sacred texts: scientific fact. When Jewish sacred literature was examined from the new scientific point of view as a set of historical documents, it became clear that it was not a seamless, consistent whole, but contained evolving and changing views from different generations. So at the same time that the new social condition of Jews resulted in narrowing the scope of halakhah, the new scientific approach to history challenged the divine authority of both the Oral and Written Torahs. In response
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