Redaction Criticism In The Bible

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Redaction Criticism of the Bible is the theory that historical figures of the early biblical writings altered the biblical manuscripts to make them appear more miraculous, inspirational, and legitimate. These changes were thought to be attributed to both the authors writing styles and to whom the authors were trying to address. An example of redaction criticism would be the claim that Old Testament prophecies were modified by redactors after the fact to make them appear as more miraculous. In my opinion, redaction criticism reduces the quality of the biblical record, casts strong doubt on its inspiration, and implies that the Bible is not trustworthy as a historical document. Though redaction criticism has been applied to several types of …show more content…

To begin, perhaps the most obvious element which has been added to Luke’s Gospel is that Luke claims Pilate sent Jesus to Herod in Jerusalem before he was given his sentence. On the contrary, in Mark, Pilate proceeds to carry out the trial and never mentions Jesus being sent to another city; which is an obvious discrepancy. In Luke’s Gospel, authors also add numerous instances where Pilate claims Jesus is innocent. In Mark, Pilate only responds to these accusations with the question, “What evil has he done?” One instance where Luke’s author omits a point from Mark is when Pilate asks Jesus, “Have you no answer to make? See how many charges they bring against you.” Luke’s author omits this question and the description of how Pilate is amazed with Jesus and how he had nothing to say in response to these accusations. A majority of these differences between Synoptic Gospels are because Luke’s authors slightly altered details which were included in the initial Gospel of Mark. For example, in both accounts Pilate finds Jesus not to be guilty of what he is being accused, but in Luke’s account he alters Pilate’s words to highlight this point

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