In 1889 it had been more than 40 years since Ellen White had seen in vision the streams of light bearing the third angel's message to all the world. The production of the first copy of Present Truth had been one person's job--the writing, editing, carrying in a carpet bag to the post office.
Since that time great advances in publishing had been made. There were now in 1889 a number of well-equipped publishing houses, well staffed, well organized, with goals to go into all the world.
From the publication of the first Testimony pamphlet in 1855, important instruction, admonition, encouragement, and reproof had reached the church through 31 Testimony pamphlets, each from 16 pages to 240 pages. In 1878 the General Conference session voted that these materials be kept in print and made available to the church in a more permanent form.
S. N. Haskell declared Testimony No. 31 to be "the most solemn one that has been published" (Ibid., October 24, 1882). Early in the Ohio camp meeting a copy arrived, and frequently the entire camp was called together to hear portions read; the hearers were deeply affected (The Signs of the Times, September 7, 1882). G. I. Butler, president of the General Conference, wrote of it, "Never before has so important a testimony been given to us.... It is filled with the choicest matter and the most stirring truths. Never were our dangers set before us as a people more clearly" (The Review and Herald, August 22, 1882). Reported Sanborn, a minister, "How thankful I feel that the Lord has not left us in our darkness and backslidings, but in mercy calls us to hear His special counsel" (Ibid., September 19, 1882).
Many of the earlier writings, published in small printings, had been out of print for years, or partially incorporated in other publications.
Just before the opening of 1883 a little volume bearing the title of Early Writings of Ellen G. White came from the press. It was a book eagerly sought by Adventist families, for it provided Ellen's three earliest books, long out of print:
1. Christian Experience and Views of Mrs. E. G. White, a 64-page pamphlet published in 1851 that presented many of her early visions. This included her first vision, at this time found in no other work.
2. Supplement to Experience and Views, a 48-page pamphlet published in 1854. It explained some points in the preceding work that were not clear to all readers, and added some testimony-type articles on church order, et cetera.
3. Spiritual Gifts,, Volume I, the 219-page presentation of the great controversy
story, published in 1858. Of these writings Butler wrote:
These were the very first of the published writings of Sister White. Since they went out of print, many thousands have become interested in her writings. Many of these have greatly desired to have in their possession all she has written for publication.... It meets a want long felt--(Ibid., December 26, 1882).
In 1885 (the year Ellen White went to Europe) if a new Adventist had wanted to purchase all the E. G. White books available, he or she would have been able to secure the following:
Early Writings, an 1882 republication of the first three E. G. White books issued in the 1850s.
The Spirit of Prophecy, volumes 1-4, which told the great controversy story. The first three were 400-page books, and the fourth, 500 pages.
Testimonies for the Church, volumes 1-4, a reprint of 30 testimony pamphlets issued between the years 1855 and 1881 in four volumes of about 700 pages each.
Two Testimony pamphlets, Numbers 31 and 32.
Sketches From the Life of Paul, a 334-page volume.
Older Adventists might have had Spiritual Gifts,, Volumes I-IV, the forerunners of The Spirit of Prophecy series. The second volume is a biographical work issued in 1860. They might also have had How to Live, comprising six pamphlets on health, each with one feature article from Ellen White, and the balance, related material selected and compiled by her; and a 64-page pamphlet, Appeal to Mothers.
The Great Controversy Theme--Developed And Enlarged
The vision at Lovett's Grove, Ohio, on a Sunday afternoon in mid-March 1858 was one of great importance. In this the theme of the great controversy between Christ and His angels on the one side and Satan and his angels on the other was seen as one continuous and closely linked chain of events spanning 6,000 years. This vision has put Seventh-day Adventists into a unique position with clear-cut views of the working of Providence in the history of our world--a viewpoint quite different from that held by secular historians, who see events of history only as the interplay between the actions of human beings, often seemingly the result of chance or natural developments. In other words, this vision and others of the great conflict of the ages yield a philosophy of history that answers many questions and in prophetic forecast gives the assurance of final victory of good over evil.
The vision lasted for two hours, the congregation in the crowded schoolhouse watching with intense interest all that took place (WCW, in The Review and Herald, February 20, 1936).
