JHC - About Us

There are more and less interesting portions of the Bible, though any of it may become interesting put under a high-enough powered microscope. Even, so, there are certainly more and less fascinating contributions to biblical scholarship. While many periodicals do little but apply that microscope at ever-greater magnitude, yielding lexical studies and plotting the trajectories of this or that Pauline metaphor, we at the Journal of Higher Criticism wish to extricate ourselves from the ancient trees at least long enough to make new maps of the forest. We want to ask new questions that, for the sake of religious orthodoxy or brand-loyalty to conventions of scholarship, scholars seldom ask anymore. Sometimes this is a matter of asking again old questions once dismissed too soon, with inadequate evidence or with facile carping. We cherish no privileged answers but only promote the application of questions.

No one in our culture can deny the power of scripture, whether this one believes in that scripture or not. Thus our contributors study scripture, mostly Western and Near-Eastern (the Bible, Dead Sea Scrolls, Pseudepigrapha, Gnostic writings, Koran, Book of Mormon), from various viewpoints. All that is presupposed is that scripture is either important or fascinating or both. And we propose to study these writings utilizing the tools of historical and literary criticism, refusing to allow dogmatic interests to masquerade as critical axioms.
Gratefully acknowledging the historical role of British, German, French, and American freethinkers in launching critical study of scripture, the Journal of Higher Criticism welcomes the sponsorship of Atheist Alliance International. We trust the scholarly reading public to understand that this proud sponsorship does not imply any attempt to attack or discredit the Bible.

The Journal of Higher Criticism enjoyed the sponsorship of Drew University during our first decade, thanks to the deep involvement of Professor Darrell J. Doughty, whose indefatigable labors at the computer brought each issue into more than theoretical existence. His retirement made it needful to seek new sponsorship and staff, and now we are delighted to thank Dr. Margaret Morrison for assuming layout chores, Carol A. Price for recreating our website, and Bobbi Kirkhart, President of AAI, Tim Lamb, AAI treasurer, and August Berkshire, President of Minnesota Atheists, for their indispensable chores in accounting, storing, mailing, and supervising the whole process.

Board of Editors and Advisors

Submissions