Bible Question: I have been studying higher criticism and am happy with the viewpoint that the first 5 books of the OT were written by a number of writers J,P,E,D. Not many churches seem to teach this. Is it a heresy? |
Bible Answer: Greetings JJOZ53! I would not say that it is heresy, but it is only a theory. From my viewpoint, it is a very weak theory. Simply put, there is no documentary evidence of 5 seperate traditions. All of the manuscripts in existence are all complete, much as we have them today. So, the only 'evidence' for there being a number of different traditions with different authors is someone's opinion that various words and phrases must have been written by different authors. I realize that this is a very simplified overview of the theory, but it is basically accurate. Now, while I do not view it as heresy, I do believe that most of the poeple who teach it have a very low view of Scripture. That does concern me. So, personally, I would not teach it, though I have done a lot of reading about it. :-) Your Brother in Christ, Tim Moran |