Prophets and Their Use of Literary Assistants

Andrews University Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary PROPHETS AND THEIR USE OF LITERARY ASSISTANTS A Paper presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Course GSEM 510: Revelation, Inspiration and Hermeneutics by Justin M. I. Torossian Fall, 2014 ! ! CONTENTS Introduction .............................................................................................................................. 3 God’s Method of Inspiration.................................................................................................... 3 Definition of Terms .............................................................................................................. 4 Biblical Insights..................................................................................................................... 5 Models of Inspiration............................................................................................................. 6 Word Insufficient, but Important............................................................................................ 8 Biblical Examples of Literary Assistants................................................................................ 11 Jeremiah and Baruch ............................................................................................................ 11 New Testament Writers......................................................................................................... 12 Ellen White and Her Literary Assistants................................................................................ 14 In The Early Days................................................................................................................. 14 Expansion of Ministry, Increasing Need .............................................................................. 16 How Did Assistants “Edit”? ................................................................................................. 17 Conclusion................................................................................................................................. 19 BIBLIOGRAPHY....................................................................................................................... 21 2 Introduction Can genuine prophets have secretaries? If prophets are spokespeople for an infallible God, then why would they need any assistance in writing their messages? If someone is given the gift of prophecy and inspired by the Holy Spirit, would they be beyond the need of literary assistants? The following pages will be an attempt to answer these questions, and more. By first establishing the meaning of revelation and inspiration, assessing two key Bible passages on the topic, and examining three models of inspiration, we will set the foundation for understanding prophets utilizing the help of literary assistants. In our next section we will examine a few examples from both the Old and New Testament, seeing what their practices were in regards to literary assistants. In the final section we will conclude by examining the practice of Ellen White in regards to her secretaries, discovering their tasks and limitations in this work. In short, in the following pages we will discover how when we understand God’s method of inspiration as being upon a prophet’s thoughts, both biblical prophets and Ellen White’s use of literary assistants is found to be fully reconcilable with their writings being from God. God’s Method of Inspiration When it comes to understanding revelation and inspiration, many Seventh-day Adventists don’t realize that their understanding of the topic is flawed. Jud Lake points out how in 1982 Roger Coon “stated that ‘most Seventh-day Adventists probably have a seriously impaired view of inspiration/revelation.’ Because they have a ‘bias toward’ a ‘strictly verbal (mechanical dictation) position,’ these Adventists cannot handle ‘factual data contrary to their view.’ Because of this, they tend to lose confidence in Ellen White’s prophetic ministry and “throw out the baby 3 with the bath water.”1 Roger Coon’s analysis of this reality in our church is just as true today as it was 32 years ago when it was written. In a more general sense, I would venture to say that many people even throw out the Bible because of these presuppositions when they learn that the prophets and Bible writers utilized the help of literary assistants. For these reasons, it behooves us to have a clear and biblical understanding of God’s method of inspiration. Only by doing so can we have full confidence in the Scriptures as the word of God, and the writings of Ellen White as trustworthy sources of divine revelation. Definition of Terms Inspiration and revelation go together hand in hand. In fact, they are so similar that it is often hard to differentiate between the two. In the words of Raoul Dederen, they are “so closely intertwined that it is difficult to separate them.”2 Though they should not be separated, for purposes of clarification and dialogue, “some kind of distinction between the two categories, especially since they sometimes function separately.”3 Revelation can well be defined as “a divine act in which God discloses Himself to a specially chosen instrument and conveys to him a knowledge of Himself and of His will which man could not have attained on his own.”4 This miraculous act of God is for the sake of more than just the prophet, but for those to whom God would have the prophet communicate to. 1 Judson Lake. Ellen White Under Fire: Identifying the Mistakes of Her Critics. (Nampa, ID: Pacific Press Publishing. Association, 2010), 113. 