This is the Word of the Lord -"Thanks be to God"

                                                            Biblical Criticism






For the next several weeks, I will write brief articles on a topic that all members of the faith community should have some knowledge of.  These topics are not designed exclusively for  biblical scholars and theologians.  Nor are they designed exclusively for those who have an academic and intellectual interest in the field of biblical studies and religion as a whole.  These articles will be written as an invitation to the average person who is interested in developing an informed faith.


The topic of biblical criticism is intimidating to those who hear the word "criticism." They tend to associate the word "criticism" with speaking against or "putting down."  Biblical criticism is neither.
The word "criticism" in the case of biblical studies refers to the task of asking questions and making
evaluation and judgment about what we read.  Many people believe that biblical criticism will result in questioning the validity of what "the Bible says," and losing faith in its message.  This writer has experienced just the opposite, i.e. having his faith in the biblical messages affirmed and strengthened.


The first aspect of biblical criticism that I invite you to consider is what is called "Textual Criticism."
Some refer to it as "Lower Criticism," which is not as extensive as "Higher Criticism," an approach
to biblical studies that we will examine later on in this series.


Simply put, textual criticism is the art of reconstructing and recovering the original text of the Bible.
Since the original documents of the Bible are no longer in existence (they have perished due to the delicate materials on which they were first written, i.e. animal skins, vellum, parchment, etc), hand-written copies (manuscripts) were produced to keep the original contents intact. However, we come across the reality that:


1.  Some  manuscripts are older (and in some cases short in length).


2.  Some manuscripts are more recent (and in some cases longer in length)


3.  Some of the translations that we use today are based on the older manuscripts, and
others are based on the shorter manuscripts.


Textual criticism, then, is the task of comparing the various manuscripts in order to determine which ones most accurately reflect what the original documents of the Bible contained.  It is the art of recovering the original biblical message.


I now invite you, the reader, to tell us how you think textual criticism will affect your faith.
Do you feel intimidated by this process?  Are you more inclined to "not want to do all that
work," and just simply rely on the translations that we have available and avoid all that razzle -dazzle?  Will textual criticism strengthen your faith?  These are just some of the questions that can be raised by this issue.  Please tell us where you stand on this topic.


Brother, colleague, and friend,


Juan A. Ayala-Carmona