Andrews University professors recently contributed a number of chapters to the new textbook, “Rethinking the Composition of the Pentateuch,” which was published in April by Hendrickson Publishers.

The editors of the textbook include Kenneth Bergland, assistant professor of Old Testament studies at the Adventist International Institute of Advanced Studies; Roy E. Gane, professor of Old Testament at Andrews University; Gary A. Rendsburg, professor of biblical studies, Hebrew language and ancient Judaism at Rutgers University; and A. Rahel Wells, professor of Old Testament at Andrews University. The volume was collaboratively created by the Exploring the Composition of the Pentateuch (ECP) research team, which includes 38 scholars from a variety of faith traditions. The book contains over 40 essays, written in a concise, comprehensive, and accessible manner.

Exploring the Composition of the Pentateuch is an international and inter-religious research project on the origin and writing of the Pentateuch (otherwise known as the Torah, the five books of Moses, or Genesis through Deuteronomy) and the foundational scriptures of Judeo-Christian religion.

“It is widely recognized that current scholarship on the origin of the Pentateuch has been undergoing a breakdown of constructive dialogue between scholarly communities due to fundamental differences of presuppositions and methodologies between them,” observed the leaders of the ECP group. “Against this background, the ECP research team aims to engage the most up-to-date evidence in order to develop a positive model of the composition of the Pentateuch.”

Scholarship on the origin of the Pentateuch has seen significant discoveries during recent decades, accompanied by many differing scholarly theories. “The ECP group is convinced by the biblical data that the best evidence supports the reliability and coherence of the Pentateuch as it presents itself,” said ECP leaders. “Simultaneously, there is a need to reject simplistic readings of the Pentateuch and acknowledge that it is a highly sophisticated and artistic text written in a way that is often foreign to modern culture.”

The scholars participating in the ECP project represent Evangelical, Seventh-day Adventist, Catholic, and Jewish faith traditions. While the majority are from the United States, there are also members working in Brazil, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Israel, Lebanon, and the Philippines. The ECP project initially began as a small, student-led project at Andrews University, started by Bergland and Felipe Masotti. An inaugural conference was held in 2016, and the project has greatly expanded over several years. Seventh-day Adventist scholars—including Bergland, Masotti, Wells, and Gane—have led in organizing the conferences and work of the group.

Most recently, the fourth Exploring the Composition of the Pentateuch Conference took place from Sept. 14–16, 2025. An international team of scholars gathered at Andrews University to present papers and discuss the composition of the Pentateuch. The group focused on revisiting key passages in the scholarly debate to show how source and redaction critical theories are inadequate explanations. They also found convincing explanations of textual phenomena that align better with the self-testimony of the Pentateuchal books themselves.

Based on conference findings, the ECP research team has published two volumes of a four-volume research series. The initial book, published after the first conference, was printed by Eisenbrauns/Penn State University Press in the “Bulletin for Biblical Research Supplement” series with the title “Exploring the Composition of the Pentateuch.” The second volume was published in the same series at the end of 2025, the third will be released in the fall of 2026 and the fourth will come out at the beginning of 2027.

Work on the upcoming 2026 volume, based on recent conference papers, has already begun. The ECP group will meet for a fifth Exploring the Composition of the Pentateuch conference in September 2027.

The original article was published on the Andrews University news site.