It was the first systematic expository of the entire Bible made by the Adventist church, the first such to consider the original, biblical languages behind the English text of the King James Version, and the first to consistently incorporate contemporary archaeological research to provide a historical context for interpretation.
[3] It did not attempt to finalize doctrinal positions nor take stands on debatable points, but to assist readers in making their own conclusions.
[3] 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.
After consulting with lecturers at the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary and others, Nichol assembled a team to work on the commentary.
[7] In addition there were six part-time editors – Leona Running and Earle Hilgert, who were professors at the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary; and Alger Johns, Herbert Douglass, Bernard Seton and James Cox, who were graduate students recommended by the Adventist Seminary.
[2] Although not officially a member of the commentary editorial team, archaeologist Siegfried Horn contributed throughout the project and submitted the most manuscript pages.
Nichol adopted this approach to protect contributor privacy and because many submissions required substantial revision by the editors.