Apologetic Values of Pentateucal Criticism

Abstract

Biblical criticism is often viewed from two perspectives. On the one hand, it is seen as a discipline that aims at making the biblical content and intent explicit and easily understandable. On the other hand, however, it is perceived as a destructive exercise to fragment, disparage and rob the Bible of its spiritual authority. As a result, discussion on concepts such as textual, source, form and redaction criticism in biblical studies often attracts jeers. A central question that always accompanies such debate is about the relevance of those criticisms, which has led to the conclusion that such an exercise is just an academic showmanship. Through a descriptive method, this paper investigates the values of biblical criticism from an apologetic perspective by using Pentateuchal criticism as an example. It establishes that there are theological, exegetical and hermeneutical values in Pentateuchal criticism.