Dr Sam is doing the work of making the SOP of none effect single handedly

See for yourself, then see my response...

Analysis of the errors reported by SDA Theologian, Samuele Bacchiocchi, Ph.D.

Great Controversy chapters 3, 4, 15, 25, and 35

This article is an analysis of the errors found in Ellen White's Great Controversy as reported by retired professor of theology and church history, Samuele Bacchiocchi, Ph. D. These errors were reported in Dr. Bacchiocchi's electronic newsletter, Endtime Issues, which is sent via e-mail primarily to Adventists, but also to some non-Adventist subscribers. The issue we will be examining is from Endtime Issues number 87, "A Reply to Criticisms Part I 'The Use of Ellen White's Writings in Interpreting Scripture'" (August 1, 2002).

Dr. Bacchiocchi has done the SDA church a great service in exposing a number of serious historical errors in Ellen White's Great Controversy. In his newsletter, Dr. Bacchiocchi, former professor at Andrews University, describes himself as a "committed Adventist" with a "deep respect" for Ellen White's writings. Despite this, he has chosen to break ranks with the SDA's and Ellen White, by proposing a different interpretation of the 1260-day prophecy. In so doing, he exposed a number of errors in The Great Controversy. We will be examining those errors below: Was the Papacy Established in 538 A.D.?

In the 1888 edition of The Great Controversy Mrs. White wrote:

"The 1260 years of papal supremacy began with the establishment of the papacy in A. D. 538, and would therefore terminate on 1798." (p. 266)

"This period, as stated in the preceding chapters, began with the establishment of the papacy, A. D. 538, and terminated in 1798. At that time, when the papacy was abolished and the pope was made captive by the French army, the papal power received its deadly wound, and the prediction was fulfilled, 'He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity." (p. 439)

And in the 1911 edition the words have been somewhat modified:

"The 1260 years of papal supremacy began in A. D. 538, and would terminate in 1798." (page 266)

"This period, as stated in preceding chapters, began with the supremacy of the papacy, A. D. 538, and terminated in 1798. At that time, the pope was made captive by the French army, the papal power received its deadly wound, and the prediction was fulfilled,' He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity.'" (p. 439)

In his newsletter Dr. Bacchiochi points out that the papacy was not established in 538 A.D.:

In my dissertation [From Sabbath to Sunday] I have shown that the development of the papal primacy began already in the second century, when the Pope exercised his ecumenical authority by imposing on Christian churches at large Easter-Sunday, weekly Sunday, and by condemning various movements like the Montanists.

Dr. Bacchiocchi is certainly not the first Adventist historian to question the 538 date. For years Adventist historians and theologians have searched in vain for any evidence that anything significant happened to the papacy in 538. To this point in time, nothing has been found. However, one thing is certain: the papacy was not established in 538.

When did the supremacy of the papacy begin? Dr. Bacchiochhi writes:

The development of the "supremacy of the papacy" began long before 538. In his book on The History of the Christian Church--which has served for many years as the standard text book for church history classes-Williston Walker devotes chapter 6 to the "Growth of the Papacy" during the fourth and fifth centuries. He points out that during this period there were influential popes like Damasus (366-384), Innocent I (402-417), and Leo I, called "the Great" (440-461), who greatly advanced both the spiritual and temporal power of the papacy.

For example, the last Pope mentioned, Leo I, known as "Leo the Great," greatly increased the political prestige of the papacy by threatening with hell fire Attila the Hun, when he was approaching Rome in 451 with his terrifying soldiers. Attila obeyed the Pope and withdrew beyond the Danube. Later Pope Leo secured concessions from the Vandals when they took Rome in 452. He is called "Leo the Great" for advancing and consolidating the power of the papacy.

The development of the supremacy of the papacy is a gradual process that can hardly be dated from 538. The process began already in the second century as the primacy of Bishop of Rome was widely recognized and accepted.

Dr. Bacchoicchi goes on to point out that the papacy did not achieve temporal sovereignty until 756 when the pope acquired the territories of Central Italy. The papacy controlled these territories until 1870 when the king of Sardinia took over the papal territories.

Now that we have established that the 538 date corresponds to nothing significant in history, what about the ending date of the 1260-day prophecy? Was the papacy abolished in 1798? On page 579 of the 1888 Great Controversy Ellen White writes:

"The infliction of the deadly wound points to the abolition of the papacy in 1798."

And in the 1911 edition:

"The infliction of the deadly wound points to the downfall of the papacy in 1798."

