Theological Term of the Week: Redaction Criticism
Thursday, August 29, 2024 at 3:30AM 
The study of the role of the editor in the composition of the biblical text.
(Evangelical redaction criticism presupposes the supernatural nature of scripture, and is used to focus on the the particular theological objectives of a biblical author. But more commonly, redaction criticism is done from anti-supernatural presuppositions and used to confirm the (supposedly) human origin of scripture. One of the linked articles under Learn More below denounces redaction criticism generally, but it does so under the assumption that all redaction criticism has anti-supernatural presuppositions.)
- From 40 Questions About Interpreting the Bible by Robert L. Plummer, page 301:
[W]hile many biblical authors had both firsthand knowledge of events (e.g., the apostle John) and oral and written sources from which to draw (e.g., Luke 1:1-4), the redactor ultimately showed his theological interests and purposes through selecting, omitting, editing, and summarizing the material for his text. (Of course, Christians assume the Holy Spirit was working through the redactors in this process.)
Learn more:
- Got Questions: What are redaction criticism and higher criticism?
- D. A. Carson: Redaction Criticism: On the Legitimacy and Illegitimacy of a Literary Tool
- Robert Stein: Redaction Criticism
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