Counsels on Christian Worldview

Counsel #5 — Historical Sources

Picture: Counsel #5 — Historical Sources CCW 157.1

Ellen White occasionally used historical sources in her writings—particularly in the book, The Great Controversy. This meant that if those historical sources were incorrect, certain details in her books might be incorrect as well. One instance in which this occurred related to a bell that she had seen in a vision about St. Bartholomew’s Massacre. In the first edition of The Great Controversy she stated that it was the bell of the palace. By the time The Great Controversy had been reprinted, however, Ellen White discovered that historians were divided about the location of the bell and edited her statement to reflect this discovery. While she had seen and heard a bell in vision, God had not revealed its precise location, and the historical sources that she used were not themselves inspired. Ellen White did not view this as a contradiction to her message because she did not claim to be an historian but to simply have prophetic insight about the meaning of historical events.^[232] CCW 157.2

“The simple believes every word, But the prudent considers well his steps.” Proverbs 14:15 NKJV CCW 157.3

“The great events which have marked the progress of reform in past ages, are matters of history, well known and universally acknowledged by the Protestant world; they are facts which none can gainsay…. It is not so much the object of this book to present new truths concerning the struggles of former times, as to bring out facts and principles which have a bearing upon coming events.” Ellen White in The Great Controversy, p. xi.4 CCW 157.4

Reflect: In what ways did Ellen White distinguish her role as a prophet from that of a historian? CCW 157.5