"Whereas, for long centuries, the Bible had been a self-legitimating text -- it was authoritative because, in affirming itself as God's Word, it affirmed its own authority -- now biblical authority was reassigned to the world of human beings. No longer tied to God's Word, the Enlightenment Bible became authoritative by virtue of its connection and relevance to human morality, aesthetics, and history. Instead of theology, culture would be the new rock atop which the legitimacy of the Bible was built.
"In this moment, the Bible was made into a piece of "heritage". In turn, this transformation of the Bible became a key element of 19th century Bildungskultur, the culture of education that helped shape nations and institutions for two hundred years. The shift from a biblical to a neohumanist paradigm was profound, however, and required a total realignment of values away from Hebraic norms and toward classical or nationally normative ones."
--The Enlightenment Bible, Jonathan Sheehan, 2005, p. xiv.
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