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The Ellen White Research Project: Exposing the Subtle Attack on the Bible's Authority
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Color Key

Material that is an exact, word-for-word match of the alleged source.

Words that are a match of biblical material as well as of the source.

Material that is represented in Rea's comparison by an ellipsis.

Material dropped from the beginning or end of the paragraph of the alleged source by Rea.

Material clipped from the beginning or end of a sentence in Rea's comparison, without giving the reader any indication of such. (Either a capital letter or a period appears where it should not, hiding the fact that material is missing.)

An Analysis of the Literary Dependency of Desire of Ages, chapter 5

contributed by David J. Conklin

Paragraph 13 (analysis of p. 326 of White Lie)

Rea bolded and italicized the direct quote from Luke 2 in both White and Hanna, beginning with the words, "Lord, now lettest . . . ." This artificially enhanced the similarity in wording, a similarity which always results whenever two people quote the same text. We have accordingly removed the bold and italics in order to restore these selections back to their original appearance.

Desire of Ages (1898)
Ellen G. White, p. 55
The Life of Christ, (1863)
William Hanna, pp. 36, 37
Scripture

As Simeon enters the temple, he sees a family presenting their first-born son before the priest. Their appearance bespeaks poverty; but Simeon understands the warnings of the Spirit, and he is deeply impressed that the infant being presented to the Lord is the Consolation of Israel, the One he has longed to see. To the astonished priest, Simeon appears like a man enraptured. The child has been returned to Mary, and he takes it in his arms and presents it to God, while a joy that he has never before felt enters his soul. As he lifts the infant Saviour toward heaven, he says, "Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace, according to Thy word: for mine eyes have seen Thy salvation, which Thou hast prepared before the face of all people; a light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of Thy people Israel."

So ardent as his years ran on had Simeon's faith and hope become, that this one thing had he desired of the Lord, that before his eyes closed in death they might rest upon his Saviour. And he was heard as to that which he had so longed. It was revealed to him that the desire of his heart should be granted, but how and when he knew not. That forenoon, however, a strong desire to go up into the temple seizes him. He was not accustomed to go there at that hour, but he obeyed that inward impulse, which perhaps he recognized as the work of the Divine Spirit, by whom the gracious revelation had been made to him. He enters the temple courts; he notices a little family group approach; he sees an infant dedicated to the Lord.18 That infant, an inward voice proclaims to him is the Messiah he has been waiting for, the Consolation of Israel come at last in the flesh.18 Then comes into his heart a joy beyond all bounds. It kindles in his radiant looks; it beats in his swelling veins; the strength

page 37

of youth is back again into his feeble limbs. He hastens to Mary, takes from the yet wondering yet consenting mother's hands the consecrated babe, and clasping it to his bosom, with eyes uplifted to heaven, he says, "Lord, now lettest thou they servant depart in peace, according to thy word; for mine eyes have seen thy salvation,which Thou hast prepared before the face of all people; a light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of Thy people Israel." [The remaining 40% of this paragraph is used by Rea in the comparison for paragraph 19.]

And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him. . . . And he came by the Spirit into the temple: . . . Then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said, Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word: For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people; A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel. (Luke 2:25-32)

Observations: Yes, "heaven, he says" is found in both Hanna and White. And yet while White has Simeon lifting the baby toward "heaven," Hanna does not use the word heaven that way at all.

Notes

  1. While Rea did insert an ellipsis here, the position of the preceding period hides the fact that the previous sentence is clipped.

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