Marc Zvi Brettler: Is Historical Criticism Dead?

Marc Zvi Brettler, “Monopoly and Biblical Studies” (8.9.23), ancientjewreview.com.

I do not share the skepticism of some of my colleagues that historical criticism is dead, or should be dead.  As historical-critical scholars, we need to realize that we cannot be absolutely sure of our conclusions, and that like any discipline, they may change over time as the result of new evidence or new hypotheses that better explain old evidence.  But just because we can never be absolutely certain, we still must try, in our research and teaching, to reconstruct the real past of ancient Israel, or what a particular biblical text meant in the biblical period, or how and when it was composed.  Such reconstructions are crucial so that students understand how all religions develop over time, and appreciate how different later religions understand early, significant religious texts in different ways, with none of these later interpretations having a monopoly on the truth. My introductory HB/OT course focuses on such reconstructions, the bread and butter of historical criticism.  And though most entering students have never encountered this approach before, many find it interesting or even invigorating.