07-012
Ellen White’s writings, and their Chinese translations
After talking
about different Chinese translations of the Protestant Bible, the Catholic Bible, the Apocrypha, and the Orthodox Bible, I am going to move away from biblical
texts. From this post onward, I will start investigating those non-biblical
texts that are accepted by certain Christian denominations as inspired, and the
availabilities of their Chinese translations.
Let us start
with the Seventh-day Adventist Church (SDA).
The Adventists
have been evangelizing the Chinese society for a long time. The church has deep
roots in Hong Kong. It provides social welfare. It is big here.
Even in
mainland China, where religion is more restricted, SDA can operate. It is one
of the Christian denominations recognized by the Chinese government.
My church also
has a good relationship with them. We often book their church buildings for
weddings. Their campsite is gorgeous, with beautiful grasslands and sea views.
I enjoyed every moment I spend there. The only complaint is, I am forced to be
a vegetarian inside and have no morning coffee.
Ellen Gould White
SDA is an Adventist Protestant Christian denomination that is distinguished by its observance of Saturday as the Sabbath. The church places an emphasis on diet and health, including adhering to kosher food laws, advocating vegetarianism, and holding a holistic view of human nature—that is, that the body, soul, and spirit form one inseparable entity. The Adventists do not smoke or take drugs. They also avoid alcohol, tobacco, and other harmful substances. Because caffeine is considered harmful, coffee, tea, and Coca-Cola are generally discouraged. The most controversial doctrine, however, is their acceptance of Ellen G. White’s writings as inspired.
The writings of
Ellen Gould White
Ellen White was
an American author and co-founder of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, along
with her husband James White and Joseph Bates. She was born in 1827 and died in
1915. She claimed to have received over 2,000 visions and dreams from God,
which she wrote down and published for the benefit of the church. She also
wrote extensively on topics such as health, education, prophecy, and Christian
living.
Belief 18 in
the SDA 28 Fundamental Beliefs states that:
BELIEF 18:
THE GIFT OF PROPHECY
The
Scriptures testify that one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit is prophecy. This
gift is an identifying mark of the remnant church and we believe it was
manifested in the ministry of Ellen G. White. Her writings speak with prophetic
authority and provide comfort, guidance, instruction, and correction to the
church. They also make clear that the Bible is the standard by which all
teaching and experience must be tested.
(Num. 12:6; 2 Chron. 20:20; Amos 3:7;
Joel 2:28, 29; Acts 2:14-21; 2 Tim. 3:16, 17; Heb. 1:1-3; Rev. 12:17; 19:10;
22:8, 9.)
No, the
Adventists did not claim Ellen White’s writings are equal to the Bible.
They state that the Bible is the only rule of faith and practice for Christians
and the ultimate authority for doctrine and prophecy. They regard Ellen
White’s writings only as a lesser light that leads to the greater light of
the Bible and as a source of guidance, instruction, and correction for the
church. They also believe that her writings are inspired by the Holy Spirit and
reveal God’s will and purpose for His people in these last days.
The Great Controversy / 善惡之爭
However, in
practice, I have seen them quote Ellen White’s writings in the same way
as they quote the Bible. This can be seen on their church websites, in their
publications, and even in many of Ellen White’s later writings. In her later
writings, Ellen simply quoted her own works in the same way as she quoted Bible
verses.
Christian Experience and Teachings of Ellen G. White / 懷愛倫的信仰旅程: 基督徒經驗談
So, regardless
of what the official statement says, the SDA Church simply uses Ellen
White’s writings in an equal way as it uses the Bible. I do not want to
judge whether Ellen’s works are really inspired or whether it is proper to
quote her works alongside the Bible, even if they are inspired. I just want to
see, since Ellen White’s writings have received such a prominent status
in the SDA Church, whether her writings are available in Chinese for the use of
the local Adventists.
Ministry to the Cities / 論城市佈道
The answer is
not a simple yes or no. I would say it is almost yes. First, Ellen White’s
writings form a huge collection. She published a total of 37 titles during
her lifetime, some of which consist of several volumes. These alone count up to
around 20,000 pages of texts. After her death, the Ellen G. White Estate has
published or authorized the publication of more than 155 books, about 5,000
periodical articles, and 200 pamphlets.
Second, Ellen’s
bibliography keeps growing. Ellen wrote a huge amount of works and only some of
them were published during her lifetime. Many titles have been published after
her death. In recent years, even the manuscripts of her unpublished works have
been collected, edited, and published. Some of the recent titles are
compilations of her writings on various topics or selections for use as daily
devotionals, retitled volumes, or those that abbreviate or modernize her
original publications. Even until 2020, we still saw new Ellen White’s titles
coming out.
The official website of the Ellen G. White Estate lists a total of 120 titles under the
category of Books, 22 under the category of Devotionals, 27 under the category
of Manuscript Releases, 13 under the category of Misc. Collections, 28 under
the category of Letters & Manuscripts, 9 under the category of Biography,
and 10 new titles under the category of Modern English. These amount to more
than 220 different titles and 78,000 pages of works in total. I have not
counted the articles from Pamphlets and Periodicals. However, only 48 titles
under the category of Books and 16 titles under the category of Devotionals
have been translated into Chinese. All the titles and translations are
available for reading on the official website of the Ellen G. White Estate or
through their mobile apps EGW Writings 2 (iOS / Android).
Fortunately, the Seventh-day Adventist Church in mainland China has individually translated most of Ellen White’s writings. I crosschecked their list of translated works with the official list provided by the Ellen G. White Estate website. I found that the Chinese church has translated all the titles under the categories of Biography, Devotionals, Manuscript Releases, and Misc. Collections. In addition, 105 out of 120 titles under the category of Books and more than 90% of the titles under the category of Letters & Manuscripts were translated. Only the newer editions under the category of Modern English were missing. All these translations are available on their website. The translations are available in both Simplified and Traditional Chinese.
The Chinese Seventh-day Adventist Church uses the Chinese Union Version with New Punctuation (CUNP) translation of the Bible in church services, along with Ellen White’s writings. Most of her writings have already been translated into Chinese. In conclusion, Chinese Adventists have enough local resources to practice their religion.
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