In one brief paragraph Ellen White introduced what is thought of today as the principal topic of the March 14 vision:
In this vision at Lovett's Grove most of the matter of the great controversy which I had seen ten years before was repeated, and I was shown that I must write it out (Spiritual Gifts, 2:270). *
Stricken By Satan
Ellen White was shown, in connection with the instruction to write out the vision of the controversy, that "I should have to contend with the powers of darkness, for Satan would make strong efforts to hinder me, but angels of God would not leave me in the conflict, that in God must I put my trust" (Ibid.).
What did this mean? She was to learn before ever she reached home.
Monday the Tillotsons drove them in their comfortable carriage to the railroad station at Freemont, where the next day they took the train for Jackson, Michigan. At this point Ellen picks up the account:
While riding in the cars we arranged our plans for writing and publishing the book called The Great Controversy immediately on our return home. I was then as well as usual.
On the arrival of the train at Jackson we went to Brother Palmer's. We had been in the house but a short time, when, as I was conversing with Sister Palmer, my tongue refused to utter what I wished to say, and seemed large and numb. A strange, cold sensation struck my heart, passed over my head, and down my right side. For a while I was insensible; but was aroused by the voice of earnest prayer.
I tried to use my left arm and limb, but they were perfectly useless. For a short time I did not expect to live. It was the third shock I had received of paralysis, and although within fifty miles (eighty kilometers) of home, I did not expect to see my children again. I called to mind the triumphant season I had enjoyed at Lovett's Grove, and thought it was my last testimony, and felt reconciled to die (Spiritual Gifts, 2:271).
As earnest prayer was continued in her behalf, she soon felt a prickling sensation in her arm and leg, and she praised God that the power of Satan was broken.
Three months later a vision given to her in Battle Creek opened to her what was really behind the distressing experience suffered in the Palmer home.
I was taken off in vision. In that vision I was shown that in the sudden attack at Jackson, Satan designed to take my life to hinder the work I was about to write; but angels of God were sent to my rescue, to raise me above the effects of Satan's attack. I saw, among other things, that I should be blessed with better health than before the attack at Jackson (Ibid., 2:272).
The night after the stroke was one of great suffering, but the next day she seemed sufficiently strengthened to continue the journey by train to Battle Creek. On arrival home she was carried up the steep stairs to the front bedroom in their Wood Street home. She reported:
For several weeks I could not feel the pressure of the hand, nor the coldest water poured upon my head. In rising to walk, I often staggered, and sometimes fell to the floor. In this condition I commenced to write The Great Controversy.
I could write at first but one page a day, then rest three; but as I progressed, my strength increased. The numbness in my head did not seem to becloud my mind, and before I closed that work, the effect of the shock had entirely left me (Ibid.).
While engaged in writing the great controversy story Ellen White had an opportunity to relate what had been shown to her in vision before some 400 believers assembled in Battle Creek for the General Conference called for May 21-24, 1858. In the morning she began her story with the fall of Satan, the plan of salvation, and the great controversy between Christ and His angels and Satan and his. In the evening she continued her narrative until nearly 10:00.
A month later it was reported that the forthcoming book was "in the press," meaning that the publishers had received some of the copy and were setting type. By mid-August Mrs. White had completed her writing, and the book was printed--The Great Controversy Between Christ and His Angels and Satan and His Angels. It was introduced by a 12-page statement from the pen of Roswell F. Cottrell that had appeared in The Review and Herald, February 25, 1858, under the title "Spiritual Gifts." For this wider use Cottrell amplified it somewhat.
The E. G. White text opens with the words:
The Lord has shown me that Satan was once an honored angel in heaven, next to Jesus Christ. His countenance was mild, expressive of happiness like the other angels. His forehead was high and broad, and showed great intelligence. His form was perfect. He had a noble, majestic bearing (Spiritual Gifts, 1:17).
The Review and Herald, September 9, 1858, carried on its back page, under the title "Spiritual Gifts," the notice that the book was ready. It read:
This is a work of 224 pages written by Mrs. White, with an introductory article on the perpetuity of spiritual gifts by Brother R. F. Cottrell. Price 50 cents.