2 Frank B. Holbrook. and Leo R. Van Dolson. Issues in Revelation and Inspiration. (Berrien Springs, MI: Adventist Theological Society Publications, 1992), 18. 3 George W. Reid. Understanding Scripture: An Adventist Approach. (Silver Spring, MD: Biblical Research Institute, 2006), 8 4 Judson Lake. Ellen White Under Fire: Identifying the Mistakes of Her Critics. (Nampa, ID: Pacific Press Publishing. Association, 2010), 92. 4 Erickson has defined inspiration as “relaying of that truth from the first recipient(s) of it to other persons, whether then or later.”5 This involved both writing of Scripture, and vocally proclaiming God’s revelation. Raoul Dederen simply put it this way. “Being moved by the Spirit is what we refer to as ‘inspiration.’ ”6 Biblical Insights While the words “inspiration” and “inspired” do not appear in the original languages of Scripture, they are derived from the Latin Vulgate translation of 2 Timothy 3:16, and 2 Peter 1:21. When we look at the original Greek of these two passages, we get a clearer picture of God’s method of inspiration. In 2 Timothy 3:16, Paul says that “all Scripture is God-breathed”7 (θεόπνευστος - theopneustos).8 This implies that Scripture is not of human origin, but is a product of divine inspiration. While written by men it was authored by God. This meaning is communicated in the word theopneustos in this passage. Another key passage in understanding inspiration is 2 Peter 1:21. There God explains through Peter that “holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit” (φερόµενοι - pheromenoi).9 This word means “carried, blown, or impulsed,” and gives us a bit clearer of an understanding of how God works in inspiration. 5 Millard J. Erickson. Concise Dictionary of Christian Theology. (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1986), 226. 6 Frank B. Holbrook, and Leo R. Van Dolson. Issues in Revelation and Inspiration. (Berrien Springs, MI: Adventist Theological Society Publications, 1992), 17 7 The Holy Bible: New International Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1984), 2 Tim 3:16–17. 8 Thomas Newberry and George Ricker Berry, The Interlinear Literal Translation of the Greek New Testament (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2004), 2 Tim 3:16. 9 Ibid, 2 Pet 1:21. 5 So Scripture reveals that inspiration works with prophets being moved by the Holy Spirit, and acting under that “moving,” or “inspiration” by writing the messages of God. So in these Bible snapshots of inspiration, both the Holy Spirit and the human agent are involved. “While the word ‘inspiration’ focuses primarily on the activity of the Holy Spirit, a careful study of the biblical data makes it clear that both human and divine activity are involved in the process by which the Scriptures came to be written. 10 While this is clear in Scripture, the question comes: how exactly does God inspire? Does He give prophets some of the words, all of the specific words they are to write, or simply move upon their minds and allow them to utilize their own vocabulary? Models of Inspiration When it comes to inspiration, Bible-believing Christians are divided as to just how it takes place. Two similar though differing models of inspiration are the “verbal-plenary model” and the “dictation model.” Advocates of the verbal-plenary view believe that the “work of the holy Spirit is so intense that each word is the exact word God wants used at that point to express the message.”11 However this should be differentiated from the dictation model in that those who espouse the verbal-plenary view believe that the Bible writers’ “thinking and writing was both free and spontaneous,” while still “divinely elicited and controlled.”12 10 Raoul Dederen, Handbook of Seventh-Day Adventist Theology, electronic ed., vol. 12, Commentary Reference Series (Hagerstown, MD: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 2001), 34. 11 Millard J. Erickson, Concise Dictionary of Christian Theology. (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1986), 232. 12 J. I. Packer, Fundamentalism and the Word of God: Some Evangelical Principles. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans Publishing. Co, 1958, 80. 6 Not only do certain verses like 2 Timothy 4:13 where Paul tells Timothy to bring his winter coat seem to oppose this view, but Ellen White also disagrees with the plenary-verbal model. She says, “Through the inspiration of His Spirit the Lord gave His apostles truth, to be expressed according to the development of their minds by the Holy Spirit. But the mind is not cramped, as if forced into a certain mold.”13 This emphasis is not upon the particular words of the Bible writers, though as we will see in our next section, they are important. In addition to these insights from inspiration, Fernando Canale has done an excellent job in explaining how this model of inspiration replaces the “biblical notion of God with the Greek idea of a timeless God.”14 This understanding of a God who operates in the timeless realm is founded in Greek philosophy, and is not in line with the Bible’s model of how God operates. The Bible repeatedly shows God operating not