Biblical criticism and the search for Jesus

Abstract

The Bible is one of the most studied written works in the world today, due to its immense capability for interpretation. People often argue on whether certain works within it should be taken as literal or figurative, without considering the Bible's diverse origins. Once taken into account the great collaboration that existed in order to produce the modern Bible, people can begin to understand the proper, logical way to understand its true meaning.

A great distinction now exists between Judaism and Christianity, even though they both derive their faith from the same source. The Old Testament is composed of Hebrew Scriptures, and is worshiped by both the Jews and the Christians. This creates the whole of the Jewish Bible, while only being the first part of the Christian Bible, and consists of three sections. The first section is the Torah, which translates into the Law, and presents the origins of humanity. The Torah also explains God's promises for mankind, and expectations as well. The second section, titled the Nevi'im, is the writings of the Prophets. Scholars often consider it commentary on the Torah, due to its explanatory nature. The final section of the Jewish Bible, also the Old Testament, is the Kethuvim. The Kethuvim is the books of “wisdom" or the historical books. Jews refer to the whole of these three sections as the Tanak, a title existing as an anagram to help remember each section.

The difference between Christianity and Judaism comes from the New Testament, not included in the Jewish Bible because they did not believe in Jesus as the messiah. The content of the New Testament consists of the teachings, sayings, and doings of Jesus Christ as the messiah. Compared to the Old Testament, the writings within the New Testament occurred recently, making it a necessity to vary the type of interpretation in order to fully grasp its meaning.