There are surely many legitimate approaches to Biblical literature, and I think that it depends very much on one's experience and temperament which way one deals primarily with Biblical material.

The history of interpretation [of the Bible] is fascinating; but that is something else.

I think we may very well, in many areas, get likelihood, but not certitude. We don't want certitude anyway, do we?

There are surely many legitimate approaches to Biblical literature, and I think that it depends very much on one's experience and temperament which way one deals primarily with Biblical material.

I grew up in a household in which the Bible played very little role.

The text says Deuteronomy was lost, but you say it was written then.

We are thrown back on the text, for the most part. Archaeology can give us background. It doesn't either confirm or disprove the Bible, but it may illuminate it.