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.
