“Bible Histories” and other books

Since the Lord apparently did not reveal the order of biblical events to Ellen White, she found it necessary to seek this information as best she could by her own personal study from various “Bible histories” (p. 21, par. 2). She also appears to have used some books which dealt more specifically with the life of Jesus. She instructed her family in Oakland to send her certain books which she had “laid out.” (p. 17, par. 5). She does not name these books, but it is likely that one of them was William Hanna’s Life of Christ, since some of her phraseology in Spirit of Prophecy, Volume II, written at this time, is similar to the language of Hanna. The extent and nature of her use of Hanna can be determined only by a careful analysis of these books. ^{4For the benefit of those who may wish to make comparisons between Hanna’s work and that of Ellen White, the White Estate has reproduced several hundred copies of five chapters drawn from Hanna’s Life of Christ. These are available on a complimentary basis while the supply lasts.} Ellen White used both the Bible and historical sources in the preparation of her other “conflict books” as well. W. C. White states,HDAW 5.2

In some of the historical matters such as are brought out in Patriarchs and Prophets, and in Acts of the Apostles and in The Great Controversy, the main outlines were made very clear and plain to her, and when she came to write up these topics, she was left to study the Bible and history to get dates and geographical relations and to perfect her description of details.—W. C. White Correspondence File. ^{5For the most informative and concise statement from her own pen as to her use of the historical material of other authors see her Introduction to The Great Controversy.}HDAW 5.3

It may come as a new thought to some that Ellen White, in writing an inspired book, should at times draw not only phraseology but certain types of information from previously existing sources. But those who have studied the Bible carefully will not find this thought disturbing inasmuch as they will have noted that the Scripture writers also followed this practice. For example, the Apostle Paul more than once used lines from Greek poets, and Jude included a passage in his little epistle which someone else had written at least a hundred years earlier. (See SDA Bible Commentary on Acts 17:28, 1 Corinthians 15:33, and Jude 14).HDAW 6.1