For much of the history of both Judaism and Christianity, the Pentateuch—first five books of the Bible—was understood to be the unified work of a single inspired author: Moses. Yet the standard view in modern biblical scholarship contends that the Pentateuch is a composite text made up of fragments from diverse and even discrepant sources that originated centuries after the events it purports to describe. In Murmuring against Moses, John Bergsma and Jeffrey Morrow provide a critical narrative of the emergence of modern Pentateuchal studies and challenge the scholarly consensus by highlighting the weaknesses of the modern paradigms and mustering an array of new evidence for the Pentateuch’s antiquity. By shedding light on the past history of research and the present developments in the field, Bergsma and Morrow give fresh voice to a growing scholarly dissatisfaction with standard critical approaches and make an important contribution toward charting a more promising future for Pentateuchal studies.
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Dr. Jeffrey L. Morrow is Professor of Theology at Franciscan University of Steubenville and the Director of the St. Paul Studies Center at the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Dayton. He spent 15 years as a Professor of Theology at Immaculate Conception Seminary School of Theology at Seton Hall University, and he has served as a visiting scholar at Princeton Theological Seminary and Tantur Ecumenical Institute in Jerusalem. Dr. Morrow was raised culturally Jewish and entered the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil of 1999.
Dr. Morrow is the author and co-author of more than 220 publications including 15 books such as The Word of God Inspired for our Salvation (Scepter, 2026); Catholic Modernism (co-edited with Matt Levering; Emmaus Academic, 2026); A Catholic Guide to the New Testament (with Jeff Cavins; Ascension Press, 2024); Murmuring Against Moses (with John Bergsma; Emmaus Academic, 2023); and Modern Biblical Criticism as a Tool of Statecraft (with Scott Hahn; Emmaus Academic, 2020); and more than 60 scholarly articles and essays in edited volumes and academic journals including Nova et Vetera, Letter & Spirit, International Journal of Systematic Theology, Newman Studies Journal, and the Journal for the History of Modern Theology. Additionally, he has presented more than 60 scholarly papers at professional conferences like the Society of Biblical Literature and the American Academy of Religion.
John Bergsma is professor of Theology at the Franciscan University of Steubenville and a Senior Fellow at the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology. Twice voted Faculty of the Year by graduating classes at Franciscan University, he is a popular teacher whose love of scripture inspires his students.
Bergsma earned Master of Divinity and Master of Theology degrees and served as a Protestant pastor for four years before converting to Catholicism in 2001 while working on his doctorate in theology at the University of Notre Dame. He specialized in Old Testament and the Dead Sea Scrolls, graduating with high honors in 2004. His articles, some coauthored with Scott Hahn, have appeared in the Journal of Biblical Literature and other academic and popular periodicals. A frequent speaker at conferences and parishes, Dr. Bergsma has appeared as a guest on Franciscan University Presents, EWTN’s The Journey Home, and Relevant Radio’s Drew Mariani Show. He and his wife Dawn live with their eight children in Steubenville, Ohio.
