higher criticism (study of biblical writings to determine their literary history and the purpose and meaning of the authors)
1higher criticism — noun Date: 1836 study of biblical writings to determine their literary history and the purpose and meaning of the authors compare lower criticism • higher critic noun …
2biblical literature — Introduction four bodies of written works: the Old Testament writings according to the Hebrew canon; intertestamental works, including the Old Testament Apocrypha; the New Testament writings; and the New Testament Apocrypha. The Old… …
3History of science — History of science …
4Biblical criticism — This article is about the academic treatment of the bible as a historical document. For criticisms made against the Bible as a source of reliable information or ethical guidance, see Criticism of the Bible. The Gutenberg Bible, the first printed… …
5The Bible and history — Part of a series on The Bible …
6Europe, history of — Introduction history of European peoples and cultures from prehistoric times to the present. Europe is a more ambiguous term than most geographic expressions. Its etymology is doubtful, as is the physical extent of the area it designates.… …
7Textual criticism — Carmina Cantabrigiensia, Manuscript C, folio 436v, 11th century Textual criticism (or lower criticism) is a branch of literary criticism that is concerned with the identification and removal of transcription errors in the texts of manuscripts.… …
8textual criticism — n. the scholarly study of the text of a written work, often, specif., in an effort to determine the original or most authoritative form of that work * * * Introduction the technique of restoring texts as nearly as possible to their original …
9fable, parable, and allegory — Introduction any form of imaginative literature (allegory) or spoken utterance constructed in such a way that readers or listeners are encouraged to look for meanings hidden beneath the literal surface of the fiction. A story (rhetoric) is… …
10Christianity — /kris chee an i tee/, n., pl. Christianities. 1. the Christian religion, including the Catholic, Protestant, and Eastern Orthodox churches. 2. Christian beliefs or practices; Christian quality or character: Christianity mixed with pagan elements; …