Modern biblical scholarship is often presented as analogous to the hard and natural sciences; its histories present the developmental stages as quasi-scientific discoveries. That image of Bible scholars as neutral scientists in pursuit of truth has persisted for too long.
Modern Biblical Criticism as a Tool of Statecraft (1700-1900) by Scott W. Hahn and Jeffrey L. Morrow examines the lesser known history of the development of modern biblical scholarship in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
This volume seeks partially to fulfill Pope Benedict XVI’s request for a thorough critique of modern biblical criticism by exploring the eighteenth and nineteenth century roots of modern biblical scholarship, situating those scholarly developments in their historical, philosophical, theological, and political contexts.
Picking up where Scott W. Hahn and Benjamin Wiker’s Politicizing the Bible: The Roots of Historical Criticism and the Secularization of Scripture 1300-1700 left off, Hahn and Morrow show how biblical scholarship continued along a secularizing trajectory as it found a home in the newly developing Enlightenment universities, where it received government funding.
Modern Biblical Criticism as a Tool of Statecraft (1700-1900) makes clear why the discipline of modern biblical studies is often so hostile to religious and faith commitments today.
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Submit RequestAbout the Authors
Scott Hahn is the Fr. Michael Scanlan Professor of Biblical Theology at Franciscan University of Steubenville, where he has taught since 1990. Founder and President of the St. Paul Center, Dr. Hahn has been married to Kimberly since 1979; they have six children and twenty-four grandchildren. He is the author or editor of over fifty popular and academic books, including best-selling titles Rome Sweet Home, The Lamb's Supper, and the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible.
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.
