textual criticism

American  

noun

1. lower criticism.

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textual criticism British  

noun

1. the scholarly study of manuscripts, esp of the Bible, in an effort to establish the original text

2. literary criticism emphasizing a close analysis of the text

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Other Word Forms

• textual critic noun

Etymology

Origin of textual criticism

First recorded in 1870–75

Example Sentences

Try to imagine this today: For almost a year, textual criticism was happening, and red-hot copies of The New York Review of Books flew off the newsstands.

From New York Times • Jun. 12, 2018

Which is a lot to ask of a book and more to ask of a play, as textual criticism tends to offer limited catharsis and thrills.

From New York Times • Jul. 25, 2017

Marcion's version of the scriptural canon was rejected by the church, but he nonetheless deserves to be remembered as the founder of New Testament textual criticism.

From Time Magazine Archive

They concede the need for textual criticism, admit that many passages must be interpreted symbolically rather than literally.

From Time Magazine Archive

Ordinarily, however, only two kinds are distinguished: the lower, or textual criticism, and the higher criticism.

From The Christian View of the Old Testament by Eiselen, Frederick Carl