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The Seventh-day Adventist Commentary Reference Series is a set of volumes produced primarily by Seventh-day Adventist scholars, and designed for both scholarly and popular level use. It includes the seven-volume Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, the two-volume Seventh-day Adventist Encyclopedia, as well as the single volumes Seventh-day Adventist Bible Dictionary, Seventh-day Adventist Bible Students' Source Book and Handbook of Seventh-day Adventist Theology. The series is published by the church-owned Review and Herald Publishing Association.

The project began with the Bible Commentary, which was first published from 1953 to 1957. Francis D. Nichol served as the editor-in-chief, and oversaw 37 contributors which included associate editors Raymond Cottrell and Don Neufeld, and assistant editor Julia Neuffer. It was revised in 1980. The seventh (last) volume also contains various indexes. The Bible Dictionary was published in 1960 and revised in 1979. The Bible Students' Source Book was published in 1962. The Encyclopedia was published in 1966, with a "Revised Edition" in 1976 and a "Second Revised Edition" in 1996.

According to Cottrell, the publication of the Bible Commentary marked the period when "Seventh-day Adventist study of the Bible came of age", and when the so-called 'proof-text' method of defending Adventist beliefs "began to give way to an objective investigation of Scripture using the historical-contextual-linguistic method."^[1] It was the first systematic expository of the entire Bible made by the Adventist church, the first such to be consistently based on the original languages of the Bible, and the first to consistently incorporate cutting edge archaeological research to provide a historical context for interpretation.^[2]

Volumes

The volumes include:

Bible Commentary:
1. Genesis to Deuteronomy
2. Joshua to 2 Kings
3. 1 Chronicles to Song of Solomon
4. Isaiah to Malachi
5. Matthew to John
6. Acts to Ephesians
7. Philippians to Revelation

Others:
8. Bible Dictionary
9. Bible Students' Source Book
10. Encyclopedia: A–L
11. Encyclopedia: M–Z
12. Handbook of Seventh-day Adventist Theology

Point of view

In his instructions to the contributors, Nichol explained the commentary was not "to crystallize once and for all a dogmatic interpretation".^[3] Where there were several notable interpretations, each major view was presented in a fair manner, but a consensus opinion of the editors was also given.^[4] It did not attempt to finalize doctrinal positions nor take stands on debatable points, but to assist readers in making their own conclusions.^[5] Cottrell said,

"In instances where our collective judgment could not conscientiously support a particular traditionally held interpretation, we sought in an inoffensive way to present the evidence and give the reader an opportunity to make up his or her own mind. At times the expression 'Seventh-day Adventists have taught that...' or its equivalent was our ironic way of expressing collective editorial judgment that the interpretation so characterized is not exegetically valid. Accurate exegesis was our primary concern."^[6]

Nichol also required that no statement in the commentary should contradict the writings of Ellen White.^[7] However the editors discovered that White sometimes interprets Scripture differently from what the original context implies, and this was for a homiletical (preaching, and/or to convince or persuade) rather than exegetical (strict interpretation) use.^[8]

Theological challenges

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Certain Bible passages and topics presented significant challenges for the editors. As Cottrell wrote,

"What should an editor do with 'proof texts' that inherently do not prove what is traditionally attributed to them—as, for example, Numbers 14:34 and Ezekiel 4:6; Revelation 12:17 and 19:10; Daniel 12:4; Isaiah 2:4 and Micah 4:1,2; and most of the texts usually cited with respect to 'the law'? In most of these and a number of other passages, pastoral concern led us to conclude that the Commentary was not the place to make an issue of the Bible versus the traditional interpretation, much as this disappointed us as Bible scholars and would be a disappointment to our scholarly friends who know better."^[9]

The "us" Cottrell is referring to are the "[m]embers of the editorial team".^[10]

History

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The idea for the commentary originated with J. D. Snider, book department manager of the Review and Herald Publishing Association, in response to a demand for an Adventist commentary like the classical commentaries of Jamieson-Fausset-Brown, Albert Barnes, or Adam Clarke.^[11] Snider and the Review and Herald board nominated Francis D. Nichol, who was editor-in-chief of the church's flagship publication, the Review and Herald (now the Adventist Review). After consulting with lecturers at the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary and others, Nichol assembled a team of individuals to work on the commentary.

Nichol stated that the Commentary would not have been possible without the theologically open climate in the church during the 1950s and 60s.

Contributors

The full time members of the team included editor-in-chief Francis Nichol, associate editors Don F. Neufeld and Raymond F. Cottrell, and assistant editor Julia Neuffer.^[12] In addition there were six part time editors - Leona Running and Earle Hilgert, who were teachers at the Seminary; and Alger Johns, Herbert Douglass, Bernard Seton and James Cox, who were graduate students recommended by the Seminary.^[13] Although not officially a member of the commentary team, leading archaeologist Siegfried Horn provided his expertise at all stages of the project, and also contributed the most manuscript pages of any author.^[14]

According to Cottrell,

"Each writer received a formal contract that promised the sum of one dollar per manuscript page—scarcely enough to pay for typing the manuscript! The privilege of participating in the project was, presumably, to be a writer's principal reward."^[15]

Most of the contributors were Bible scholars who taught at Adventist colleges.

