Читать книгу The Origins of Christianity and the New Testament - Rebecca I. Denova - Страница 34

“Criticism” sometimes implies negative judgment. In this sense, the original Greek concept is utilized. Krino, which means “to discern,” meant discerning the meaning behind the text. The process is known as “exegesis,” a fancy word for “analysis.” In the exegesis of Biblical passages, the analysis goes beyond the “spiritual meaning” of text. It is placed within its historical, cultural, and religious context. It is also useful in analyzing the compositional process of a text.

The different types of criticism are historical criticism (the historical context that gave rise to the passage); form criticism (the original unit before it was edited); literary criticism, in understanding the plot structure and the writer’s point of view; redaction criticism, a fancy phrase for “editing” that traces changes to the text over time; and rhetorical criticism (the art of persuasion or argument). Often several of these approaches are used simultaneously.