Morris Thorne, DD, is a Doctor of Divinity in his early forties, a robust man with a trimmed beard and a jovial smile. His pleasing countenance hides a sharp mind. He is working on a new translation of the Bible and hopes that he and other colleagues can move forward soon with their plans to publish a new English bible in the modern idiom. He sees Professor Smith as an ally in persuading the powers that be at Cambridge and Oxford that a modern English bible would be a powerful tool for promoting Christianity in an increasingly secular world. He is part of the faculty at Cambridge and often spends time with Smith at his family home -- when he is there.

Thorne is athletic (as much as a middle-aged man can be) playing rugby football and sculling when he can. He's a rotten cricketer, something he feels bad about and tries hard to improve. He teaches various language courses at the college and has been invited from time to time to deliver a guest sermon at various Church of England parishes in the area.