1. The promised seed (DA, Ch. 3, Gen 3: 15; 4: 1)
Ellen White (1827-1915): “When Adam and Eve first heard the promise, they looked for its speedy fulfilment. They joyfully welcomed their first- born son, hoping that he might be the Deliverer” (DA, p. 31).
John Gill (1697-1771): “I have gotten a man… that promised seed that should break the serpents head; but which it would appear, that she took that seed to be a divine person, the true God, even Jehovah, that should become man; though she must have been ignorant of the mystery of his incarnation, or of his taking flesh of a virgin, … but in this she was sadly mistaken, he proved not only to be a mere man, but to be very bad man”(John Gill’s Exposition on the Whole Bible, 1746-48).
Matthew Henry (1662-1714): “Perhaps she thought that this was the promised seed. If so, she was woefully disappointed” (Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible: Genesis 4, 1706).
John Cumming (1807-1881): “Eve, when Cain was born, thought it was the arrival of the Messiah promised in Paradise but she found it was not so” (Behold The Bidegroom Commeth, p. 6, 1865).
F. W. Krummacher (1796-1868): “She thinks that she has borne the “seed of the Woman” which is to bruise the serpent’s head… She believed that it is the Messiah, the Lord of Glory, who now rests upon her breast; that the promised Mediator and saviour her son” (The Martyr lamb or Christ the representative of his people in all ages, p. 16, 1845).
The Christian’s Penny Magazine: “Remembering the Divine intimation of a Saviour, who should rise from her seed, Eve seems to have imagined that her first-born was that “Deliverer,” who would bruise the head of the serpent” (The Christian’s penny magazine, Vol. 1, p. 99, 1832).
2. Moral condition of the world at the time of Jesus’ birth (DA, Ch. 3)
Ellen White (1827-1915): “With pity He saw men had become victims of satanic cruelty…being corrupted, murdered, and lost. They had chosen a ruler who chained them to his car as captives. Bewildered and deceived, they were moving on in gloomy procession toward eternal ruin, – to death in which is no hope of life…Satanic agencies were incorporated with men. Bodies of human beings, made for the dwelling place of God, had become the habitation of demons. The senses, the nerves, the passions, the organs of men, were worked by super natural agencies in the indulgence of the vilest lust…The very stamp of demons was impressed upon the countenances of men. Human faces reflected the expression of the legions of evil with which they were possessed. Such was the prospect upon which the world’s Redeemer looked. What a spectacle for Infinite Purity to behold! ….Sin had become a science, and vice was consecrated as part of religion” (DA, pp. 36, 37, 1898).
John Harris (1802-1856): “…temptation in his hands had become a science, and sin was taught by rule…On all sides he beheld the blinded victims of Satanic cruelty; vast crowded tracts of spiritual beings, immortal essences, wasted, ruined, murdered, lost; a captive world, chained to the wheels of a spoiler, and moving along, (most of them so beguiled, as to be actually pleased with the mock pomp of the gloomy procession,) to endless death….he saw legions of fiends in actual, bodily, possession of miserable man….he beheld them consummating their cruelty by actually incorporating with men; turning their bodies into living tombs, … became the habitation of dragons;’ his heart the fuel consumed by their passions; his senses and organs, the slaves of their rampant impiety; …his features putting on the image of the legion within him; – What a sight for the lover of souls! What a spectacle for infinite goodness to contemplate!” (The great teacher, pp. 230, 231, 1835).
3. No room in the inn (DA, Ch. 4)
Ellen white (1827-1915): “But in the city of their royal line, Joseph and Mary are unrecognized and unhonored. Weary and homeless, they traverse the entire length of the narrow street, from the gate of the city to the eastern extremity of the town, vainly seeking a resting place for the night. There is no room for them at the crowded inn. In a rude building where the beasts are sheltered, they at last find refuge, and here the Redeemer of the world is born” (DA, p. 44).
Daniel March (1816-1909): “… two weary travellers from the hills of Nazareth come at a late hour, through the whole length of the straggling street, to the eastern extremity of the town, to seek rest and shelter for the night… The late travellers were obliged to seek shelter outside of the inner wall of the caravanserai, beneath archways extending back under the projecting and cavernous rocks of the hill-side, and used only for the protection of servants, muleteers and animals in bad weather. “There is no room” for these benighted late comers “in the inn.” … In such a dismal, rude, stone-built manger was the babe lying when the shepherds … heard the angel voice…” (Walks and Homes of Jesus, pp. 25, 26, 1866).
4. Birth of the saviour announced to the shepherds (DA, Ch. 4)
Ellen White (1827-1915): “Men know it not, but the tidings fill heaven with rejoicing…To those who are seeking for light, and who accept it with gladness, the bright rays from the throne of God will shine. In the fields where the boy David had led his flock, shepherds were still keeping watch by night. Through the silent hours they talked together of the promised Saviour, and prayed for the coming of the king to David’s throne” (DA, p. 47).
