What was higher criticism?
Higher criticism was a group of theologians beginning in the late 1800s, especially in Germany, who scoffed at certain parts of Scripture they thought were unbelievable. They scoffed at accounts such as Pharaoh's command to stop giving straw for brickmaking in Exodus 5.
Les explains that higher criticism was a group of theologians beginning about the late 1800s, especially in Germany, who began to scoff at certain parts of Scripture they thought were unbelievable. In the Exodus 5 setting, Moses and Aaron had confronted Pharaoh with the demand that Israel leave Egypt for a three-day journey into the wilderness to sacrifice to the Lord. Pharaoh rebelled, increased the slaves' tasks, and said they would no longer be given straw to make brick. Les points to that verse as one of the accounts higher critics scoffed at.