Form Criticism

Definition and Meaning

Form criticism (Korean yangsik bipyeong) derives from the German term Formgeschichte ("form history"). Here, "form" refers to a pattern of speech with a fixed structure, such as a miracle story, a parable, a proverb, a hymn, or a controversy story. "Criticism" does not mean faultfinding; it refers to the scholarly analysis of a text.

Form criticism divides the text of the Bible into short units of tradition and classifies the form of each unit. It then asks about the circumstances of the community in which that form was first used. Scholars call these circumstances the "setting in life" (German Sitz im Leben). Examples include worship, mission, instruction, and controversy. The method rests on the premise that the texts were transmitted orally for a long period before they were written down.

Biblical and Historical Background

• Old Testament studies: The German scholar Hermann Gunkel is generally credited with establishing the framework of the method in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries by classifying the narratives of Genesis and the Psalms by genre. His classification of the Psalms into categories such as hymns of praise and laments is a representative example.
• New Testament studies: Shortly after World War I, Karl Ludwig Schmidt, Martin Dibelius, Rudolf Bultmann, and others applied the method to the Synoptic Gospels. They regarded the Gospels as compilations of short traditions that had circulated independently. This research was also used in addressing the Synoptic Problem.
• Assessment and later developments: Bultmann held that many of the sayings and stories in the Gospels took shape in response to the needs of the early church. This view led to skeptical conclusions about how much actual history the Gospel accounts contain and generated considerable controversy. Critics contend that it underestimated the role of eyewitness testimony in the process of transmission. Redaction criticism, which views the Gospel writers as editors who arranged the traditions according to their theological purposes, later emerged and supplemented form criticism.

Practice in the Korean Church

• Progressive circles: In progressive theological education, such as that of the Presbyterian Church in the Republic of Korea and Hanshin University, form criticism has been accepted and taught as one of the historical-critical methods.
• Conservative circles: Conservative Presbyterian bodies such as the Presbyterian Church in Korea (Hapdong), the Presbyterian Church in Korea (Kosin), and the Presbyterian Church in Korea (Hapshin), along with many evangelical theologians, are critical of the method. They believe that its presuppositions conflict with biblical inerrancy and with the historicity of the Gospels. Some scholars, however, hold that it can be of some value as a tool for distinguishing the genres of texts.
• Middle ground: Seminaries of various other denominations often treat it as one of the methods of biblical studies, presenting it alongside the church's confessional interpretation.
• Historical controversy: Whether to accept biblical criticism became a major issue in the 1950s controversy surrounding Kim Jae-jun and Park Hyung-ryong. This controversy formed part of the background to the schisms in Korean Presbyterianism.
• Awareness among church members: The term is unfamiliar to most lay church members. It is usually reflected only indirectly in sermons and Bible study, for example when the genre of a parable or psalm is explained.