be opened....
MeanMrMustard
Knowsnothing,
You will find excellent descriptions at:
http://www.theopedia.com/Biblical_criticism
"biblical criticism simply refers to the scholarly approach of studying, evaluating and critically assessing the Bible as literature in order to understand it better."
"Literary Criticism is primarily concerned with the Bible's literary forms, structures and themes. How does it function to accomplish its purpose? This involves identifying the type and use of the various literary genre such as narrative, poetic, apocalyptic, oratorical, wisdom, epistolary, etc. It includes evaluating the language of a text, looking at the words and their various meanings or shades of meaning and the patterns of meaning ranging from phrases to sentences, paragraphs, chapters, and sections. To analyze these, it is often necessary to examine the grammar of the original language, which includes the arrangement of words and how their forms are changed (inflection or accidence)."
Doug
Criticism invites doubt, when your trying to position yourself in a place of power and authority, higher criticism is
a subjective enemy toward that agenda.
What religion isn't petrified of higher criticism.
Since religions establish their power through a consortium of beliefs it becomes even more of an importance to stymie criticism from within.
Doug, can you give an example of a highly disputed text or section, which would fall under "literary criticism"? Would, say, the creation story with A&E fall under narrative, and therefore be subject to scrutiny as such?
Finkelstein and Knowsnothing,
The term "criticism" does NOT mean to be critical or to criticise. As scholars use it, the term means to analyse, study, evaluate.
Let me give you an example: Higher Criticism could be seen as seeking to understand the cultural context of a particular piece. When was it written? By whom? What was their intent? What was their culture at that time?
You ask about Adam and Eve. This story was created about the 8th century BCE by the Yahwist priests/scribes at Jerusalem. We know this because they use the name YHWH before it was revealed to Moses. Their intention was to create a religious story that focused on marriage. Its structure and sequence of events contradicts the sequence of the Creation story (Gen 1:1 to 2:4a), which was written slightly later by a different group of priests/scribes. They used the name of EL for God until YHWH was revealed to Moses. The book "Who Wrote the Bible?" by Richard Elliott Friedman provides the details.
As you can see, this process treats the scriptures as literature, asking about the authors, intended audiences (they were not writing to us), subsequent editors, and so on. It also considers the various streams of documents, such as comparing and contrasting the LXX against the MT, the DSS, and so on.
The WTS is interested in the times of the neo-Babylonian Captivity. Much of the OT was created and recreated during this period (Deut, Isa 40-66, etc.) and aftwerwards.
Lower Criticism attempts to identify the correct text, getting as close to the original as possible.
I hope you see that this term "criticism" means to analyse and understand, not to criticise.
Why pick on Adam and Eve? Be more controversial and ask: Was there really a person named Moses? Was there really a massive exodus from Egypt?
Doug
Knowsnothing,
Every single element of the Scriptures is subject to criticism (analysis).
For example, literary analysis could be used to determine which of the Psalms would really have been written by or for King David. It could also be used to help determine whether Daniel was written in the 2nd century BCE (400 years after the neo-Babylonian period). As you know, Daniel is written in two different languages, which poses interesting questions.
Doug
We know this because they use the name YHWH before it was revealed to Moses.
How do you figure? If Moses' narrative (let's assume he was real) uses YWHW before it was revealed, in the narrative, that doesn't necessarily discredit his authorship. Seeing as how he would have written the events after they happened, (obviously) he had license to reference the name. What Moses wouldn't have license to do, or rather what would discredit his authorship, would be if in the narrative he quotes himself using the divine name before it was revealed to him.
Do you have a reference for that? I'll be honest, I wasn't aware of such a thing. When you are educated by the Society, you read the book "All Scripture is Inspired", and that's generally all you'll ever look at (at least that goes for me).
