A Catholic Guide to the Old Testament

Jeff Cavins is recognized both nationally and internationally as one of the most effective and engaging speakers in the Church today. Few can communicate their love for Jesus Christ with as much zeal, clarity, and enthusiasm as Jeff Cavins. In addition to his outstanding presentations related to Catholic Bible study, Jeff is available to speak on a variety of other faith-formation topics.

After twelve years as a Protestant pastor, Jeff returned to the Catholic Church under the guidance of Bishop Paul Dudley. His conversion story, one of the best known and most inspiring stories of its kind, is chronicled in the best-selling book, My Life on the Rock. After his conversion, Jeff received an MA in Theology from the Franciscan University of Steubenville.

Over the past several decades, Jeff has dedicated his life to developing The Bible TimelineⓇ: The Story of Salvation, a practical, interactive program that helps people read the “big picture” of God’s plan of salvation in Sacred Scripture and understand its meaning for their lives.

For 2025, The Bible Timeline has been refreshed with new videos filmed on location in the Holy Land, Greece, Rome and several other locations, and new presenters such as Fr. Mike Schmitz, Mary Healy, and Dr. Marcellino D’Ambrosio. The Great Adventure Bible Timeline presents the entire sweep of the Bible in a way that is easy to understand and genuinely fun to engage. As the foundational element of The Great Adventure Learning System, the Bible Timeline has revolutionized Catholic Bible Study for hundreds of thousands of Catholics.

Dr. Andrew Swafford is professor of theology at Benedictine College and a national speaker on a variety of Catholic topics including Sacred Scripture, St. John Paul II, and the moral life. Together with Dr. Marcellino D’Ambrosio, he is co-author of What We Believe: The Beauty of the Catholic Faith and co-host of Ascension’s video series under the same title, filmed at 30 holy sites in Rome. With his wife, Sarah, Dr. Swafford is also co-author of Gift and Grit: How Heroic Virtue Can Change Your Life and Relationships. He is also the general editor of, and a contributor to, Ascension’s best-selling Great Adventure Catholic Bible and the Catholic Guide to the Old and New Testaments (2 volumes).

Among Dr. Swafford’s other publications are Ascension’s Bible studies on Romans and Hebrews. Dr. Swafford holds a doctorate in Sacred Theology from the University of St. Mary of the Lake and a master’s degree in Old Testament and Semitic Languages from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. Dr. Swafford is a member of the Society of Biblical Literature, the Academy of Catholic Theology, and is a featured fellow at the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology. Both he and Sarah are available for speaking engagements and can be contacted via Twitter or their website, The Swaffords.

Dr. Swafford is an avid student of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and lives with his wife Sarah and their six children in Atchison, KS.

Dr. Biff Rocha’s area of interest is the intersection of rhetoric and religion. He earned his master’s degree in speech communication and rhetoric from Miami University in beautiful Oxford, Ohio. While there, Biff enjoyed coaching the Miami University debate team. He was a missionary for a decade with the interdenominational parachurch organization, Campus Crusade for Christ. Eventually Biff earned a doctorate in Catholic theology. Biff has taught catechetics at the Pontifical College Josephinum in Columbus, theology at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas, and the American Experience at the University of Dayton.

Dr. Jeffrey Morrow is professor of theology at Franciscan University of Steubenville and is the director of the St. Paul Studies Center at the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology. He is a series editor for the Catholic University of America Press’ Verbum Domini series. He coauthored Ascension’s "A Catholic Guide to the Old Testament" and "A Catholic Guide to the New Testament". Jeff is also the coauthor and co-presenter for the best-selling Ascension study, "Luke: The Story of Salvation Fulfilled", alongside Jeff Cavins. Jeff holds a doctorate and a master’s degree in Catholic theology from the University of Dayton.