outside of, but within human history as He works along with men and women in their own sphere of understanding. While different, similar to the verbal-plenary view of inspiration is the dictation model. It has often been called the “typewriter theory,” and suggests that the Bible writers had their mental activity suspended while “the mechanical transcription of words” was “supernaturally introduced into their consciousness.” Once again, most of the testimony of Scripture contradicts this view. Ellen White also spoke to the contrary, saying, “The truths revealed are all ’given by inspiration of God’ (2 Tim. 3:16); yet they are expressed in the words of men. The Infinite One by His Holy Spirit has shed light into the minds and hearts of His servants. He has given dreams and visions, 13 Ellen G. White, Selected Messages, Book 1 (Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1958), 22. 14 George W. Reid, Understanding Scripture: An Adventist Approach. (Silver Spring, MD: Biblical Research Institute, 2006), 52 7 symbols and figures; and those to whom the truth was thus revealed, have themselves embodied the thought in human language.”15 Generally speaking, Protestant theology has not accepted this model of inspiration; nonetheless it has had a major impact amongst certain sectors of Adventism. The grandfather of Ellen White accusations, D. M. Canright, claimed he knew Ellen White’s words were not inspired based upon six reasons. A brief look at them reveals they are all based on the assumption of the verbal-plenary or the dictation model is God’s method of inspiration. This goes to validate the words of Roger Coon that were shared earlier, revealing that a presupposition of verbal inspiration has been a problem in Adventism for many years. But if Seventh-day Adventists would just listen to Ellen White, they would see that she never claimed this. In the words of her son W. C. White, “Mother has never laid claim to verbal inspiration, and I do not find that my father, or Elder Bates, Andrews, Smith, or Waggoner, put forth this claim.”16 Upon examination, it becomes clear that the view of dictation as God’s method of inspiration poses serious problems when Scripture is examined in light of Bible writers and their literary assistants. The third model of inspiration that we will examine is what I believe is the most accurate explanation of God’s modus operandi -- thought inspiration. This is the belief that God inspires His prophets in thought, and that they convey His messages in their own vocabulary as best as they can. This seems to be the most consistent with the Bible’s witness on the topic in regards to the two Bible verses we previously examined (2 Timothy 3:16 and 2 Peter 1:21). 15 Ellen G. White, Selected Messages, Book 1 (Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1958), 25. 16 Arthur L. White, Ellen G. White: The Later Elmshaven Years, 1905-1915 (Vol. 6); Ellen G. White Biography; The Later Elmshaven Years, vol. 6 (Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1982), 332. 8 Thought inspiration also seems to clearly match up with Ellen White’s understanding. She expressed it this way: “It is not the words of the Bible that are inspired, but the men that were inspired....Inspiration acts not on the man’s words or his expressions but on the man himself, who, under the influence of the Holy Ghost, is imbued with thoughts.17 This seems quite clear as setting forth God’s true method of inspiration as thought inspiration. One more place where she clearly states this as the biblical model is in the introduction of the Great Controversy. “The Infinite One by His Holy Spirit has shed light into the minds and hearts of His servants. He has given dreams and visions, symbols and figures; and those to whom the truth was thus revealed have themselves embodied the thought in human language.”18 Arthur White sums this up powerfully, explaining how the prophet “bears his testimony under the influence of the Spirit of God, but not to the point of being mechanically controlled, or of being forced into a mold. Rather, he communicates the message in the best manner and from the point of view of his background and style, thus appealing particularly to people with backgrounds similar to his.”19 Thus, through different persons and personalities, God’s messages come to us in a varied way, able to appeal to a broad spectrum of seekers for truth. Words Insufficient, but Important Although Bible writers are to select words to express the thoughts that God conveys, words are also to be recognized as important. It is noteworthy that the Bible writers and prophets were also in need of the Spirit’s guidance and presence while relaying the messages they 17 Ellen G. White, Selected Messages, Book 1 (Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1958), 21. 