Application of the methods and suppositions of literary and form criticism to the study of the Bible. This involves critical studies concerning the authorship, dating, form, and sources of the books of the Bible.
Higher criticism, also known as historical criticism, is a branch of literary analysis that attempts to investigate the origins of a text, especially the text of the Bible. Higher criticism, in particular, focuses on the sources of a document and tries to determine the authorship, date and place of composition of the text. This term is used in contrast with lower criticism, known as textual criticism, which is the endeavour to establish the original version of a text.