ABSTRACT
As a voice of the Renaissance, Shakespeare compelled his contemporaries to ponder in a new light the historical claims of the Bible. During the Renaissance, new questions emerged regarding authoritative claims either found in the Bible or imposed upon it. Centuries prior to Shakespeare, the Hebrew tradition generated something akin to literary criticism for both those with eyes to see the subtleties of the multi-layered Hebrew Bible and those with ears to hear its many voices. As Professor Phyllis Rackin has pointed out, a critical reading of the texts was the exception until the Renaissance. During the Renaissance, more people began to realize that human history was not like pieces appearing simultaneously in a medieval tapestry. Renaissance scholars began to see more clearly the need to reconstruct reliable representations, which would require enormous discipline. The Renaissance gave birth to a detailed critique of claims involving spirits and witches.