Henry Kollock (1778-1819): “Though man was silent at the birth of the saviour, the inhabitants of heaven announced to the world the precious benefit which had been conferred upon it. In the same fields, and perhaps in the very same spot, in which David, under the canopy of heaven, and in the silence of the night, enjoyed delicious intercourse with the Lord and his angels… in these very fields, consecrated by the prayers and praises, the prophetic views and holy joys of David, were some shepherds sitting by night, guarding their flocks, and meditating on the works of the Creator, when an angel, surrounded with light, descended to bring them the welcome tidings that the Saviour had appeared on earth…” (Sermons on Various Subjects in Four Volumes, p. 79, 1822).
Cunningham Geikie (1824-1906): “On the night of the birth of Christ, a group of shepherds lay out , with their flocks… They must have been men looking out, in their simple way, towards the invisible and eternal, and seeking that kingdom of God for themselves which was one day, as they believed, to be revealed in their nation at large. Only that mind which has sympathy with external nature can receive in their true significance the impressions if is filled to convey, and only the heart which has sympathy with spiritual things can recognize their full meaning… the associations of these mountain pastures, dear to every Jew, as the scene of David’s youth, were over and around them” (Life and Words of Christ Vol. 1, pp.123-124, 1877).
5. Joseph and Mary were poor (DA, Ch. 5)
Ellen White (1827-1915): “Joseph and Mary were poor; … and they presented only the offering made by the poorer classes” (DA, p. 52).
Ellen White: “The parents of Jesus were poor, and dependent upon their daily toil. He was familiar with poverty, self-denial and privation” (DA, p. 72).
Ellen White: “He who had a mother that struggled with poverty and privation…” (DA, p. 512).
Thomas Stephen: “The poverty of Mary and her husband Joseph was so great that they could not bring the appointed offering of a lamb” (A Gospel History of our Lord and saviour Jesus Christ: or, a Life of the Man of Sorrows, p. 50, 1853).
Thayer, Erastus William (1812-1902): “The first notable fact in the history of the gospel history is the extreme poverty of the wedded pair from whom the Messiah was to descend” (Sketches from the life of Jesus, Historical and Doctrinal, p. 26, 1891).
William Dool Killen (1806-1902): “This child of poverty and of a despised race, born in the stable of the lodging-house of an insignificant town” (The Ancient Church: Its History, Doctrine, Worship, And Constitution, p. 14, 1859).
6. Christ collected the riches of the universe (DA, Ch. 5)
Ellen White (1827-1915): “Having collected the riches of the universe, and laid open the resources of infinite power, He gives them all into the hands of Christ, and says, All these are for man. Use these gifts to convince him that there is no love greater than Mine in earth or heaven. His greatest happiness will be found in loving Me” (DA, p. 57).
John Harris (1802-1856): “Having collected all the riches of the universe, and laid open all the resources of his infinite nature, he gave them all into the hands of Christ, and said, ‘These, all these, are for man; use them for man; distribute them for men; if necessary, confer them all upon man, in order to convince him that there is no love in the universe but mine, and that his happiness consists in loving me, and giving himself in return” (The great teacher, p. 105, 1836 [1835]).
7. Joseph and Mary were peasants (DA, Ch. 6)
Ellen White (1827-1915): “His parents, uneducated peasants, were His only guardians” (DA, p. 63).
W. Robert Nicoll (1851-1923): “Though peasants, they were of the city of David, and belonged to Bethlehem” (The Incarnate saviour, p. 16, 1897).
8. The three wise men (DA, Ch. 6, Matt 2: 1)
Ellen White (1827-1915): “The wise men from the East were philosophers… upright men who studied the indications of Providence in nature, and who were honoured for their integrity and wisdom” (DA, p. 59).
Ellen White: “They consulted priests and philosophers, and searched the scrolls of the ancient records. The prophecy of Balaam had declared, “There shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel,” (Desire of Ages, p. 60).
Ellen White: “With eager steps they press onward, confidently expecting the Messiah’s birth to be the joyful burden of every tongue. But their inquiries are in vain…To their amazement they find none who seem to have acknowledged of the new-born king. Their questions call forth no expressions of joy, but rather of surprise and fear, not unmingled with contempt” (Ibid, pp. 60, 61).
Ellen White: “So did these Gentiles go forth to find the promised Saviour” (Ibid., p. 60).
Ellen White: “The Magi had been among the first to welcome the Redeemer” (Ibid., p. 65).
