al ▁and ▁ecc les iast ical ▁authority ▁ign ited ▁questions ▁concerning ▁the ▁historical ▁basis ▁for ▁the ▁man ▁Jesus ▁separately ▁from ▁traditional ▁the ological ▁views ▁concerning ▁him . ▁ ▁This ▁" quest " ▁for ▁the ▁Jesus ▁of ▁history ▁began ▁in ▁bib lic al ▁criticism ' s ▁earliest ▁stages , ▁re app eared ▁in ▁the ▁nin ete enth ▁century , ▁and ▁again ▁in ▁the ▁tw enti eth , ▁remaining ▁a ▁major ▁occupation ▁of ▁bib lic al ▁criticism , ▁on ▁and ▁off , ▁for ▁over ▁ 2 0 0 ▁years . ▁▁▁ ▁In ▁the ▁late ▁tw enti eth ▁and ▁early ▁twenty - first ▁century , ▁bib lic al ▁criticism ▁was ▁influenced ▁by ▁a ▁wide ▁range ▁of ▁additional ▁academic ▁discipl ines ▁and ▁theoretical ▁pers pect ives , ▁changing ▁it ▁from ▁a ▁primarily ▁historical ▁approach ▁to ▁a ▁mult id is cipl inary ▁field . ▁In ▁a ▁field ▁long ▁domin ated ▁by ▁white ▁male ▁Protest ants , ▁non - white ▁sch ol ars , ▁women , ▁and ▁those ▁from ▁the ▁Jewish ▁and ▁Catholic ▁trad itions ▁became ▁prominent ▁voices . ▁Global ization ▁brought ▁a ▁bro ader ▁spectrum ▁of ▁world views ▁into ▁the ▁field , ▁and ▁other ▁academic ▁discipl ines ▁as ▁diverse ▁as ▁Near ▁Eastern ▁studies , ▁phil ology , ▁cultural ▁anth rop ology ▁and ▁soci ology ▁formed ▁new ▁methods ▁of ▁bib lic al ▁criticism ▁such ▁as ▁soci oc ult ural ▁criticism ▁and ▁phil ological ▁bib lic al ▁criticism . ▁Meanwhile , ▁post - mod ern ism ▁and ▁post - crit ical ▁interpretation ▁began ▁question ing ▁bib lic al ▁criticism '