What Should They be Saying about Biblical Inspiration? A Note on the State of the Question

Abstract

Since the promulgation of Vatican Il's Dei verbum, exegetes and theologians have paid scant attention to the subject of biblical inspiration and the theology of inspiration. The author argues that developing a theology of inspiration first requires location of the doctrine within its proper context, namely, the doctrine of revelation. Next, inspiration needs to be carefully distinguished from revelation so as to clarify how the word of God may be said to find expression in human words.