Definition
A method of biblical analysis that studies the original oral forms and social contexts of biblical materials before they were written down. It examines how different literary forms (parables, hymns, legal codes) functioned in the life of ancient communities.
Etymology
Translated from German 'Formgeschichte' (form-history), developed by scholars like Hermann Gunkel in the early 20th century. The method emerged from recognition that biblical texts preserve oral traditions that served specific functions in ancient Israel and early Christian communities before being incorporated into written documents.
Kelly Says
Form criticism is like archaeological excavation of biblical texts—digging through layers of written tradition to uncover the original 'life settings' where stories were first told around campfires, in worship, or during legal proceedings! This method revealed that many Psalms were originally temple liturgies, that Gospel parables preserved Jesus's actual teaching style, and that legal codes reflected real social conflicts in ancient Israel. It's fascinating how form critics can identify a 'hymn fragment' embedded in Paul's letters or recognize when a prophet is using traditional 'lawsuit' language to indict the people.
Translations
AMአማርኛ
ቅርጽ ጥቅስ
qərṣ ṭəqəs
ARالعربية
نقد الشكل
naqd al-shakl
BNবাংলা
রূপ সমালোচনা
rūp samālocanā
CACatalà
crítica de la forma
KREE-tee-kah deh lah FOHR-mah
CSČeština
kritika formy
KREE-tee-kah FOHR-my
DADansk
formkritik
FOHRM-kree-teek
DEDeutsch
Formkritik
FOHRM-kree-teek
ELΕλληνικά
κριτική της μορφής
kritikē tēs morphēs
ESEspañol
crítica de la forma
KREE-tee-kah deh lah FOHR-mah
FAفارسی
نقد شکل
naqd shakl
FISuomi
muotokritiikki
MOO-toh-kree-tee-kee
FRFrançais
critique de la forme
KREE-tee-kuh deh lah FOHR-meh
GUGU
સ્વરૂપ વિવેચન
svarūp vivecan
HAHA
nazarin salon
NAH-zah-rehn SAH-lohn
HEעברית
ביקורת צורה
bikoret tsurah
HIहिन्दी
रूप विवेचन
rūp vivechan
HUMagyar
alak kritika
AH-lak KREE-tee-kah
IDBahasa Indonesia
kritik bentuk
KREE-teek BEN-took
IGIG
nkatọ ụdị
n-kah-toh oo-DEE
ITItaliano
critica della forma
KREE-tee-kah deh-lah FOHR-mah
JA日本語
形式批評
keishiki hihyō
KKKK
түр сипаттама
tüwr sipattama
KMKM
ការវិភាគទម្រង់
kaar vibeak tdong
KO한국어
형식 비평
hyeong-sik bi-pyeong
MRMR
स्वरूप विवेचन
svarūp vivecan
MSBahasa Melayu
kritik bentuk
KREE-teek BEN-took
MYမြန်မာ
ပုံစံ ဝေဖန်ချက်
poun hsañ way hpaan cheh
NLNederlands
vormkritiek
VOHRM-kree-teek
NONorsk
formkritikk
FOHRM-kree-teek
PAPA
ਰੂਪ ਆਲੋਚਨਾ
rūp ālocanā
PLPolski
krytyka formy
KREE-tee-kah FOHR-my
PTPortuguês
crítica da forma
KREE-tee-kah dah FOHR-mah
RORomână
critica formei
KREE-tee-kah FOHR-may
RUРусский
критика формы
KREE-tee-kah FOHR-my
SVSvenska
formkritik
FOHRM-kree-teek
SWKiswahili
uchambuzi wa umbo
oo-CHAHM-boo-zee wah OOM-boh
TAதமிழ்
வடிவ விமர்சனம்
vaṭivam vimarcanam
TEతెలుగు
రూప విమర్శ
rūpa vimarśa
THไทย
วิจารณ์รูปแบบ
wichaian ruup baep
TLTL
pagsusuri ng anyo
pahg-soo-ree ng AH-nyoh
TRTürkçe
biçim eleştiris
BEE-chim eh-LEH-stee-rees
UKУкраїнська
критика форми
KREE-tee-kah FOHR-my
URاردو
شکل کی تنقید
shakl ki tanqeed
VITiếng Việt
phê bình hình thức
peh beeng hinh thuc
YOYO
ìwọ̀n àṣẹ
ee-WOH-n AH-sheh
ZH中文
形式批评
xíng shì pī píng
ZUZU
ukubheka uhlobo
oo-koo-BEH-kah oo-HLOH-boh