While 1798 is a day of some significance for the papacy, it certainly does not indicate the "abolition" or even the "downfall" of the papacy. When Pope Pius VI was taken prisoner by the French General Berthier, the papacy suffered humiliation, but it would be a gross exaggeration to describe this event as the "downfall" of the papacy.

In his newsletter Dr. Bacchiocchi explains what happened after the pope was captured in 1798:

The imprisonment of Pope Paul VI was condemned by Russia and Austria. Both nations decided to join forces to restore the Pope to his Pontifical throne in Rome. When the French government was confronted with this new coalition and with popular uprisings, it decided to transfer the Pope to Valence, in France, where he died 40 days later, on August 29, 1799.

The death of Pius VI can hardly be seen as the "abolishment" or "the downfall of the Papacy." It was simply a temporary humiliation of the prestige of the Papacy. In fact, Pius VI was able to give directives for the election of his successor. Few months after his death, the Cardinals met in Venice on December 8, 1799, and elected Barnaba Chiaramonti, who took the name of Pious VII, in deference to his predecessor.

The new Pope was able to negotiate with Napoleon the Concordat in 1801 and the Organic Articles in 1802. These treatises restored to the Pope some of the territories of the States of the Church and regulated the extent of the Papal authority in France.

The following years marked, not the downfall, but the resurgence of papal authority, especially under the Pontificate of Pius IX (1846-1878). In 1854, Pius IX promulgated the Dogma of the Immaculate Conception of Mary. ...

The crowning event of Pius IX's pontificate was the convening of the First Vatican Council on December 8, 1869. It had a remarkable large attendance from all over the Roman world and on July 18, 1870, the Council promulgated the dogma of Papal Infallibility. This dogma has greatly enhanced the authority of the Pope, and discredits any attempt to attribute to 1798 the downfall of the papacy.

Anyone who has studied Christian history can quickly see that the dates of 538 and 1798 do not accurately represent the period of papal supremacy. The Bishop of Rome was consolidating power centuries before 538, and the papacy continued to grow and thrive even after the temporary setback of 1798. These dates were concocted by Adventists because they were convenient. These dates fit nicely into the prophetic jigsaw puzzle they were building. The dates were picked because they fit in the puzzle, not because they actually delineated the years of papal supremacy.

The Origin of Sunday

On pages 52-53 of The Great Controversy Mrs. White wrote:

"In the first centuries the true Sabbath had been kept by all Christians. They were jealous for the honor of God, and believing that His law is immutable, they zealously guarded the sacredness of its precepts."

Notice here that the word "centuries" is plural. This indicates that for a minimum of two centuries the Sabbath was observed by "all Christians." Mrs. White seems to have believed that all Christians observed the Sabbath until "the early part of the fourth century [when] the emperor Constantine issued a decree making Sunday a public festival throughout the Roman Empire." (p. 53)

Dr. Bacchiocchi writes in his newsletter:

What is problematic is the impression many people get from EGW's statements that the Sabbath was observed "by all Christians . . . in the first centuries" until "the early part of the fourth century [when] the emperor Constantine issued a decree making Sunday a public holiday." (pp. 52-53) ...

The earliest documents mentioning Sunday worship go back to Barnabas in 135 and Justin Martyr in 150. Thus, it is evident that Sunday worship was already established by the middle of the second century. This means that to be historically accurate the term "centuries" should be changed to the singular "century."

Sunday and the Power of the State

Yet another inaccuracy is found in chapter 25 of The Great Controversy. Ellen White claims that the change of the Sabbath to Sunday was accomplished by the Pope with the "power of the state":

"It was on behalf of Sunday that popery first asserted its arrogant claims; and its first resort to the power of the state was to compel the observance of Sunday as 'the Lord's Day.'" (page 447)

She makes another similar statement later in the book:

"Royal edicts, general councils, and church ordinances sustained by secular power were the steps by which the pagan festival [day of the Sun] attained its position of honor in the Christian world." (page 574)

Before we read Dr. Bacchoicchi's assessment of these quotes, let me remind the reader that Dr. Bacchiocchi is widely regarded as the SDA theologian who is certainly the most knowledgeable person in the entire church on church history pertaining to Sabbath-Sunday issues. There is simply no one in the church more qualified to assess Ellen White's statements than Dr. Bacchiocchi. Here is his assessment:

Both statements just cited are inaccurate, because the secular power of the state did not influence or compel Christians to adopt Sunday during the second and third centuries. At that time the Roman emperors were rather hostile toward Christianity. They were more interested to suppress Christianity than to support church leaders in their promotion of Sunday worship. The bishop of Rome could not have resorted to "the power of the state to compel the observance of Sunday as 'the Lord's Day.'" Eventually, beginning with the fourth century, some Roman emperors actively supported the agenda of the church, but this was long after the establishment of Sunday observance.

