In Principio

Beyond Wellhausen: A Groundbreaking, Evidence-Based Defense of the Historical Genesis.For over a century, the study of the Pentateuch has been dominated by critical theories that question its historical reliability, proposing that books like Genesis are a late compilation of conflicting sources filled with anachronisms and contradictions. This has created a crisis of confidence for many serious students of Scripture. But what if this dominant critical framework is built on flawed, outdated assumptions? IN PRINCIPIO: A TREATISE ON THE BOOK OF GENESIS challenges the scholarly consensus head-on, dismantling the foundations of the Documentary Hypothesis and constructing a powerful, cumulative case for the antiquity and faithful transmission of the biblical text.

Author Jesús Fernández-Pedrera presents a more coherent and evidence-based paradigm: a “historical core with editorial updates”. This model argues that a core body of traditions, originating in the world of the patriarchs and associated with Moses, was scrupulously preserved by generations of scribes. Acting in accordance with the known literary practices of their time, these scribes faithfully transmitted the sacred text while making necessary updates to ensure its clarity for his generation. This book is a constructive project that rebuilds the case for Genesis as a trustworthy record of salvation history.

Drawing on the latest discoveries in archaeology, textual criticism, and Ancient Near Eastern studies, IN PRINCIPIO builds its compelling argument piece by piece:

A New Look at Ancient Scribes: Discover how the literary practices of the Ancient Near East, exemplified by the transmission of works like the Epic of Gilgamesh, reveal a paradigm of “stability and adaptation”.

The Verdict of the Dead Sea Scrolls: Understand the revolutionary impact of the Qumran manuscripts, which provide textual evidence of the Pentateuch from a thousand years before the great Masoretic codices. This book demonstrates how the scrolls confirm the astonishing stability of the text’s core, refuting theories of a late-stage redaction and proving the antiquity of the tradition.

Stunning Archaeological Corroboration: Uncover the echoes of the patriarchal world in clay and stone. This treatise delves into the legal archives of Mari (18th century BC) and Nuzi (15th century BC), revealing dozens of parallels to the social customs described in Genesis-from adoption and surrogacy laws to the significance of household idols (teraphim) and the legal transfer of a birthright. Learn why the price Joseph’s brothers received for selling him into slavery-20 shekels of silver-is a precise match for the documented slave prices of the Middle Bronze Age, a detail a later forger would be unlikely to know.

Rigorous Defense of Foundational Narratives: IN PRINCIPIO provides in-depth analysis of the most contested passages, offering robust defenses for the historicity of a single founding couple (Adam and Eve), the complementary nature of the two Creation accounts, the plausible basis of the Flood and Tower of Babel narratives in real, localized historical events, and the authenticity of the patriarchal journeys within the geopolitical landscape of the second millennium BC.

A Coherent Theological Framework: Grounded in the Catholic Church’s understanding of divine revelation as articulated in Dei Verbum.

An essential resource for seminarians, clergy, theologians, and serious lay students of Scripture who are no longer satisfied with outdated critical theories and seek a faith-affirming yet academically rigorous engagement with the Book of Genesis.