18 Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy (Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1911), v. 19 Arthur L. White, The Ellen G. White Writings. Washington, (D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1973), 22 9 received, as well as in the receiving of them. We see this reflected in the words of Paul in 1 Corinthians 2:13. There he says he imparts these truths “in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit.” Dederen explains it by saying, “the Spirit is at work in both instances, revealing and inspiring.”20 Ellen White affirmed that while communicated through inadequate human language, the Scriptures are nonetheless God-inspired, and that the Holy Spirit guides in the writing of God’s messages as well. “He guided the mind in the selection of what to speak and what to write... The testimony is conveyed through the imperfect expression of human language, yet it is the testimony of God.”21 So here we see from both Paul and Ellen White that the Holy Spirit’s job is not complete after the communicating of divine thoughts to His servants, but also has a role to play in the relaying of that message in the best language possible. ! We see the reality of the Holy Spirit’s guiding and help with appropriate language to express heavenly realities in Ellen White’s experience. While writing the Desire of Ages she declared: "I tremble for fear lest I shall belittle the great plan of salvation by cheap words.”22 She also acknowledged her great dependence upon the Holy Spirit in the relaying of a vision as well as receiving it. She said, “I am just as dependent upon the Spirit of the Lord in relating or writing a vision, as in having the vision.” 23 So, we see that in line with the Apostle Paul, Ellen White realized that while even the greatest eloquence of human language is insufficient, and though the 20 Frank B. Holbrook, and Leo R. Van Dolson. Issues in Revelation and Inspiration. (Berrien Springs, MI: Adventist Theological Society Publications, 1992), 17 21 Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy (Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1911), vi. 22 Arthur L. White, Ellen G. White: Messenger to the Remnant. (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1969), 59. 23 Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church, vol. 8 (Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1855), 231. 10 message being conveyed by the words is of primary import, the words are still significant, and the aid of the Holy Spirit is given in the writing down of God’s messages. So the final product of the writings of inspiration “presents a union of the divine and the human.” 24 Carlyle B. Haynes describes this reality quite well, saying, “As these messages given through the gift of prophecy are produced by the operation, and determined by the control, of the Spirit of God, the result is raised above anything that could by any possibility be achieved by mere human powers or human wisdom.”25 So while human language is inadequate to communicate the mind of God, the Lord helps in the writing and relaying of His divine messages through His human messengers. Biblical Examples of Literary Assistants In Scripture we find a number of examples of secretaries or scribes assisting the Bible writers. In this section we will briefly examine the most prominent example in the Old Testament, and a number of examples in the New Testament. Jeremiah and Baruch The example of Jeremiah and how he relayed his message to God’s people and to king Jehoiakim is of great relevance to us in our topic. Chapter 36 gives us much insight into the topic of inspiration, and Bible writers having scribes. In the second verse the Lord tells Jeremiah, “Take a scroll of a book and write on it all the words that I have spoken to you against Israel...” After this, verse four informs us that Jeremiah called Baruch, and Baruch wrote on the scroll all the things Jeremiah relayed to him. This is significant in establishing a biblical validity for the utilization of scribes by Bible writers, as we see that Jeremiah was not disobeying God’s 24 Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy, (Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1911), v–vi. 25Carlyle B. Haynes. The Gift of Prophecy. (Nashville, TN: Southern Pub. Association, 1946), 81. 11 command by having Baruch pen the message rather than his own hand doing the work. In commenting upon the most probable reason for this, Matthew Henry says, “God bade Jeremiah write, but, it should seem, he had not the pen of a ready writer, he could not write fast, or fair, so as Baruch could, and therefore he made use of him as his amanuensis.”26 This explanation seems both reasonable and realistic. Besides establishing the use of a scribe as being appropriate for prophets, Jeremiah 36 also strongly suggests that both the plenary-verbal and dictation models of inspiration are not supportable. In ending the chapter, after Jeremiah’s laboriously written scroll had been cut into pieces and thrown in king Jehoiakim’s fire, the Bible tells us that the prophet was instructed to again write “all the former words” in the message to the king and the Lord’s stubborn people. In closing, verse 32 tells us that not only did Jeremiah write the words that were in the first scroll, but that he “added to them many similar words.” To me this clearly suggests that Jeremiah was not limited by God in the exact words that he was allowed to use in conveying the message, else he could not have added to the original new words that expanded the expression of God’s message. So, true prophets appear to have the freedom of expand on the message given them with words that further enlarge the picture or message that God has revealed to them. It should almost parenthetically be noted here that we see the enlarging of a prophetic message in the example of Ellen White. W. C. White wrote to someone saying, “I have known her to write upon one subject four or five times, and then mourn because she could not command language to describe the matter more perfectly.”27 We see this also in the example of the 26 Matthew Henry, Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible: Complete and Unabridged in One Volume (Peabody: Hendrickson, 1994), 1299. 