Critical Biblical Scholarship

Ralph Gibson III

Hello Team,

I'm looking for a little help understanding the topic of Critical Biblical Scholarship (CBS).   I came across the CBS term in the resource noted below and it was new to me.  Please note that I am no biblical scholar rather an older guy looking at his Bible with new eyes.  

Any help, clarification, and/or direction towards good resources is appreciated. 

Hoffmeier, James K., and Dennis R. Magary, eds. Do Historical Matters Matter to Faith? A Critical Appraisal of Modern and Postmodern Approaches to Scripture. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2012.

Raph

MJ. Smith

Critical Biblical Scholarship (CBS).

I've not run into that particular term but critical Bible criticism is an umbrella term for the Bible study methods developed starting in the 17th century and becoming the predominate methods in the 19th and 20th century. It contrasts with the methods used from the founding of Christianity until the Enlightenment. It focuses on study the bible text using the same tools used to study other texts. Today you have to seek out traditional bible scholarship. Nearly everything you have seen is the result of critical bible scholarship - even the reading of the text used for translation is the result of critical bible scholarship. Wikipedia offers a decent introduction here: Historical criticism - Wikipedia which has links to the many types of critical bible studies.

I found the books in this series helpful in understanding the various elements. Guides to Biblical Scholarship Series (10 vols.) | Logos Bible Software but Logos has produced their own useful series Lexham Methods Series (4 vols.) | Logos Bible Software