In Chapter 3, “Jesus Christ and Mythology” in Contemporary Theologies, the writers strive to underline the ways in which we analyze the bible.  The historical-critical approach is a method of interpreting the bible which has been improved since the eighteenth century.  This type of criticism involves analyzing the bible in the same light that one would interpret other literature.  An offshoot of this is “form criticism” which was introduced in the 1920s and ‘30s.  Form criticism recognizes the fact that literature is saturated with traditions and culture which, in some cases, can make the truth difficult to pick up.  Form criticism is mainly concerned with striving to uncover the original meaning of the work by reading past the superimposed traditions interwoven in the text. 

The author notes an interesting point, that by using form criticism, readers not only uncover the true meaning of the literature in a historical sense, but that one can also better understand the early church traditions by seeking to separate said traditions from the writing.  This style of criticism is often used in analyzing the New Testament.  The Synoptics are especially good targets I assume because of their more literal writing style compared to the Gospel of John.

While many new methods of analyzing the bible emerged, none were quite as impactful as form criticism.  I can see the importance that form criticism offers in the reading of the bible.  Form criticism is such a useful tool in discerning the true nature of the meaning behind the word of God.  Just like Gnosticism preaches the existence of some secret truth that is uncovered by the knowledge of God, so too does form criticism offer Christians an effective way of clearly seeing the God’s purpose through the bible.  Christians can better discern the path to salvation by eliminating the superfluous details and focusing on the meaning at hand.