Writing on “Criticism of the Bible,” James Orr (1844-1913) claims a survey of the subject “will show the legitimacy and indispensableness of a truly scientific criticism, at the same time it warns against the hasty acceptance of speculative and hypothetical constructions.”
“Criticism goes wrong when used recklessly, or under the influence of some dominant theory or prepossession. A chief cause of error in its application to the record of supernatural revelation is the assumption that nothing supernatural can happen. This is the vitiating element in much of the newer criticism, both of the OT and of the NT.”
“Criticism of Scripture is usually divided into what is called ‘lower or textual criticism’ and ‘higher criticism’...the latter—‘higher criticism’—while invaluable as an aid in the domain of Bib. introduction (date, authorship, genuineness, contents, destination, etc.) it manifestly tends to widen out illimitably into regions where exact science cannot follow it, where often, the critic’s imagination is his only law.”
“‘Higher criticism,’ having largely absorbed ‘introduction’ into itself, extends its operations into the textual field, endeavoring to get behind the text of the existing sources, and to show how this ‘grew’ from simpler beginnings to what now is. Here, also, there is a wide opening for arbitrariness.”
“Criticism of the Bible,” (748-753) James Orr, International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Volume II, James Orr, editor. Chicago, IL: The Howard-Severance Company, 1915. pp. 749
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