101 Questions on the Sanctuary and on Ellen White

93. The Literary Beauty of The Desire of Ages

Many people regard The Desire of Ages as their favorite book, next to the Bible. How do you account for the exceptional beauty of the language in this book? QSEW 101.3

There is a five-fold answer to this question. QSEW 101.4

First, it was Ellen White’s favorite subject. She stated, “You know that my whole theme both in the pulpit and in private, by voice and pen, is the Life of Christ (Selected Messages 3:118).” She wrote abundantly on various aspects of Christ’s life, which gave Marian a large reservoir from which to draw. Marian used only the best. QSEW 101.5

Second, Ellen White was deeply moved as she meditated on Christ’s life, and she transmitted this depth of feeling into her writing. She stated: QSEW 101.6

“In writing upon the life of Christ I am deeply wrought upon. I forget to breathe as I should. I cannot endure the intensity of feeling that comes over me as I think of what Christ has suffered in our world.”—Ibid., pages 118, 119. QSEW 101.7

Third, some choice gems Ellen White gleaned from the works of others found their way into the book. For example, the following exceptional paragraph from Hanna’s Life of Christ, Page 754, she paraphrased for The Desire of Ages, 770, 771: QSEW 101.8

[Quoting St. Gregory] “The heavens knew him, and forthwith sent out a star and a company of angels to sing his birth. The sea knew him, and made itself a way to be trodden by his feet; the earth knew him, and trembled at his dying; the sun knew him, and hid the rays of his light; the rocks knew him, for they were rent in twain; Hades knew him, and gave up the dead it had received. But though the senseless elements perceived him to be their Lord, the hearts of the unbelieving Jews knew him not as God, and harder than the very rocks, were not rent by repentance.” QSEW 101.9

Fourth, Marian Davis’ unique qualifications fitted her well to be the “bookmaker” for The Desire of Ages. She was a truly spiritually minded woman with a natural appreciation for things beautiful. Concerning Marian, D. E. Robinson writes: QSEW 102.1

“She was a well-read woman, a constant Bible student, a woman of deep devotion and spirituality and conscientious in the highest degree. Physically frail, she yet possessed remarkable mental vigor. She was characterized by a rare love and appreciation for the beautiful, whether in nature, art or literature.”—How the Books of Mrs. E. G. White Were Prepared, page 4, White Estate Document File #107g. QSEW 102.2

Fifth, Marian put her whole heart and soul into the preparation of this book. She lived with the task for six years, from 1892-1898. Her correspondence reveals that it was the consuming passion of her life. She once wrote W. C. White, “When I think of the many thousands who will read the book, I want just as little human imperfection as possible to mar its divine beauty” (Marian Davis to W. C. White, April 11, 1897).Even after the entire manuscript received what appears to have been its final typing, Ellen White was adding matter and Marian was still making improvements. She changed “indicate” to “show” and “the courts above” to “the heavenly courts” (The Desire of Ages, 99, line 2). The sentence “It is Gabriel of whom the Savior speaks when he says in the Revelation, that he sent and signified it by His angel unto His servant John,” was altered to read, “Of Gabriel, the Savior speaks in the Revelation, saying that ‘He sent and signified it by His angel unto His servant John.’” Clearly these and many other editorial changes were made with only one object in mind, and that was to enhance the literary quality of the book. (See Olson and Graybill, How The Desire of Ages Was Written, pages 35-37.) QSEW 102.3