Inspiration and Historicity

The word inspiration can have different meanings. An orchestra can give an inspired performance. Artists can speak about what inspires them. Athletes are inspired by their Olympic goals. In each case inspiration is something quite different from what the Apostle Paul meant when he said: “All Scri...

Some people have been perplexed by the difference in translation of various Bible texts as well as some additions or deletions of parts of verses in Scripture. In order to evaluate these claims we need to understand how biblical texts were preserved and transmitted. This brief overview intends to...

Among Adventists the question of the reliability of Bible translations and especially the question which Bible translation to choose have come up again. In his lectures Walter Veith, a zoologist, claims that the so-called Textus Receptus must be chosen on which the King James Version (KJV) and ...

I. The Notion of Historical Conditioning What does it mean to say that the Bible is historically conditioned, and how can this allegation be made when the Bible explicitly says that all of Scripture is inspired by God? (2 Tim 3:15-17). To begin with, when contemporary critical theologians say tha...

The topic of revelation and the inspiration of the Bible has become a central theological issue among Adventist theologians and many interested church members. The significance of the topic cannot be exaggerated since it places on the table for analysis that from which we derive our message and l...

Have you ever wondered what sacred books are all about? The Bible is such a book. The word “Bible” means originally “book.” It claims to be the book, different from all other books. Therefore, it has also been called “Scripture,” Holy Scriptures,” and the “Word of God” and has become the founda...

Introduction Since the Biblical Research Committee’s earlier inserts in the Ministry magazine have drawn favorable response, the committee is pleased to present this paper on “The Unity of the Bible,” by Dr. Gerhard F. Hasel, professor of Old Testament Studies and chairman of that department at...

Part One - A Divine Hand Guiding The history of modern language translations of the New Testament is fascinating and yet sometimes poorly understood. What happened to the original New Testament writings as they came from the hands of the apostles? What types of witnesses to the New Testament are ...

In the preface of his book, God Our Contemporary, J. B. Phillips makes this incisive observation on our times: Ours is a God-starved community. There is little real moral authority, because no ultimate Authority is known or acknowledged. Since there is no accepted standard of values beyond the ...