This was the very first printing in book form of the great controversy theme. It was later bound with Volume II of a four-part series titled Spiritual Gifts,. It traces the theme of the constant struggle between Christ and Satan that Mrs. White would continue to develop throughout her life.
Volume I 1858 The Great Controversy Between Christ and His Angels and Satan and His Angels Volume II 1860 My Christian Experience, Views and Labors in Connection With the Rise and Progress of the Third Angel's Message Volume III 1864 Important Facts of Faith in Connection With the History of Holy Men of Old Volume IV 1864 Important Facts of Faith: Laws of Health, and Testimonies Nos. 1-10
The next book carrying the great controversy theme was Volume IV in the series titled Spirit of Prophecy. Volume 1 1870 The Great Controversy Between Christ and His Angels and Satan and His Angels Volume 2 1877 The Great Controversy Between Christ and Satan. Life, Teachings, and Miracles of Our Lord Jesus Christ
Volume 3 1878 The Great Controversy Between Christ and Satan. The Death, Resurrection, and Ascension of Our Lord Jesus Christ Volume 4 1884 The Great Controversy Between Christ and Satan. From the Destruction of Jerusalem to the End of the Controversy
It may be observed from the above that for a period of 30 years, between 1858 and 1888, much of Ellen White's time and thought was given to producing The Great Controversy. During the same period, of course, she produced a great volume of writing for publication in journals, testimonies to individuals, and books.
"The Spirit Of Prophecy"--Volume 4
The first three volumes in the series had been published before James White's death in 1881. It was some time after his death before Ellen recovered sufficiently to settle down to a consistent program of book publication.
Weighing heavily on her mind was Volume 4 of The Spirit of Prophecy series--The Great Controversy Between Christ and His Angels and Satan and His Angels--dealing with the post-Christian Era from the destruction of Jerusalem to the new earth.
James and Ellen had hoped that the closing book in the series would be in the field without too much delay, but during the last two years of his life she could do little with it.
In an endeavor to keep the volumes close to the 400-page mark, volume 3 was held to 392 pages. This cut the story off in the midst of Paul's ministry, leaving him in Thessalonica. It was her plan to begin volume 4 at this point, and she continued writing five more chapters on this basis. But God had other plans; she was instructed through vision to adopt the format now seen in The Great Controversy. The fourth volume was to begin with the account of the destruction of Jerusalem. She followed this instruction. The five unused chapters on New Testament history were included in the second printing of volume 3, even though it made a book of 442 pages.
Instructed To Trace The History Of The Controversy
It was revealed to Ellen White that she should present an outline of the controversy between Christ and Satan, as it developed in the first centuries of the Christian Era and the great Reformation of the sixteenth century, in such a way as to prepare the mind of the reader to understand clearly the controversy going on in the present day. Writing of this in 1888 as she had occasion (just four years after its issuance) to enlarge and revise volume 4, she explained:
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.
In pursuance of this purpose, I have endeavored to select and group together events in the history of the church in such a manner as to trace the unfolding of the great testing truths that at different periods have been given to the world, that have excited the wrath of Satan, and the enmity of a world-loving church....
In these records we may see the foreshadowing of the conflict before us. Regarding them in the light of God's Word, and by the illumination of His Spirit, we may see unveiled the devices of the wicked one.... 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 (The Great Controversy, 14).
Volume 4--The Great Controversy--Finally Ready
A back-page note in The Signs of the Times, October 2, 1884, reported that volume 4, "so long looked for, is now out." It was published simultaneously by both the Pacific Press and the Review and Herald in editions of 5,000 copies each. Before the end of the year the first printing on the West Coast was sold out. Another milestone in Ellen White's writing was now passed. The book was sold to both Seventh-day Adventists and the general public, and 50,000 copies were distributed within several years' time.
