s ▁literary ▁structure , ▁its ▁genre , ▁its ▁context , ▁meaning , ▁author ship , ▁and ▁orig ins . ▁ ▁Bib lic al ▁criticism ▁includes ▁a ▁wide ▁range ▁of ▁approaches ▁and ▁questions ▁within ▁four ▁major ▁contemporary ▁method ologies : ▁text ual , ▁source , ▁form , ▁and ▁literary ▁criticism . ▁Text ual ▁criticism ▁exam ines ▁the ▁text ▁and ▁its ▁manuscript s ▁to ▁identify ▁what ▁the ▁original ▁text ▁would ▁have ▁said . ▁Source ▁criticism ▁searches ▁the ▁texts ▁for ▁evidence ▁of ▁original ▁sources . ▁Form ▁criticism ▁ident ifies ▁short ▁units ▁of ▁text ▁and ▁see ks ▁to ▁identify ▁their ▁original ▁setting . ▁Each ▁of ▁these ▁is ▁primarily ▁historical ▁and ▁pre - compos itional ▁in ▁its ▁concerns . ▁Liter ary ▁criticism , ▁on ▁the ▁other ▁hand , ▁focus es ▁on ▁the ▁literary ▁structure , ▁author ial ▁purpose , ▁and ▁reader ' s ▁response ▁to ▁the ▁text ▁through ▁methods ▁such ▁as ▁r het or ical ▁criticism , ▁canonical ▁criticism , ▁and ▁narr ative ▁criticism . ▁ ▁Bib lic al ▁criticism ▁began ▁as ▁an ▁aspect ▁of ▁the ▁rise ▁of ▁modern ▁culture ▁in ▁the ▁West . ▁Some ▁sch ol ars ▁claim ▁that ▁its ▁roots ▁reach ▁back ▁to ▁the ▁Re formation , ▁but ▁most ▁agree ▁it ▁grew ▁out ▁of ▁the ▁German ▁En light en ment . ▁German ▁p iet ism ▁played ▁a ▁role ▁in ▁its ▁development , ▁as ▁did ▁British ▁de ism , ▁with ▁its ▁greatest ▁influ ences ▁being ▁rational ism ▁and ▁Protest ant ▁scholar ship . ▁The ▁En light en ment ▁age ▁and ▁its ▁ske ptic ism ▁of ▁bib lic