Biblical criticism is the scholarly "study and investigation of biblical writings that seeks to make discerning judgments about these writings".Harper's Bible Dictionary, 1985 Viewing biblical texts as having human rather than supernatural origins, it asks when and where a particular text originated; how, why, by whom, for whom, and in what circumstances it was produced; what influences were at work in its production; what sources were used in its composition; and what message it was intended to convey.