By 1888 a far-reaching concept was emerging, with the use of The Great Controversy, volume 4 of The Spirit of Prophecy series, being successfully introduced by colporteurs to the general public. It was a popular book; 10 printings of 5,000 each had come from the presses of the Review and Herald and the Pacific Press in a short time. In 1886 its popularity was enhanced by the introduction of 22 illustrations, and it was printed in a larger page size. This, the sixth printing of the book, met with gratifying sale to the general public. Such a response broadened the vistas as to what could be done with the E. G. White books dealing with the controversy story.
It was the 1888 edition that Ellen White worked on so assiduously during her European tour, dividing her time between writing, public appearances, and traveling. Since the publication of her first vision she had responded to the compulsion to write with a wholehearted dedication of time and energy. Whether on a train or on a ship or in a caravan; whether in California or Basel, her one thought was, I hope I can find time to write. Writing, writing, writing--at all times and in all places. Always prepared with materials. Whenever it was at all possible, she was accompanied by members of her staff (paid from her personal exchequer).
In Europe she was inspired by visiting many of the places associated with the work of the Reformers; e.g., the Waldensian valleys and Switzerland. On a visit to Zurich, where Zwingli had labored and preached, she remarked, "We gathered many items of interest which we will use" (Manuscript 29, 1887).
The manuscript was still unfinished when she arrived back in the United States. She made a number of stops--New England, Battle Creek, and other places--before reaching her home in Healdsburg, where the manuscript was finally finished.
Sources
In writing The Great Controversy Ellen White made use of the writings of others. She explained:
In some cases where a historian has so grouped together events as to afford, in brief, a comprehensive view of the subject, or has summarized details in a convenient manner, his words have been quoted; but in some instances no specific credit has been given, since the quotations are not given for the purpose of citing that writer as authority, but because his statement affords a ready and forcible presentation of the subject (Great Controversy, p. Xii).
She also drew from denominational authors, such as Uriah Smith and J. N. Andrews, in presenting views on prophecy. She had been with the pioneers of the church as they earnestly studied the Bible, and conclusions had been arrived at jointly, hence at times one would be the writer to set them before the public, and at times another. Thus she acknowledged: "In narrating the experience and views of those carrying forward the work of reform in our own time, similar use has been made of their published works" (Ibid.).
No one can mistake that in initially writing the great controversy story Ellen White is describing what she had seen--in vision, but nevertheless a very real experience. And so it is through the entire Spiritual Gifts, volume, with such expressions as "I was shown" or "I saw" or the equivalent, averaging one a page.
The account passes from Creation very briefly down through the experiences of Old Testament history, touching those points prominent in the conflict between the forces of good and of evil. It deals in more detail with the life and ministry of Jesus and the experience of the apostles. At this point Ellen White goes beyond the Bible records and describes the apostasy, at times in symbolic representations. Then she moves into a brief chapter on the Reformation, describing what she saw of the ministry of Martin Luther and Melanchthon. This represented the conflict through postbiblical centuries, and bridged the story to the Advent movement. Twenty chapters fill the last half of the book, and trace the history, past and future, to the new earth. In this little volume there emerged for the first time the concept that links features in world history and church history as a part of the picture of the conflict of the ages.
Just where she may have begun her writing for the book is unknown. She mentions doing such writing two years before James White's death. In 1883 the May 31 issue of the Signs carried as its lead article the beginning of a series of 20 articles featuring Martin Luther as the central figure in the Protestant Reformation. In preparing this material for publication she was fulfilling the commission "to trace the history of the controversy in past ages," selecting and grouping "events in the history of the church." Much of this history had passed before her in vision, but not all the details, and not always in its precise sequence. In a statement presented to the Autumn Council of the General Conference Committee on October 30, 1911--a statement that had been carefully read by Ellen White and carried her written endorsement--W. C. White spoke of how she received light on Reformation history and the manner in which the writings of others were an aid to her in this work.
The things which she has written out, are descriptions of flashlight [flashbulb] pictures and other representations given her regarding the actions of men, and the influence of these actions upon the work of God for the salvation of men, with views of past, present, and future history in its relation to this work.
In connection with the writing out of these views, she has made use of good and clear historical statements to help make plain to the reader the things which she is endeavoring to present. When I was a mere boy, I heard her read D'Aubigné's History of the Reformation to my father. She read to him a large part, if not the whole, of the five volumes. She has read other histories of the Reformation. This has helped her to locate and describe many of the events and the movements presented to her in vision (Selected Messages 3:437).
