Murmuring Against Moses: The Contentious History and Contested Future of Pentateuchal Studies

by John Bergsma; Jeffrey Lawrence Morrow

Publisher:

Emmaus Academic

, 2023

Overview

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.

Key Features

• Provides a critical narrative of the emergence of modern Pentateuchal studies.
• Gives fresh voice to a growing scholarly dissatisfaction.
• Makes an important contribution toward charting a more promising future for Pentateuchal studies.

Praise for the Print Edition

Meticulously researched, this work recovers academic voices long silenced by the reigning paradigms in Pentateuch study and adds refreshing new evidence to argue for the unity and antiquity of the Pentateuch. Members of all faiths holding a high view of Scripture will find in it a treasured resource.

--Joshua Berman, Bar-Ilan University.

A fascinating book that combines in a unique way an overview of dissident Pentateuchal research in the last 150 years, a revelation of the major shortcomings of Pentateuch models (especially the very obvious absence of any Zion theology in the Pentateuch that urgently asks for a convincing explanation), and a research history on Pentateuchal research from antiquity to the classic formulation of the Documentary Hypothesis by Julius Wellhausen. Students and colleagues will benefit greatly from it and will be encouraged to break new ground in their own Pentateuchal studies.

--Benjamin Kilchör, Staatsunabhängige Theologische Hochschule, Switzerland

A thoroughly researched and well-argued presentation. . . . If the authors are correct, which I believe they are, then there should be no ‘future’ to this long-lived hypothesis in Pentateuchal studies.

--Edwin M. Yamauchi, Miami University

Product Details

• Title: Murmuring against Moses: The Contentious History and Contested Future of Pentateuchal Studies
• Authors: John Bergsma, Jeffrey Lawrence Morrow
• Publisher: Emmaus Academic
• Print Publication Date: 2023
• Logos Release Date: 2023
• Pages: 308
• Era: era:contemporary
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
• Subjects: Moses (Biblical leader); Bible. O.T. Pentateuch › Criticism, interpretation, etc
• ISBNs: 9781645851509, 9781645851516, 1645851508, 1645851516
• Resource ID: LLS:MRMRNGMSSPNTTST
• Resource Type: Monograph
• Metadata Last Updated: 2024-03-25T20:22:56Z