In my dissertation FROM SABBATH TO SUNDAY I have shown that the Bishop of Rome did indeed pioneer the change in the day of worship, but he did it without the help of the Roman government. What precipitated the need to change the Sabbath to Sunday, was the anti-Jewish and anti-Sabbath legislation promulgated in 135 by the Emperor Hadrian.

After suppressing the Second Jewish revolt, known as the Barkokoba revolt (132-135), which caused many casualties, the Emperor Hadrian decided to deal with the Jewish problem in a radical way by suppressing the Jewish religion. Hitler was determined to liquidate the Jews as a people and Hadrian was committed to suppress Judaism as a religion. To accomplish this objective Hadrian outlawed in 135 the Jewish religion in general and Sabbathkeeping in particular.

It was at this critical moment that the Bishop of Rome took the initiative to change the Sabbath to Sunday in order to show to the Roman government the Christians' separation from the Jews and their identification with the cycles of the Roman society. But, at this time the Bishop of Rome could not call upon "the power of the state to compel the observance of Sunday as the 'Lord's Day,'" because in the eyes of the Romans Christianity was still a suspect religion to be suppressed, rather than to be supported.

It is clear from Dr. Bacchiochi's assessment that the pope did not resort to the power of the state, as Mrs. White wrote. Rather, the Roman Bishop instituted Sunday worship without any assistance from the state.

Sabbath Condemned by Ecumenical Councils?

Mrs. White wrote of "vast councils" that supposedly attempted to "press down" the Sabbath in order to exalt Sunday in its place. She writes:

"Vast councils were held from time to time, in which the dignitaries of the church were convened from all the world. In nearly every council the Sabbath which God had instituted was pressed down a little lower, while the Sunday was correspondently exalted." (page 53)

There were seven councils held (Nicaea I in 325, Constantinople I in 381, Ephesus in 431, Chalcedon in 451, Constantinople II in 553, Constantinople III in 680, and Nicaea II in 787). However, Mrs. White seems to have been ignorant of their content. Dr. Bacchiocchi writes:

The problem is with the second part of the statement which speaks of the Sabbath as being "pressed down a little lower" in almost every general council. In all my reading of the seven ecumenical councils, I have not found a reference to the Sabbath/Sunday question being debated in such councils. Presumably the reason is that Sunday observance was no longer a debated question- it had become widely accepted by Christians.

How could the Sabbath have been "pressed down" a little lower in these councils when it was not even discussed? This is simply another case of Mrs. White inventing history in her writings, and then claiming it was inspiration from God!

Inacuracies Regarding the Waldenses

Mrs. White would have us believe the Waldenses observed the Sabbath:

"Through ages of darkness and apostasy there were Waldenses who denied the supremacy of Rome, who rejected image worship as idolatry, and who kept the true Sabbath. Under the fiercest tempests of oppositions they maintained their faith." (page 65)
" Some of whom [Waldenses] were observers of the Sabbath." (page 577)

Dr. Bacchiocchi has probably done more research on the Sabbath than any living human. Did he find evidence that some of the Waldenses observed the Sabbath?

I spent several hours searching for an answer in the two scholarly volumes Storia dei Valdesi--(History of the Waldenses), authored by Amedeo Molnar and Augusto Hugon. These two books were published in 1974 by the Claudiana, which is the official Italian Waldensian publishing house. They are regarded as the most comprehensive history of the Waldenses. To my regret I found no allusion whatsoever to Sabbathkeeping among the Waldenses.

Dr. Bacchiocchi is not the first Adventist to search for evidence of the Waldenses keeping the Sabbath. The only thing they have found are some documents which refer to the Waldenses by their nickname, "insabbati." Unfortunately for Mrs. White, the term has nothing to do with the Sabbath. It refers to the sandals the Waldenses were known to wear. The Latin word for sandals is sabbatum. Thus, the Waldenses were insabbati--"sandal wearers."

The Waldensian representative in Italy was recently contacted and asked if the Waldenses ever kept the Sabbath. Here is his response:

The Waldensians did not keep the Sabbath and were not guardians of the "Sabbath Truth" as you call it. ... We can therefore say very clearly that the Waldensians were not Seventh-day Sabbath keepers and they were not persecuted for keeping Saturday as the Sabbath! (click here to read the entire letter)

Apparently Mrs. White wanted to have a line of unbroken Sabbath-keeping, from the time of the apostles, to the Waldenses in the mountains, all the way through to the time of the Seventh-day Adventists. Unfortunately, such a continuum does not exist. Sunday-keeping began much earlier than Mrs. White realized, and the Waldenses never kept the Sabbath at all.

