Biblical criticism is a scholarly discipline that applies critical analysis to biblical texts, intentionally excluding supernatural explanations. Emerging in the eighteenth century, this approach sought to understand the Bible through a lens of historical inquiry rather than religious dogma.
Central to this method is the application of reason-based judgment to reconstruct historical events and the evolution of the texts themselves. By prioritizing a non-sectarian perspective, practitioners aim to uncover the human and historical context behind the scriptures, distinguishing this field from earlier, pre-critical interpretations of the Bible.