Spirit of Prophecy
An introduction to the writings of Ellen G. White — the lesser light pointing to the greater light, the Word of God.
Early Writings
Overview
Early Writings is a treasured collection of Ellen G. White's earliest published messages, drawn from the very first years of her ministry in the 1850s. Rightly named, it gathers her first three books into one volume and preserves the fresh, vivid visions and counsel that helped shape the young Advent movement. The book opens with an autobiographical account of her conversion, the Millerite awakening of 1840-1844, and the early visions that formed the foundation of her ministry. It then offers counsel to the early Adventist believers, and finally traces the great controversy between Christ and Satan -- from the fall of Lucifer in heaven to the final end of sin -- in bold, apocalyptic imagery. This closing section became the seed from which the later five-volume Conflict of the Ages series grew.
Purpose & Background
Early Writings was published to preserve and make widely available the messages of information and encouragement that came to the church early through the prophetic gift. For Adventist believers it offers a window into the founding years of the movement -- the experiences, visions, and convictions that laid the doctrinal and spiritual foundation of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. It bears witness to the conviction that God continues to reveal Himself through dreams and visions to His chosen messengers.
Best For
Those interested in Adventist history and the origins of the movement, and anyone wanting to read Ellen White's earliest visions and messages in their original form. Its account of the Advent awakening and its sweeping overview of the great controversy make it both historically valuable and spiritually stirring.
Publisher
Review and Herald Publishing Association
Early Writings is a republication of Ellen White's first three books -- Christian Experience and Views (1851), a Supplement to Experience and Views (1854), and Spiritual Gifts, Volume I (1858) -- brought together in a single volume in 1882 by the Review and Herald. The 1882 edition added footnotes and an appendix. Its pagination, standardized in the 1906 edition, became the reference standard for indexing Ellen White's writings.
Contents
Early Writings is made up of three original works brought together in one volume. The main sections are described below. The complete text is available free at the read link.
- Experience and Views (1851) -- Ellen White's early visions and experiences, including her first vision, subsequent visions, the sealing, and the trial of faith in the young movement
- Supplement to Experience and Views (1854) -- additional counsel and clarification on matters concerning the experience of the early Adventist believers
- Spiritual Gifts, Volume I (1858) -- the great controversy story from the fall of Satan, through the plan of salvation, the first and second advents, the Reformation, the final crisis, and the end of sin; the seed of the later Conflict of the Ages series