Another inaccurate statement Mrs. White made about the Waldenses is:

"Behind the lofty bulwarks of the mountains . .. the Waldenses found a hiding place. Here the light of truth was kept burning amid the darkness of the Middle Ages. Here for a thousand years, witnesses for the truth maintained the ancient faith." (pp. 65-66)

The Waldensian movement was established by Peter Valdes around 1176. The Waldenses were not excommunicated from the church until 1184. Therefore, the move to the mountains could not have taken place until after 1184, and the persecution of the Waldenses had subsided by the late 1600's, so it would be impossible for the Waldenses to have kept the light of truth burning for "a thousand years" during the Middle Ages. 500 years is a more likely number.

My Response...

The bottom line to the whole discussion for me at least, is that I am a Protestant. I protest Rome, its theology, its christology, its eschatology, and most definately its version of history.

How blind you are Ron Christman, to think that I as a Seventh-day Adventist would turn my back on the historical references quoted in the Great Controversy, just because this Samuel Bacciochi has said it doesn't jive with his research.

For the record, I have never trusted him, nor has many other Adventists who wonder why he went into the Vatican library to do his research.

Why is that bad you wonder?

Let me show you from the Scriptures why we should never go to Rome to find the truth.

Matthew 28

1. In the end of the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre.

2. And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it.

3. His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow:

4. And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men. (The keepers were Roman Soldiers sent by Pontius Pilate at the behest of the Sanhedrin)

5. And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified.

6. He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.

7. And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you.

8. And they departed quickly from the sepulchre with fear and great joy; and did run to bring his disciples word.

9. And as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail. And they came and held him by the feet, and worshipped Him.

10. Then said Jesus unto them, Be not afraid: go tell my brethren that they go into Galilee, and there shall they see me.

11. Now when they were going, behold, some of the watch came into the city, and shewed unto the chief priests all the things that were done.

12. And when they were assembled with the elders, and had taken counsel, they gave large money unto the soldiers,

13. Saying, Say ye, His disciples came by night, and stole him away while we slept.

14. And if this come to the governor's ears, we will persuade him, and secure you.

15. So they took the money, and did as they were taught: and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day.

And so we did that coercion of witnesses, pay offs, and cover ups began early on, and they still are .

What is the burden of Ron Christman is siding with an apostate Adventist theologian against a woman (this historical figure in his own church, which cannot reply to his criticisms) to whom the Spirit of Prophecy has been bestowed???

The bottom line is what does the Holy Bible teach. The Seventh Day or the Day of Soloris?

Everything that is brought out inside the Great Controversy, is an exposing of the sins of Babylon and the ongoing promise, that during the time when Roman Paganism and Roman Catholicism reigned the world, God had His true church scattered in the wilderness carrying on the work of preserving the truth as it is in Jesus, to the peril of their own lives, their souls preserved in Christ Jesus.

The Seventh day Advent movement is clearly part of the last of the reformation churches, who followed in the steps of Wycliffe, Huss and Jerome, Luther, Knox, Tyndale, the Wesleys, who loved God and the truth more than their own lives. These were men who withstood harsh critcism, knowing that for Christ's sake they were being persecuted.

Sister Ellen G. White is a woman I of course never had an opportunity to meet. She died in 1915. I will say to you though, that me and her had much in common.

I had things in my life at an early age that made me more or less an introverted kid, and I sought strongly for acceptance of God when I came to realize His existance.

When I came to start reading the Scriptures a few years before my conversion to Christ, I was as a babe drinking in the milk of the word but not fully understanding, for I was yet carnal.

I kept reading however and then I determined that I needed to give my heart to God. I did not know for sure what that meant, but I knew I wanted to be a Christian, saved, God's child.

I started by going to my mother in laws church on Sunday. I heard a sermon, was dismissed, then we went to the IHOP for pancakes, eggs, sausage, and coffee. I ate to my fill, went home, and crashed watching Sunday sports programming.

I desired more than that, so I thought if I showed these Sunday keepers I meant business by attending their mid-week service, then they would share Christ with me... A few of the men who were there, were wining about how the rest of the church didn't want to study about Satan, and then one of them said, "While I was studying, my basement wall collapsed in on me! "

This was quite strange for me, a new seeker for truth to hear. Then they invited me to have a circle of prayer with them, which left us all on our knees for over an half an hour.

