▁to ▁the ▁method ological ▁im bal ance ▁of ▁form ▁criticism ". ▁Form ▁criticism ▁saw ▁the ▁syn opt ic ▁writers ▁as ▁mere ▁collect ors ▁and ▁focused ▁on ▁the ▁Sitz ▁im ▁Leben ▁as ▁the ▁cre ator ▁of ▁the ▁texts . ▁Red action ▁criticism ▁de als ▁more ▁posit ively ▁with ▁the ▁G ospel ▁writers ▁rest oring ▁an ▁understanding ▁of ▁them ▁as ▁the olog ians ▁of ▁the ▁early ▁church . ▁Bible ▁sch ol ars ▁Richard ▁and ▁K end all ▁Sou len ▁explain ▁that ▁when ▁re da ction ▁criticism ▁is ▁applied ▁to ▁the ▁syn opt ic ▁g osp els , ▁" it ▁is ▁the ▁evangel ist ' s ▁use , ▁dis use ▁or ▁alter ation ▁of ▁the ▁trad itions ▁open ▁to ▁him ▁that ▁is ▁in ▁view , ▁rather ▁than ▁the ▁form ▁and ▁original ▁setting ▁of ▁the ▁trad itions ▁themselves ." ▁ ▁Since ▁re da ction ▁criticism ▁was ▁developed ▁from ▁form ▁criticism , ▁it ▁shares ▁many ▁of ▁its ▁weak ness es . ▁For ▁example , ▁it ▁assumes ▁an ▁extreme ▁ske ptic ism ▁toward ▁the ▁historic ity ▁of ▁Jesus ▁and ▁the ▁g osp els ▁just ▁as ▁form ▁criticism ▁does . ▁Red action ▁criticism ▁see ks ▁the ▁historical ▁community ▁of ▁the ▁final ▁red act ors ▁of ▁the ▁g osp els , ▁though ▁there ▁is ▁often ▁no ▁text ual ▁clue , ▁and ▁its ▁method ▁in ▁finding ▁the ▁final ▁editor ' s ▁the ology ▁is ▁fla wed . ▁In ▁the ▁New ▁Testament , ▁re da ction ▁disc ern s ▁the ▁evangel ist ' s ▁the ology ▁by ▁foc using ▁and ▁re lying ▁upon