La critique biblique en 1778

Marie-Hélène Cotoni : Biblical criticism in 1778. Around 1778 biblical criticism concerned a small group of specialists. Lessing published Reimarus's Fragments while in France, Voltaire, like d'Holbach and their imitators, waged a battle for the defence of science and earthly happiness. Voltaire, like Reimairus, demonstrated the relative and fabulous nature of Old Testament accounts without probing into the history of myths. Interest was shown for the historical Jesus. Investigations into mentalities accompanied static, common-sense psychological explanations. But Lessing attempted to free exegesis, to discover the different phases of the Bible's development and to show how the text is a stage in humanity's education. History began to overcome theology.Cotoni Marie-Hélène. La critique biblique en 1778. In: Dix-huitième Siècle, n°11, 1979. L'année 1778. pp. 213-233