The full list of authors was included in each volume of the commentary, however it was not specified which authors wrote which articles. Nichol decided on this approach for the privacy of the contributors, and also because substantial editing was often required in order to produce a consistent style, so that the responsibility of the content ultimately rested on the editors. Cottrell later published a full list of articles and corresponding contributors, when he felt that such protection was unnecessary.^[16]

Nichol estimated that the editorial process alone consisted of more than 77,000 hours of work.^[17]

References

1. ^ The Untold Story of the Bible Commentary by Raymond Cottrell, p. 35
2. ^ Cottrell, 35
3. ^ Cottrell, 38
4. ^ Cottrell, 39
5. ^ Cottrell, 39
6. ^ Cottrell, 40
7. ^ Cottrell, 44
8. ^ Cottrell, 44
9. ^ Cottrell, 43–44
10. ^ Cottrell, 43
11. ^ Cottrell, 36
12. ^ Cottrell, 37
13. ^ Cottrell, 38
14. ^ Cottrell, 38
15. ^ Cottrell, 38
16. ^ Cottrell, 48–51
17. ^ Cottrell, 40

See also the Preface for most of the volumes in the series, which contains some historical background, particularly of the Encyclopedia.

External links

"The Untold Story of the Bible Commentary" by Raymond Cottrell, in Spectrum 16:3 (August 1985), p. 35–51

Seventh-day Adventist Church

Classification Protestant
Orientation Adventist; Arminian
Polity Modified presbyterian polity
Founder Ellen G. White, James White, Joseph Bates, J. N.
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For the magazine formerly known as the Review and Herald, see .

The Review and Herald Publishing Association is one of two major Seventh-day Adventist publishing houses in North America and is the oldest institution of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
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Francis David Nichol (1897–1966) was a Seventh-day Adventist editor, author, and leading twentieth-century apologist for the prophetic ministry of Ellen G. White.

Born in Australia, Nichol's parents became Adventists after reading a discarded copy of the
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Raymond Forrest Cottrell (1912–2003) was a Seventh-day Adventist theologian. He was an associate editor of both the Adventist Review and the Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary.
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Prooftexting is the practice of using decontextualised quotations from a document (often, but not always, a book of the Bible) to establish a proposition rhetorically through an appeal to authority.
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GENESIS is a project maintained by The Women's Library at London Metropolitan University. It provides an online database and a list of sources with an intent to support research into women's history.
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Tanakh
Torah | Nevi'im | Ketuvim
Books of the Torah
1. Genesis
2. Exodus
3. Leviticus
4. Numbers
5.
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Tanakh
Torah | Nevi'im | Ketuvim
Books of Nevi'im
First Prophets
1. Joshua
2. Judges
3. Samuel
4. Kings
Later Prophets
5. Isaiah
6. Jeremiah
7.
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prevew not available
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The Song of Solomon or Song of Songs (Hebrew title
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The Gospel of Matthew is a synoptic gospel in the New Testament, one of four canonical gospels. It narrates an account of the life and ministry of Jesus. It describes his genealogy, his miraculous birth and childhood, his baptism and temptation, his ministry of healing and
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"John" in the Bible

Johannine literature
Gospel of John
First Epistle of John
Second Epistle of John
Third Epistle of John
Revelation
Authorship of literature

Names
John the Apostle
Disciple whom Jesus loved
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Acts of the Apostles is a book of the Bible, which now stands fifth in the New Testament. It is commonly referred to as simply Acts. The title "Acts of the Apostles" (Greek Praxeis Apostolon
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Epistle to the Ephesians is one of the books of the Bible in the New Testament.^[1] Paul is traditionally said to have written the letter while he was in prison in Rome (around 62 A.D.).
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Epistle to Philippians (or just Philippians) is a book included in the New Testament of the Bible. It is a letter from St. Paul to the church of Philippi.

Authorship

Pauline authorship of Philippians is "universally accepted" (Beare, p.
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Book of Revelation, also called Revelation to John or Apocalypse of John, (literally, apocalypse of John; Greek, Αποκαλυψις Ιωαννου, Apokalupsis Iōannou
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Ellen Gould White (née Harmon) (November 26, 1827 – July 16,1915) born to Robert and Eunice Harmon, was an American Christian leader whose prophetic ministry was instrumental in founding the Sabbatarian Adventist movement that led to the rise of the
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Homiletics (Gr. homiletikos, from homilos, to assemble together), in theology the application of the general principles of rhetoric to the specific department of public preaching. The one who practices or studies homiletics is called a homilist.
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Exegesis (from the Greek ἐξηγεῖσθαι 'to lead out') involves an extensive and critical interpretation of an authoritative text, especially of a holy scripture, such as of the Old and New
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For the magazine formerly known as the Review and Herald, see .

Albert Barnes (1798–1870) was an American theologian, born at Rome, New York, on December 1, 1798. He graduated from Hamilton College, Clinton, New York, in 1820, and from Princeton Theological Seminary in 1823.
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Adam Clarke (1760 or 1762–1832) was a British Methodist theologian and Biblical scholar. He is chiefly remembered for writing a commentary on the Bible which took him forty years to complete and which was a primary Methodist theological resource for two centuries.
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Adventist Review is the official newsmagazine of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Commonly known as the Review, it is published weekly by the Review and Herald Publishing Association.
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The Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary (SDATS) is the seminary located at Andrews University in Michigan, the Seventh-day Adventist Church's flagship university. Since 1970 the SDATS has been accredited by the Association of Theological Schools .
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