27 W. C. White, Letter to W. W. Eastman, Nov. 4, 1912. 12 rewriting of The Great Controversy. So we see Ellen White expanding her messages, as did Jeremiah at the end of chapter 36. New Testament Writers Similar to the Old Testament, the New also contains examples of prophets and Bible writers utilizing the help of literary assistants. Peter spoke of Silvanus, who helped him write his epistle (1 Peter 5:12). Paul made use of a number of literary assistants in writing his epistles, most likely because of his partial blindness. Paul’s closing words in the book of 1 Corinthians are a good example. Here Paul specifically says that he wrote the salutation “with [his] own hand-Paul’s.” This statement implies that this closing salutation was in contrast to the rest of the epistle, which was penned by Sosthenes, though authored by Paul. 28 But 1 Corinthians is not the only case where we find Paul signing the end of the epistle to validate that the message was from him, though penned by another. We actually see that many of Paul’s letters are specifically mentioned as being written by others, while authored by him. In his letter to the Colossian church, most likely penned by Timothy (Colossians 1:1), Paul closed with a “salutation from [my] own hand” (Colossians 4:18). Likewise, Galatians 6:11 ends with a signature and closing remark from Paul’s own hand, and in 2 Thessalonians 3:17 we see Paul wrote this handwritten, closing signature of sorts as a “sign if every epistle.” So we see that in addition to Peter writing his first letter, Paul openly talks about his use of secretaries as well. In addition to these epistles, there is also some evidence that John wrote his gospel with the input of others. Though their complete accuracy is questionable, there are early Christian 28 Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset, and David Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible, vol. 2 (Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997), 298. 13 documents from Papias and Polycarp that talk about John utilizing the help of others in both compiling and writing his gospel.29 In light of this the Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary includes this interesting note: “Although the details of this account cannot be taken as proved, these two statements strongly suggest that in the 2d century the idea was abroad that John had composed his Gospel with the assistance of others.30 So while not provable beyond all shadow of a doubt, in light of these early witnesses and John’s own words in 21:24, there is a good chance that John also had the assistance and input of others in writing his gospel account. ! Upon our brief look at the examples of literary assistants in the Bible, the question begs to be asked: what about Ellen White? Was her use of secretaries in line with God’s method of thought inspiration? Did the work of her secretaries at all parallel those in Scripture? Our next section will venture to answer these questions. Ellen White and her Literary Assistants Many are surprised to discover that Ellen White utilized the help of others in preparing her writings for the press. In this section we will endeavor to discover together why she did so, and how her secretaries worked in regards to her writings. In the Early Days From the very beginning of her writing ministry, Ellen utilized the help of James White. The primary reason that she made use of help from others was because she faced limitations in not having completed more formal education. Neither spelling nor grammar were her strong point. In the words of Jerry Moon, “She developed into a very articulate speaker, but spoken 29 Francis D. Nichol, ed., The Seventh-Day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 7 (Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1980), 719. 30 Ibid, 720. 14 English doesn't require spelling and punctuation skills. Likewise as a writer, she could be eloquently articulate in her expressions, but without skill in spelling and punctuation and similar technical matters.” 31 For this reason, even from the beginning she made use of her husbands skill as a grammarian. An extract from her diary in 1873 really brings this to light, giving us insight into Ellen White’s feelings as to why she needed James’ help. “My heart is inexpressibly sad. This morning I take into candid consideration my writings. My husband is too feeble to help me prepare them for the printer, therefore I shall do no more with them at present. I am not a scholar. I cannot prepare my own writings for the press. Until I can do this I shall write no more. It is not my duty to tax others with my manuscript. . . .” 