101 Questions on the Sanctuary and on Ellen White

54. Historical Errors in Ellen White’s Writings

Ford asserts that “scholars are discovering historical errors in chapter after chapter of Great Controversy” (Ford, Page 586). What are the facts? QSEW 47.8

The facts are these: The Great Controversy is not a history textbook, but the message it contains was inspired by the Spirit of God and is completely reliable. Ellen White states, “I was moved by the Spirit of the Lord to write that book” (Colporteur Ministry, 127). In her introduction to The Great Controversy, the author states: QSEW 48.1

“As the Spirit of God has opened to my mind the great truths of His Word, and the scenes of the past and the future, I have been bidden to make known to others that which has thus been revealed—to trace the history of the controversy in past ages, and especially so to present it as to shed a light on the fast-approaching struggle of the future.”—Page xiii. QSEW 48.2

Many important episodes in the history of God’s people, from the creation of Adam to the new earth, were shown to Ellen White in vision. In her earliest account of The Great Controversy we find such statements as “I saw a sadness came over Adam’s countenance” and “I then looked, and saw the fire which had consumed the wicked” (Spiritual Gifts 1:21, 218). Elsewhere she specifically declared, “Events in the history of the reformers have been presented before me” (Selected Messages 3:110). QSEW 48.3

While many events of the past were shown to her, neither Ellen White nor her son ever claimed that every historical detail mentioned in her works was provided by the Lord in vision. Ellen White says that she used “facts” which were “well known and universally acknowledged.” (See The Great Controversy, xiii, xiv.) She wrote, for example, “In 1816 the American Bible Society was founded (The Great Controversy, 287).” There is no reason to believe that this type of information was supplied in vision. W. C. White states: QSEW 48.4

“The framework of the great temple of truth sustained by her writings was presented to her clearly in vision. In some features of this work, information was given in detail. Regarding some features of the revelation, such as the features of prophetic chronology, as regards the ministration in the sanctuary and the changes that took place in 1844, the matter was presented to her many times and in detail many times, and this enabled her to speak very clearly and very positively regarding the foundation pillars of our faith. QSEW 48.5

“In some of the historical matters such as are brought out in Patriarchs and Prophets and in Acts of the Apostles, and in 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.”—Selected Messages 3:462. QSEW 49.1

In a letter to W. W. Eastman, W. C. White declared: QSEW 49.2

“When Controversy was written, Mother never thought that the readers would take it as authority on historical dates or use it to settle controversy regarding details of history, and she does not now feel that it should be used in that way.”—Selected Messages 3:447. QSEW 49.3

W. C. White also wrote S. N. Haskell on the same subject, stating that: QSEW 49.4

“We will make a great mistake if we lay aside historical research and endeavor to settle historical questions by the use of mother’s books as an authority when she herself does not wish them to be used in any such way.”—W. C. White to S. N. Haskell, October 31, 1912, White Estate Document File #65. (See further, question 83.) QSEW 49.5

In making her case for the future, Ellen White built not only on the revelations God gave her, but also on the records of the past. She made no attempt to write an authoritative history textbook. Rather, in the words of W. C. White, “The principal use of the passages quoted from historians was not to make a new history, not to correct errors in history, but to use valuable illustrations to make plain important spiritual truths” (W. C. White to L. E. Froom, February 18, 1932). No doubt God led Ellen White to lean on those historians who wrote basically from His point of view. Where their larger features were in accord with the panoramic scenes shown her, she felt free to draw from their works, even though these works may not have been perfect in every respect. QSEW 49.6

It should not be surprising to learn that as Ellen White gathered information from secular historians to develop her great controversy theme, some inaccuracies crept into her own book. When new printing plates for The Great Controversy had to be made in 1911, the author used the occasion as an opportunity to correct the discrepancies which were brought to her attention. For example, she changed the reading on page 50 from “He styles himself ‘Lord God the Pope’” in the 1888 edition to “He has been styled ‘Lord God the Pope’” in the 1911 edition. She modified the reading on page 65 from “The Waldenses were the first of all the people of Europe to obtain a translation of the Holy Scriptures” in the 1888 edition to “The Waldenses were among the first ...” in the 1911 edition, etc. QSEW 49.7

Even if some inaccurate historical statements still remain in The Great Controversy, this in no way weakens the message of the book. Ellen White says, “God gave me the light contained in The Great Controversy” (Colporteur Ministry, 129). That light is needed in the church and in the world today more than ever before. QSEW 50.1