The Desire of Ages

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The Desire of Ages (DA) is a book about the life and teachings of Jesus Christ, written by the Seventh-day Adventist pioneer Ellen G. White. It was first published in 1889.

(Clarification needed on when DA was published. Two other statements on this post reference the date 1898.)

Development and history

Written at Sunnyside Historical Home in New South Wales, Australia,[1] DA was first published in 1898. It is in the third volume in a five-part series of her writings called the "Conflict of the Ages," that cover biblical material from Genesis to Revelation. They focus on "the battle raging in the universe between Christ and His angels and Satan and his fallen angels."[2] In the third volume, DA focuses on the life of Jesus Christ and the love of God as revealed through Christ.[3] While not set out chronologically, DA covers the entirety of Christ's ministry; from His pre-incarnation to His resurrection and ascension.

DA's compilation emerges from a gradual expansion of writing beginning in 1858. White, in vision, began receiving revelations concerning "the age-long conflict between Christ and Satan".[4] She wrote them down in what we know today as, Spiritual Gifts, Volume 1 (1858). In 1867 and 1877, White rewrote and expanded upon Christ's life further, forming what we know today as, Spirit of Prophecy volumes 2 and 3. In the 1890's, this work expanded still further into three books: Thoughts from the Mount of Blessings (1896) – on the Sermon on the Mount,[5] The Desire of Ages (1898), and Christ's Object Lessons (1900) – on Jesus' parables.[6]

These works, in her own understanding, and in the understanding of many who acknowledge her prophetic gift, were compiled as a result of scenes she was directly shown by God in vision, and from things she was informed to write by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.[4] DA is considered by them to be an inspired book, meaning, a book written under the influence and inspiration of God through His Holy Spirit. While many Adventists do not consider White's writings to be on the same level as the Bible, they do nonetheless consider them to be inspired by the same Holy Spirit which inspired the writers of the Bible.[7]

While considered inspired, White did not possess linguistic and grammatical perfection, and she herself acknowledged this.[4] She would often utilise editorial assistants in preparation for the publication of her manuscripts to both proof and criticise them. For example, she used her husband, a qualified school teacher, when compiling the heretofore mentioned Spiritual Gifts series. At the time of the compilation of DA, her primary Editorial Assistant was Marian Davis. These are two of many examples. Critics of White often highlight her use of assistants as a mark against her prophetic gift. However, White saw her use of assistants no different to Luke using Theophilus for the criticism and examination of his own writings.[8]

Da was originally going to be written as two books. The first book was to be titled, Christ of Bethlehem: Our Brother, and the second, Christ of Calvary: Our Sacrifice.[9] Over the course of time it was decided that the manuscripts would be published as one book titled, The Desire of Ages. DA's title was based on the language of Haggai 2:7: "And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, saith the Lord of hosts." (KJV).

Posthumous publications

Since White's death in 1915, the Ellen G. White Estate published or authorized the publication of the following editions or selections from DA:[10]

  • We Have Seen His Star (1951), 70 pp.  Selected from DA.
  • Lord Is Risen (1952), 96 pp. Selected from DA.  
  • I Will Raise Him Up (1973), 23 pp. Selected from DA.
  • Man Of Destiny (1981), 734 pp. Edition of DA.
  • Message From Calvary (1981), 64 pp. Four chapters from DA.
  • From Heaven With Love (1984), 556 pp. Condensed version of DA.
  • Prophet Without Honor (1984), 408 pp. Selected from DA.
  • The Desire Of Ages (1990), 2 vols: bk. 1 From Heaven With Love; bk. 2 The Destiny Of The World Decided.
  • Messiah: A Contemporary Adaptation Of The Classic Work On Jesus' Life, The Desire Of Ages (2002), 447 pp. Modern paraphrase of DA.
  • Story Of Jesus: From The Manger To The Throne (2003), 141 pp.  Adaptation of DA for children.

See also

Notes

  1. ^ De Berg, Marian (2017). Stories from Sunnyside: Ellen White in Australia, 1891–1900. Warburton, Victoria, Australia: Signs Publishing. ISBN 9781925044676.
  2. ^ "Ellen G. White® Estate: Conflict of the Ages". whiteestate.org. Retrieved 2022-10-04.
  3. ^ "Details — The Desire of Ages — Ellen G. White Writings". m.egwwritings.org. Retrieved 2022-10-04.
  4. ^ a b c Olson, Robert W. (1979). "HOW THE DESIRE OF AGES WAS WRITTEN". Ellen G. White® Estate.
  5. ^ "Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing". m.egwwritings.org. Retrieved 2022-10-04.
  6. ^ "Christ's Object Lessons". m.egwwritings.org. Retrieved 2022-10-04.
  7. ^ "Ellen G. White® Estate: "The Bible and the Bible Only"". whiteestate.org. Retrieved 2022-10-04.
  8. ^ Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, Vol 6. p. 1051.
  9. ^ https://theconflictaudible.com/episodes/volume-3-the-desire-of-ages See: 33:00-34:00.
  10. ^ Crane, Marilyn C. "EGW Bibliography". Loma Linda University: University Libraries.

Sources

  • Arthur L. White, Ellen G. White: The Australian Years, 1891–1900. Hagerstown, MD: Review and Herald, 1983, ch. 32

External links

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