32 Its clear from the context that Ellen White’s concern was the preparation of her writings for printing. The question comes to most minds, “How did this work? What was the usual method that they would utilize in James helping Ellen with issues of spelling and grammar in her writings?” In his biography on the life of Ellen White, Jerry Moon gives explains in the following words. “Ellen would often read aloud to James White what she had written. If he ‘discovered weaknesses’ in the composition, such as faulty tenses of verbs, or disagreement between subject, noun, and verb...he would suggest grammatical corrections. These she would write into her manuscript and then read on.”33 It seems that the Lord specifically prepared James for this task, seeing as at the age of 18 he went to school and within less than two years became a teacher. No 31 Jerry Moon. Ellen White’s Use of Literary Assistants. Andrews University Lecture Outline, 2004, 3 32 Ellen G. White, Diary, January 10, 1873, Ellen G. White Estate, Silver Spring, MD. 33Jerry Moon. W.C. White and Ellen G. White: The Relationship between the Prophet and Her Son. Berrien Springs, MI: Andrews University Press, 1993, 62 15 doubt planning to connect the two for a life of ministry together, the Lord worked things out in such a way as to enable Ellen and James to present God’s messages through her in a grammatically sound way for their publication. Expansion of Ministry, Increasing Need As time went on, there came a transition in Ellen White’s ministry, and greater need for help of more people arose. “As her work grew, and especially after he died in 1881, she employed conscientious and God-fearing secretaries to correct the grammar in her writings.” 34 In addition to still needing help in proofreading for correction of spelling and basic grammatical errors, there were two other reasons that Ellen White needed literary assistants. One of the additional reasons for needing secretaries was that Ellen White was often limited by the circumstances in which she wrote. Often writing under great pressure, when she did so these writings were obviously not the same as when she was relaxed and not under stress. In a letter to G. A. Irwin, Willie White explained this. “Sometimes, when mother’s mind is rested, and free, the thoughts are presented in language that is not only clear and strong, but beautiful and correct; and at times when she is weary and oppressed with heavy burdens of anxiety, or when the subject is difficult to portray, there are repetitions, and [ungrammatical] sentences.”35 We recognize that times of high stress were a reality in her life and ministry. For example, “her personal diary entries from January 10 and 11, 1873, and Letter 67 from 1874 exhibit anxiety, frustrations, and feelings of personal inadequacy.”36 34 Norma Collins, “Literary Assistants,” ed. Denis Fortin et al., The Ellen G. White Encyclopedia (Hagerstown, MD: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 2013), 941. 35 W. C. White to G. A. Irwin, May 7, 1900, Ellen G. White Estate, Silver Spring, MD. 36Roger Coon, EGW’s Use of Literary Assistants: The Prophet as a Writer. Andrews University Lecture Outline, April 13, 1995, 5. 16 In addition to writing under stressed circumstances, there were also circumstances in which Ellen White’s journal entries that she had not originally intended to be published were developed into articles and tracts. Such is the example of a diary entry of hers in Australia on October 4, 1896, which was typed up as a manuscript and then published in Home Missionary in November of 1897. Thus, there was a need for someone to help prepare the thoughts in this piece of personal writing for publication, with Ellen White having a final look over it as we shall see in our next section. The third and final reason we will discuss for Ellen White needing the help of secretaries was in order to save time. In addition to writing, she had many roles: a wife, a mother, a preacher, a counselor, and more. “If she hired cooks, housekeepers, and nannies for her children, then why not secretaries?”37 It is noteworthy that her correspondence via handwritten letter alone could have been a full-time job for her if she were responsible for typing up each letter. For this reason, copyists were hired. So we see from the standpoint of wise time management, hiring literary assistants was quite logical. But were all of her workers limited to the work that the copyists did? Was there anything else they were responsible for? We will find the answer in our next section. How did Assistants “Edit”? As with all secretaries, both Ellen White’s salaried staff as well as her volunteer helpers had limitations in their responsibilities. Norma Collins helps clarify for us how Ellen White used the term edit, saying, Jerry Moon, Ellen White’s Use of Literary Assistants. Andrews University Lecture Outline, 2004, 3. 37 17 “There were two important differences from the common use of that word. First, Ellen White’s helpers were to remove imperfections of grammar without changing her thought. They were absolutely forbidden to alter Ellen White’s concepts or intrude any personal ideas of the assistant into the manuscript. Second, even Ellen White’s characteristic vocabulary was not to be changed. Fannie Bolton was discharged partly because she substituted her own style and vocabulary for that of Ellen White”38 So the work of her literary assistants was such that the message and even vocabulary was to remain characteristically Ellen White’s. Fannie Bolton’s being fired from her job for continuing to alter Ellen White’s words, removing them and putting her own in, is what I believe to be one of the strongest evidences that Ellen White was indeed the author of her books. Were she utilizing the help of her secretaries to write her books, she would have applauded Fanny and paid her more rather than firing her. 39 In further describing their responsibilities, Ellen