By Angel Manuel Rodríguez

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 the topic cannot be exaggerated since it places on the table for analysis that from which we derive our message and life style. Consequently, the way we understand revelation and inspiration, that is to say the very nature of the Bible, will have a direct effect on our faith and practice, and on the role of the interpreter.IRI 1.1

Studies made on the history of revelation/inspiration in the Adventist church have indicated that our pioneers simply took for granted the traditional Protestant view of verbal inspiration and that the topic began to be seriously addressed only after 1882. ^{1See Alberto Ronald Timm, “A History of Seventh-day Adventist Church Views on Biblical and Prophetic Inspiration (1844-2000),” Journal of the Adventist Theological Society 10.1, 2(Spring-Autumn 1999): 486-542.} Subsequent discussions of the subject indicate that the church was uncomfortable with verbal inspiration and that other options were being explored, such as the theory of degrees of inspiration proposed by George I. Butler.IRI 1.2