Etymology

lower criticism

Today it means: Synonym of textual criticism (“scientific reconstruction of original historical texts”). Full definition →

German niedere Kritik
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The story

  1. German · calque ofniedere Kritik
  2. English todaylower criticism

Calque of German niedere Kritik. In contrast to higher criticism, i.e. historical criticism, the broader interpretation of texts as historical sources, understood as building on the results of “lower criticism”.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.