▁in ▁Germany ▁of ▁the ▁late ▁nin ete enth ▁and ▁early ▁tw enti eth ▁centuries , ▁the ▁per ception ▁that ▁higher ▁criticism ▁was ▁an ▁entirely ▁Christian ▁purs uit , ▁and ▁the ▁sense ▁many ▁Bible ▁critics ▁were ▁not ▁im partial ▁academ ics ▁but ▁were ▁pro ponents ▁of ▁su pers ession ism , ▁prompt ed ▁Sch ech ter ▁to ▁describe ▁" High er ▁Crit ic ism ▁as ▁High er ▁Anti - sem it ism ". ▁Professor ▁of ▁Heb rew ▁Bible ▁Bar uch ▁J . ▁Schw art z ▁states ▁that ▁these ▁per ception s ▁delayed ▁Jewish ▁sch ol ars ▁from ▁entering ▁the ▁field ▁of ▁bib lic al ▁criticism . ▁This ▁began ▁to ▁change ▁in ▁the ▁modern ▁era . ▁The ▁Hol oca ust ▁led ▁to ▁Christian ▁the olog ians ▁re th inking ▁ways ▁to ▁relate ▁to ▁J uda ism , ▁and ▁the ▁entry ▁of ▁Jewish ▁sch ol ars ▁into ▁academic ▁depart ments ▁from ▁which ▁they ▁had ▁formerly ▁been ▁ex cluded ▁a ided ▁that ▁process . ▁ ▁The ▁first ▁historical - crit ical ▁Jewish ▁scholar ▁of ▁Pent ate uch al ▁studies ▁was ▁M . ▁M . ▁Kal isch ▁in ▁the ▁nin ete enth ▁century . ▁In ▁the ▁early ▁tw enti eth ▁century , ▁historical ▁criticism ▁of ▁the ▁Pent ate uch ▁became ▁main stream ▁among ▁Jewish ▁sch ol ars . ▁In ▁ 1 9 0 5 , ▁Rab bi ▁David ▁C . ▁Hoff man ▁wrote ▁an ▁extensive , ▁two - volume , ▁phil olog ically ▁based ▁critique ▁of ▁the ▁Well hausen ▁theory , ▁which ▁supported ▁Jewish ▁orth odox y .