The Sequence of Events

As the materials were assembled and arranged into chapters, careful attention had to be given to the sequence of the events in the Saviour's life. To what extent and in what detail visions provided the sequence in ministry and miracles in Christ's life and work is not known. It is known that a decade earlier she made a significant request: “Tell Mary to find me some histories of the Bible that would give me the order of events.”—Letter 38, 1885. The Gospel writers in their accounts did not help much in the point of sequence. In the absence of direct instruction from Ellen White, or clues in the materials themselves, Miss Davis consulted carefully prepared harmonies of the Gospels, and as the work progressed made considerable use of S. J. Andrews’ Life of Our Lord Upon the Earth, which as noted on the title page took into account “Historical, Chronological, and Geographical Relations.”4BIO 384.5

As the work was thought to be nearing completion in 1896, Marian, working on the three general introductory chapters, “‘God With Us,’” “The Chosen People,” and “‘The Fullness of the Time,’” sought the counsel of Herbert Lacey of the Avondale school on the arrangement of paragraphs. He was a rather youthful graduate of the classical course offered at Battle Creek College. He made some helpful suggestions in the matter of the sequence of the thoughts presented, which, when it became known, gave birth in later years, when he was known as a seasoned college Bible teacher, to rumors that Lacey had a prominent role in authoring the book. In both oral and written statements he flatly denied such a role (DF 508, H. C. Lacey to S. Kaplan, July 24, 1936).4BIO 385.1