Five Claims of Divine Revelation and 25 Concerns About Literary Borrowing

1. “The Lord has given me light…”

“The Lord has given me light that the testimonies are not to belittle the Word of God, but to exalt it.”

2. “In these days He speaks…”

“In ancient times God spoke to men by the mouth of prophets and apostles. In these days He speaks to them by the testimonies of His Spirit.”

3. “The scenes… have been opened to the writer…”

“Through the illumination of the Holy Spirit the scenes of the long-continued conflict between good and evil have been opened to the writer of these pages.”

4. “When the Lord presents a matter before me…”

“When the Lord presents a matter before me, I dare not pass it by in silence.”

5. “The Lord has given it to me…”

“The instruction that I have given you was not produced by my own mind… the Lord has given it to me.”

1. Large sections of The Great Controversy show parallels with earlier Protestant historians.

Researchers have long argued that major portions of The Great Controversy parallel the writings of earlier Protestant historians such as J. A. Wylie and Merle D’Aubigné.

2. Researchers have documented extensive literary parallels.

Comparative studies have identified repeated literary similarities between Ellen G. White’s writings and nineteenth-century religious works.

3. The Desire of Ages contains passages similar to earlier devotional works.

Scholars have noted that parts of The Desire of Ages resemble earlier devotional and historical writings on the life of Christ.

4. The Veltman study found literary dependence in many chapters.

The Veltman research concluded that literary dependence could be seen in numerous chapters of The Desire of Ages.

5. Many passages appear without quotation marks or references.

Critics have pointed out that passages similar to earlier authors often appear in Ellen White’s works without quotation marks, footnotes, or source references.

6. Reformation sections in The Great Controversy resemble Protestant histories.

Her treatment of the Reformation era often mirrors the structure and wording of earlier Protestant historical writers.

7. Descriptions of Martin Luther parallel earlier narratives.

Narratives concerning Martin Luther and the Reformers often follow earlier Protestant histories closely.

8. Hundreds of parallel passages have been identified.

Research projects have documented a large number of parallel expressions, phrases, and narrative similarities.

9. Some passages in The Desire of Ages resemble earlier books on Christ’s life.

Several studies note similarities with earlier authors who wrote on the life and ministry of Jesus Christ.

10. Sketches from the Life of Paul parallels earlier scholarship.

Portions of this work have been compared to earlier academic and devotional studies on the apostle Paul.

11. Many health teachings resemble nineteenth-century health reformers.

Historians have argued that Ellen White’s health teachings fit within the wider health reform environment of her century.

12. Dietary ideas mirror the teachings of health reform advocates.

Some dietary counsel in her writings has been compared to the teachings of reformers like Sylvester Graham.

13. Historical descriptions often reflect popular Protestant histories.

The language and sequencing of certain historical sections suggest dependence on already existing historical works.

14. Some devotional passages resemble other Christian authors.

Researchers have identified parallels between Ellen White’s devotional sections and other Christian devotional writers.

15. Patriarchs and Prophets has been compared with earlier commentaries.

Some parts of this work have been said to echo earlier biblical commentaries and religious literature.

16. Similarities sometimes go beyond ideas to phrasing.

In some cases, the concern is not only similarity of subject matter, but similarity of language and sentence form.

17. Some narratives follow the structure of earlier publications.

Researchers have argued that Ellen White sometimes adopted not only content, but also the literary flow and arrangement of earlier works.

18. Some Adventist scholars acknowledge source use.

A number of Adventist scholars have openly acknowledged that Ellen White used literary sources in historical and devotional writing.

19. Large narrative segments appear adapted from existing literature.

Critics argue that some sections read more like adaptations of existing authors than original visionary revelations.

20. These similarities raise questions about visionary claims.

If material claimed to come directly from God closely follows earlier books, questions naturally arise regarding the nature of that claimed revelation.

21. Many source authors were widely available in her time.

Researchers point out that the works parallel to Ellen White’s writings were readily accessible in nineteenth-century America.

22. Text comparison studies revealed repeated literary parallels.

Side-by-side comparisons have repeatedly been used to demonstrate recurring literary dependence.

23. Some historians say she adapted Protestant literature to her framework.

According to some researchers, Ellen White reshaped existing Protestant content within an Adventist theological framework.

24. These findings suggest compilation from earlier authors.

The accumulated evidence has led some historians to conclude that significant portions of her writings were compiled or adapted from earlier literature.

25. These issues challenge claims of purely original visionary revelation.

For this reason, many researchers believe Ellen White’s writings show substantial literary dependence rather than being entirely original products of direct divine vision.