White’s literary assistants were divided into two groups--those who performed “level one” editing, and those who were allowed to do “level two” editing. W. C. White explains, saying, “Mother’s copyists are entrusted with the work of correcting grammatical errors, of eliminating unnecessary repetitions, and of grouping paragraphs and sections in their best order....Mother’s workers of experience, such as Sisters Davis, Burnham, Bolton, Peck, and Hare, who are very familiar with her writings, are authorized to take a sentence, paragraph, or section from one manuscript and incorporate it with another manuscript where the same thought was expressed but not so clearly. But none of Mother’s workers are authorized to add to the manuscripts by introducing thoughts of their own.” So the copyists were primarily limited to fixing grammatical errors and removing unnecessary repetitions. Those such as Mary Ann Davis, though, were able to help in compiling snippets from her articles and other writings into books. Mary Ann Davis was in particular quite gifted, and had Norma Collins, “Literary Assistants,” ed. Denis Fortin et al., The Ellen G. White Encyclopedia (Hagerstown, MD: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 2013), 941–942. 38 39 For more information on the Fanny Bolton story, and to read some original documents, including the warning that God gave Ellen White through an angel that Fanny was being used by the devil to distort her writings, the reader is directed to Manuscript Release no. 926: The Fanny Bolton Story. 18 a mind somewhat like a Google search engine. This enabled her to remember where she read things similar to what she was compiling. She was foremost in helping Ellen White in “the life of Christ” project, which came to be titled “The Desire of Ages.” While certain secretaries were allowed to “compile” Ellen White’s statements where she expressed closely related thoughts in different language, it is significant to note that she always reviewed the manuscript and made any necessary additions, deletions, or changes. “The manuscripts are all carefully examined by mother, and corrected, wherever correction is required . . . , not only because corrections are made in the work of the copyist, but because mother sees a way to express the thought a little more clearly, or more fully.”40 So, Ellen White’s writings were maintained as uniquely her own while “edited” by others. Her thoughts and characteristic vocabulary were preserved, and her consistent development of style can be seen through the span of her 70 years of ministry. So, like the Bible writers, the way that Ellen White utilized the help of secretaries was not to author the message, but simply to assist in the written communication of that message. Conclusion As we have seen, both the Bible prophets and Ellen White having secretaries poses no problem with our confidence of them being spokesmen for God. When we understand the Lord’s method of inspiration as being upon the prophet’s thoughts, the practice of having literary assistants makes perfect sense. In the same way that Bible writers and prophets employed the help of secretaries in a way that did not compromise their God-given message, so Ellen White maintained the purity and clarity of her message while receiving assistance with the words and at 40 W.C. White to G.A. Irwin, May 7, 1900 19 times the arrangement of materials. Thus we can know that while encapsulated in human language by mortal men and women, these messages that have come down to us are untainted, and indeed, from our infinite God. 20 Bibliography Coon, Roger W. EGW’s Use of Literary Assistants: The Prophet as a Writer. Andrews University Lecture Outline, April 13, 1995. Dederen, Raoul. Handbook of Seventh-Day Adventist Theology. Electronic ed. Vol. 12. Commentary Reference Series. Hagerstown, MD: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 2001. Ellen G. White, Diary, January 10, 1873, Manuscript 3, 1873, Ellen G. White Estate, Silver Spring, MD. Erickson, Millard J. Concise Dictionary of Christian Theology. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1986. Francis D. Nichol, ed., The Seventh-Day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 7. Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1980. Haynes, Carlyle Boynton. The Gift of Prophecy. Nashville, TN: Southern Publishing Association, 1946. Henry, Matthew. Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible: Complete and Unabridged in One Volume. Peabody: Hendrickson, 1994. Holbrook, Frank B., and Leo R. Van Dolson. Issues in Revelation and Inspiration. Berrien Springs, MI: Adventist Theological Society Publications, 1992. Jamieson, Robert, A. R. Fausset, and David Brown. Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible. Vol. 2. Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997. Lake, Judson Shepherd. Ellen White Under Fire: Identifying the Mistakes of Her Critics. Nampa, ID: Pacific Press Publishing Association, 2010. Moon, Jerry Allen. Ellen White’s Use of Literary Assistants. Andrews University Lecture Outline, 2004. Moon, Jerry Allen. W.C. White and Ellen G. White: The Relationship between the Prophet and Her Son. Berrien Springs, MI: Andrews University Press, 1993. 21 Norma J. Collins, “Compilations--What They Are and What They Aren’t,” May 1995, White Estate Shelf Document. Packer, J. I. 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