Criticism Flashcards
Textual Criticism
o Discovering the “original” text to fullest degree
o This is particularly difficult with poetry (vocab is wider and less known)
Source (Literary) Criticism
o On the border between lower and higher criticism, considered higher
o Type of literature (less precise than form criticism: poetry v. prose level), authorship, dating
Form Criticism
o Analyzing forms: lament, hymn, oracles, saga, proverb, covenant lawsuit, birth narrative, call narrative, sermonic, dramatic, etc.
Historical Criticism
o Historical setting, use, and credibility of events in which something appears
o Both the historical setting of when it happened (internal) and when it was used/whom did it address (external)
o Sociological context has become more looked into lately
Canon criticism
o final form, why is Chronicles a the end of the Jewish Bible: how does it function as a part of the whole authoritative body
Redaction criticism
o like compositional criticism, how did the piece come together (Jeremiah, hodgepodge of authors and forms which are edited together)
Modern Literary Criticism
A kind of modernist scientific objective appraisal of the text
Historicity of events
Did the events actually happen and the way they are described?
Composition of the text
How a text is constructed; multiple authors or one? Several sections edited together or unified work?
Transmission of the text
How a text is passed down over the years
Composition of the Pentateuch
Wellhausen’s 1878 ‘prolegomena’ is of utmost importance here, proposing that the Pentateuch can be broken up into at least 4 different sources: J (yahwist), E (elohist), D (deuteronomist) and P (priestly), which came together c. 500-400 BC. Some still stick to a single author or single author w/ later editors hypothesis.
Composition of the Historical Books
Joshua-2 Kings referred to as the ‘Deuteronomistic History’ for its similarity to the Retribution Principle of covenant-breaking/keeping found in Deuteronomy. Likely came together during the Babylonian exile
Composition of the Psalms
Many sources, probably not combined into Psalter until much later (exilic period). Broken up into 5 books, multiple authors.
Date and composition of Isaiah
Date of Isaiah in question as 1-39 seem to correlate to 8th century Israel, whereas 40-66 (2nd Isaiah) seem to correspond to 7th/6th century. Also Cyrus is mentioned by name in 2nd half of the book, which casts doubt on a unified body as well for some. “Isaiah school” may have edited during exile.
Date of Daniel
Date of Daniel is thought by some to be c. 168-164 BC for the events that seem to align with Antiochus IV Epiphanes’ reign, though Daniel seems to be unknowing of the death of AivE, hence the 164 BC.
Various views of the composition and canonicity of the OT
Variations based on faith sect from Hebrew to Catholic to Protestant as to canonicity. Most think the Hebrew canon was finalized before time of Jesus between 400 BC and 4 BC. Documents are thought to have progressed from oral form to written form to collected works to fixing canon. We can trust that the Holy Spirit guided the process
