▁into ▁those ▁short ▁units , ▁called ▁per ic op es , ▁which ▁are ▁then ▁class ified ▁by ▁genre : ▁pro se ▁or ▁verse , ▁letters , ▁laws , ▁court ▁arch ives , ▁war ▁h ym ns , ▁po ems ▁of ▁l ament , ▁and ▁so ▁on . ▁Form ▁criticism ▁then ▁the or izes ▁concerning ▁the ▁individual ▁per ico pe ' s ▁Sitz ▁im ▁Leben ▁(" setting ▁in ▁life " ▁or ▁" place ▁in ▁life "). ▁Based ▁on ▁their ▁understanding ▁of ▁fol kl ore , ▁form ▁critics ▁believed ▁the ▁early ▁Christian ▁communities ▁formed ▁the ▁say ings ▁and ▁teach ings ▁of ▁Jesus ▁according ▁to ▁their ▁needs ▁( the ir ▁" s itu ation ▁in ▁life "), ▁and ▁that ▁each ▁form ▁could ▁be ▁identified ▁by ▁the ▁situation ▁in ▁which ▁it ▁had ▁been ▁created . ▁ ▁Form ▁criticism , ▁represented ▁by ▁Rud of ▁B ult mann , ▁its ▁most ▁influ ential ▁pro ponent , ▁was ▁the ▁dominant ▁method ▁in ▁the ▁field ▁of ▁bib lic al ▁criticism ▁for ▁nearly ▁ 8 0 ▁years . ▁However , ▁Old ▁Testament ▁scholar ▁R olf ▁Kn ier im ▁says ▁contemporary ▁sch ol ars ▁have ▁produced ▁an ▁" expl os ion ▁of ▁studies " ▁on ▁structure , ▁genre , ▁text - type , ▁setting ▁and ▁language ▁that ▁challenge ▁several ▁of ▁its ▁aspects ▁and ▁assumptions . ▁Bib lic al ▁scholar ▁Richard ▁B urr idge ▁explains : ▁ ▁The ▁general ▁critique ▁of ▁form ▁criticism ▁came ▁from ▁various ▁sources , ▁putting ▁several ▁areas ▁in ▁particular ▁under ▁scr ut iny . ▁The ▁anal ogy ▁between ▁the ▁development