How “The Desire of Ages” Was Created

Except for the Bible, and perhaps Steps to Christ, this volume has become the favorite source of spiritual nourishment for hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions of people. Untold numbers have discovered in this book an authenticity that moved them to read other writings of Ellen White. Many thousands have testified that they were led to a saving relationship with Jesus Christ while reading this book. For these reasons, this book has been used extensively in proclaiming the good news of Jesus to youth and unchurched people.MOL 450.2

Ellen White’s interest in writing on the life of Christ began formally after her Lovett’s Grove, Ohio, vision in 1858. ^{50See Bio., vol. 1, p. 366.} This “Great Controversy Vision” was first written out in Spiritual Gifts, volume 1, with more than fifty pages devoted to the life of Christ.MOL 450.3

In 1876-1877 an enlarged narrative of this core vision was published as part of the four-volume series, Spirit of Prophecy. More than 640 pages were devoted to the life of Christ in volumes 2 and 3.MOL 450.4

In the 1890s this material was expanded into three books, The Desire of Ages, Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing, and Christ’s Object Lessons.MOL 450.5

Need for editorial assistance. As discussed on page 109, Ellen White employed editorial help for several reasons: (1) assistants helped her to maintain a rigorous speaking and writing ministry; (2) assistants functioned as her copy editors; ^{51“My heart is inexpressibly sad.... I am not a scholar.... I am not a grammarian.” Selected Messages 3:90. “The rich current of thought takes possession of my whole being, and I lay down my pen, and say, O Lord, I am finite, I am weak, and simple and ignorant; Thy grand and holy revelations I can never find language to express.” Selected Messages 3:118.} (3) a chosen few, such as Marian Davis, were entrusted with bookmaking—the challenge of bringing together what Ellen White had written earlier on all aspects of the life of Christ. ^{52See p. 110. After portions of the manuscript were ready for review, Ellen White would, at times, ask others outside of her editorial circle for their comments. In an 1876 letter to her husband, she wrote: “How will it do to read my manuscript to Elders [J. H.] Waggoner and [J. N.] Loughborough? If there is any wording of doctrinal points not so clear as might be, he might discern it (W., I mean).” Selected Messages 3:104.}MOL 450.6

Need for enrichment of divine insights. Ellen White was a “great reader,” ^{53James White, The Review and Herald, June 21, 1881. See p. 111.} a habit that helped to fill in her broad conceptual framework of God’s love and His plan for the salvation of men and women. This enrichment has added to the descriptive force of The Desire of Ages.MOL 450.7

In her introduction to The Great Controversy (published ten years prior to The Desire of Ages), she wrote that she employed the thoughts, and sometimes the words, of others because their statements provided “a ready and forcible presentation of the subject.” She forthrightly noted that “specific credit” was not often given because she was not “citing that writer as authority.” In other words, her use of the writings of others was not to focus on those writings as authoritative, as if proving a point. She used them to best convey her main point for writing: “to trace the unfolding of the great testing truths,” past and present, and to cast light on “the conflict before us,” all within the context of “the great controversy” between Christ and Satan. ^{54The Great Controversy, pp. x-xii.}MOL 450.8

This kind of appreciation for the best thoughts of others to convey the fresh intent of the prophet’s mind motivated Biblical writers. ^{55See pp. 378-380.} For instance, John the Revelator borrowed forceful statements from noncanonical writers because they fit his overall purposes. He used them, not as authorities, but because their freshness supported his insights better than his own words could. When we understand Ellen White’s overall purpose in her writings, we can see how her use of other books served her purpose.MOL 450.9

When The Desire of Ages passed her final inspection as her best effort to unfold the purpose and manner of Christ’s earthly ministry, the publishing house received a document that was “not a replica of another’s work but rather a customized literary composition which reflects the particular faith and Christian hope she [Ellen White] was called to share with her fellow Adventists and the Christian community at large.” ^{56Fred Veltman, “The E. G. White Research Project,” p. 948.}MOL 450.10

An original work. The Desire of Ages is the product of creativity and selectivity, original and derived. Many authors write their books on blank pages, beginning with chapter one and continuing through to the end. As we noted in reviewing how Steps to Christ was written, ^{57See pp. 444. 445.} Ellen White and her editorial assistants used a method rarely available to other authors: they compiled from her earlier writings (diaries, manuscripts, articles) materials that would achieve the purpose of the next book. In that sense, The Desire of Ages was “derived,” or produced from her previously written material.MOL 451.1

It also was derived when one considers that Ellen White, as a prophet, received instruction from God. Her beloved Bible, especially the four Gospels, became the rich source for her thought framework. And at times from other favorite authors she derived fresh insights that helped her to provide descriptive color in fulfilling her theological purposes. ^{58Current evaluation of Mrs. White’s literary sources in The Desire of Ages suggests that at least twenty-three works were consulted. The Desire of Ages, 934. For a list of these works and their usages in fifteen chapters selected at random, see the Veltman “Project.”}MOL 451.2