EGW
Following the publication of the materials on the life of Christ and the ministry of the apostles in the Signs of The Times Articles in 1876, 1877, and 1878, and the publication of the same materials in The Spirit of Prophecy, volumes II and III, Ellen White expected to be able to begin to furnish chapters for her anticipated Volume IV as Signs articles in late 1878 or early 1879. But her husband, James White, was worn and at times ill, and his care and other pressing tasks drew heavily on Mrs. White. She was unable to prepare the copy as she had expected to do, and under these circumstances, in order to provide Signs articles she turned to Old Testament history which she had presented in 1870 in The Spirit of Prophecy, Volume I. ST January 9, 1879, Art. A, par. 1
Since this volume was written primarily for the reading of church members, she thought it desirable in presenting these materials in our missionary journal to edit the chapters, adapting them for the enlarged reading audience. In some cases she added matter and in others deleted that which was less appropriate for the general reader. The expressions “I saw” and “I was shown” appearing in the 1870 volume were not carried through to the Signs articles. The 93-part series was begun in January, 1879, and continued to February, 1882. There were slight variations in the opening chapters and considerable rewriting in the later ones. Inasmuch as this presentation of Old Testament history is a variant from the 1870 Spirit of Prophecy account, all the articles are included in this facsimile reprint. ST January 9, 1879, Art. A, par. 2
The variations in this printing demonstrate the work done by Mrs. White, with the help of her literary assistants, in the adaptation of her materials to meet the needs of various groups to whom she was presenting her message]. ST January 9, 1879, Art. A, par. 3
White Trustees.