Eyes and Spectacles: Wellhausen’s Method of Higher Criticism

Julius Wellhausen’s work on the Hebrew Bible, the New Testament, and early Arabic sources had and still has a fundamental impact on how modern scholarship portrays Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. In this article I consider his methodology of Higher Criticism. Wellhausen’s motto was: ‘Not only the spectacles are important, but also the eyes.’ Following this motto I first describe what Wellhausen saw with his eyes and how he used them. Secondly, I consider Wellhausen’s spectacles and ask how the nineteenth century determined his viewpoint. Lastly I address the legacy of Wellhausen’s Higher Criticism in current scholarship.