At another time, in answering questions concerning his mother's literary work, W. C. White wrote:
During her two years' residence in Basel, she visited many places where events of special importance occurred in the Reformation days. This refreshed her memory as to what she had been shown and this led to important enlargement in those portions of the book dealing with Reformation days (WCW to L. E. Froom, December 13, 1934 [see also Ibid., 3:465]).
As The Great Controversy was being prepared for wide distribution to the general public, some materials were deleted. W. C. White explained this:
In her public ministry, Mother has shown an ability to select, from the storehouse of truth, matter that is well adapted to the needs of the congregation before her; and she has always thought that, in the selection of matter for publication in her books, the best judgment should be shown in selecting that which is best suited to the needs of those who will read the book.
Therefore, when the new edition of Great Controversy was brought out in 1888, there were left out about twenty pages of matter--four or five pages in a place--which was very instructive to the Adventists of America, but which was not appropriate for readers in other parts of the world (WCW statement to the General Conference Autumn Council, October 30, 1911 [see also Ibid., 3:438, 439]).
One such deleted item was the first part of the chapter titled "The Snares of Satan," pages 337 to 340. In this she presented a view given her of Satan holding a council meeting with his angels to determine the best manner in which to deceive and mislead God's people. This presentation may be found in Testimonies to Ministers, pages 472 to 475, and, of course, in the facsimile reprint of The Spirit of Prophecy, volume 4.
The Story of The Ministry Of Healing
In the early 1870s James and Ellen White had come to the rescue of the Health Reformer, the monthly health journal issued by Seventh-day Adventists, which was suffering a serious decline. In it, over a period of several years, James White published editorials on Bible hygiene. At the special session of the General Conference in the spring of 1876 he proposed preparing the manuscript for a book on the subject (The Review and Herald, April 6, 1876). The General Conference gave hearty support to this, but other tasks and then his death intervened.
The idea, however, did not die but found fruition in a volume issued in 1890 titled Christian Temperance and Bible Hygiene. Nine chapters from James White's pen filled the last section of the book, "Bible Hygiene." The first part of the volume, "Christian Temperance," was a compilation of a broad spectrum of E. G. White materials on the subject "Health and the Home"--19 chapters in all.
Dr. J. H. Kellogg was drawn in to assist in the compilation of this volume. In the preface, which he wrote, he paid high tribute to the major contribution to the world made by Ellen White in leading out in health teachings. Dr. Kellogg stated that up to that time "nowhere, and by no one, was there presented a systematic and harmonious body of hygienic truths, free from patent errors, and consistent with the Bible and the principles of the Christian religion" (p. iii). He wrote of the enduring nature of the principles she set forth. His closing paragraphs give the history of the book:
This book is not a new presentation of the principles referred to in the above paragraphs, but is simply a compilation, and in some sense an abstract, of the various writings of Mrs. White upon this subject, to which have been added several articles by Elder James White, elucidating the same principles, and the personal experience of Elder J. N. Andrews and Joseph Bates, two of the pioneers in the health movement among Seventh-day Adventists. The work of compilation has been done under the supervision of Mrs. White, by a committee appointed by her for the purpose, and the manuscript has been carefully examined by her.
The purpose in the preparation of this volume has been to gather together, in a condensed form, writings which were scattered through various volumes, and some that have never before appeared in print, so that the teachings of Mrs. White upon this subject might reach as large a number as possible of those for whom they were specially intended; and it is confidently believed that the work will receive a cordial reception, and the earnest consideration which its importance demands (The Ministry of Healing, iv).
Christian Temperance and Bible Hygiene, with Ellen White's consent, was published in Battle Creek by the Good Health Publishing Company. For a number of years it was the standard E. G. White presentation on health. The "Christian Temperance" portion of the book--the E. G. White section--was in whole or in part issued in several of the languages of Europe. In 1905 The Ministry of Healing took its place as the prime E. G. White book on health written for the church and the world--a book for which no revision has ever been requested.