I muttered, "Lord, help me pray as good as these guys can, Amen."

I never returned to that church and tried visiting other churches, at the same time faithfully taking Bible studies that my Aunt and Uncle (members of the Churches of Christ) sent me from West Virginia where I was born and grew up until school age.

By that time in my personal Bible reading, I had progressed to the final book in the New Testament, the Revelation of Jesus Christ.

The book perplexed me, and at 22 without any formal religious upbringing other than what had seen in the movies, The Ten Commandments, Barabbus, King of kings, Jason and the Argonauts, I was really in awe of the visions of beasts, heavenly beings, and obvious referrals to the last day judgment of the world.

I prayed humbly, sincerly, because I did not know the God of heaven. One time a Jehovah's Witness (just about my age) blew me away, telling me the Holy Ghost was not God, and neither was Jesus. At this time I was very ignorant.

Why I was sooo ignorant that I did not even understand that Jesus Christ, before His birth (incarnation/coming into humanity) existed as the Word of God, Michael the Chief Messenger.

Then, one day I came home from work and found the answer to my prayer sitting right in front of my apartment door.

You are invited to a Prophecy Lecture, to be held at the Willoughby Seventh-day Adventist Church, hosted by Pastor Fritz Krieger.

In September of 1982 I began to learn the books of Daniel and the Revelation. Pastor Krieger had the gift of teaching. He was not an evangelist or prince of preachers, but he explained things and answered every question he could, if it was in Scripture.

By November the meeting concluded and I had (in my heart and mind) been convinced that the prophetic books clearly warned of a falling away of the early Apostolic faith, and the rising up of a little horn, beast power, whore, who receieved its seat power and authority as a church, not from Jesus Christ, but from Satan himself. This church was and is, the Church of Rome.

I also learned that God's Church, as portrayed in Revelation 12, would be characterized as being pure, undefiled, keeping God's Commandments, and having the Spirit (gift) of Prophecy.

I was so convinced that I was baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, immersed into my watery grave according to Christ's own example, by Pastor Krieger. A week later, I was extended the right hand of fellowship and became a member of the Willoughby SDA congregation.

It was not until a few years later that I picked up a book entitled, "Early Writings" by Ellen G. White. During the first two years of my walk in God's Spirit, I earnestly sought to know the truth for myself and so I looked for any Bible studies I could find and learned doctrine, prophecy, spiritual gifts, etc...

When I first read into about a third of the Early Writings book, I must say that I was having a heart warming experience, as did the disciples on the road to Emmaus.

I was hearing the Words of Christ in this little book. His voice and none other. Why I had not been more cognizant of Ellen G. White at that point, I cannot tell you. Did my pastor want me to be grounded first in the Word of God before reading other material? Perhaps so, but in the end I believed it all worked out for good.

I have read the S.O.P material now for 23 of my 25 years as an SDA Christian, and I am fully convinced that Sister White had the authentic spiritual gift of prophecy, but even more than that, because any Adventist would tell you that her writings played a major role in our educational and health work as well as the missionary work of taking the everlasting Gospel into all the world.

I have known for years that she referenced historical data for her books, and as I have already elaborated, I believe that her references, although not accepted by Ron Christman, Dr Bacciochi, or the Pope's resources, they were the references that God Himself directed this humble sister in Christ to pen into and include in the Great Controversy.

When the judgment of 1000 years is commenced, then we will see who told the truth and who made up an alternate version.

Great Controversy records that the Waldensians kept the Seventh-day Sabbath. I believe it. I have read so in other history books as well, but after I had learned that Sister White had the Spiritual gift of God, I learned to trust her writings.

She wrote of many things, but no one more than her blessed Lord and savior Jesus Christ. Desire of Ages, Steps to Christ, Christ Object Lessons, Thoughts from the Mount of Blessings, and the Ministry of Healing, have been my most treasured books to read and reference when I need to know what the Master taught and what He meant when He taught His parables and so forth.

Even non Adventists like Billy Grahamm has praised her material as being Christ centered and Biblical. Every book has a General index, Topical index, and a Scriptural index.

Obviously this reading material is to lead the reader to the Scriptures, and believe me, it has lead this seeker after Truth to them consistently!!!

I'm done. Brother Blue (Elder Timothy Lee Arnett)

Read the Bible, it is food for the Soul

The Seventh Day Adventists NAD

Brother Blue