Jamieson (1802-1880): “Balaam’s prophecy (Numbers 24:17) and perhaps Daniel 9:24 might have wcome down to them by tradition. These simple strangers [the Magi] expected all Jerusalem to be full of its new-born king, and the time, place and circumstances if His birth to be familiar to everyone. Little did they think that the first announcement of His birth would come from themselves, and still less could they anticipate the startling, instead of transporting, effect which it would produce-else they would probably have sought their information regarding His birth place in some other quarter” (Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible: Matthew 2, 1871).
John Darby (1800-1882): “He [Jesus] is formally acknowledged King of the Jews by the Gentiles, who are guided by the will of God on the hearts of their wise men” (Synopsis of the Books of the Bible: Matthew 2, [1857-1867]).
Albert Barnes (1798-1870): The Magi – “These persons here denoted were philosophers, priests, or astronomers. They dwelt chiefly in Persia and Arabia” (Barnes’ Notes on the Whole Bible: Matthew, 1834)
John Wesley (1703-1791): “Probably they were Gentile philosophers, who through divine assistance had improved their knowledge of nature as a means of leading to the knowledge of the One true God… Nor is it unreasonable to suppose, that God had favoured them with some extraordinary revelations of himself, as he did Melchizedek…We have seen his star – Undoubtedly they had before heard Balaam’s prophecy. And probably when they saw this unusual star, it was revealed to them that this prophecy was fulfilled” (Wesley’s Explanatory Notes: Matthew 2, 1754).
9. The wise men gave their hearts to baby Jesus (DA, Ch. 6)
Ellen White (1827-1915): “They gave their hearts to Him as their Saviour, and then poured out their gifts, – “gold, and frankincense, and myrrh” (DA, P. 63).
William Hanna (1802-1882): “The gold, the frankincense, the myrrh had been of little worth had the worship of the heart had not gone before and sanctified the gift. But the gift most appropriately followed the worship” (The Life of Christ, p. 50, 1863).
10. The Lord provided means for their flight into Egypt (DA, Ch. 6)
Ellen White (1827-1915): “And through the gifts of the magi from a heathen country, the Lord supplied the means for the journey into Egypt and the sojourn in a land of strangers” (DA, p. 65).
Thomas Scott (1747-1821): “And the oblations of the eastern sages would prove a very reasonable supply, to enable the holy family to bear the expense of so long a journey, and of their maintenance in a foreign country” (The holy Bible: Containing the Old and The New testaments, Vol. V, p. 14, 1831).
James Bennett (1774-1862): “It is probable, however, that the sages presented a token of their homage, rather than of their wealth; a purse, perhaps, of twenty or thirty pieces, which the adorable providence of God induced them to present, in order to furnish the expenses of the journey into Egypt” (Lectures on the Life of Jesus Christ, Vol. 1, p. 56, 1828).
Thomas Stephen: “The costly offerings of the Magi provided the means for their journey, and also for their sustentation whilst in the land of Ham” (A Gospel History of our Lord and saviour Jesus Christ: or, a Life of the Man of Sorrows, p. 58, 1853).
11. Jesus was a peasant (DA, Ch. 7).
Ellen White (1827-1915): “Jesus lived in a peasant’s home” (DA, p. 72).
Samuel J. Andrews (1817-1906): “He was a natural product of His age, a mere Jewish peasant, with nothing supernatural about Him” (Life of Our Lord upon the Earth considered in its historical, chronological and geographical relations, p. Vii, 1873 [1863]).
Edward Griffin (1770-1837): “Is not the peasant who under this banner has vanquished the world, the flesh, and the devil, a better and happier man than Cesar in all his glory?” (Sermons By The Late Rev. Edward Griffin, Vol. 2, p. 145, 1838).
12. He passed by the homes of wealth (DA, Ch. 7)
Ellen White (1827-1915): “The childhood and youth of Jesus were spent in a little mountain village… But He passed by the homes of wealth, the courts of royalty, and the renowned seats of learning, to make His home in obscure and despised Nazareth” (DA, p. 68).
Daniel March (1816-1909): “He lived thirty years of his life in this depraved and despised Nazareth, … He passed by the renowned seats of wisdom, and glory and empire, and made his home in this humble, mountain village” (Walks and Homes of Jesus, pp. 52, 53, 1866).
13. A town that did not provide education was under curse (DA, Ch. 7)
Ellen White (1827-1915): “In the days of Christ the town or city that did not provide for the religious instruction was regarded as under the curse God” (DA, p. 69).
Cunningham Geikie (1824-1906): “The enthusiasm of the Jews for education, which, in their sense of the word, was learning to read “the law,” and the committing it to memory was amazing. “A town in which there is no school must perish”” (The Life and Words of Christ, p. 172, 1877).
14. Jesus made manual labour honourable (DA, Ch. 7)
Ellen White (1827-1915): “With His own hands worked in the carpenter’s shop with Joseph… he was perfect as a workman… By His own example he taught… such labour is honourable… God appointed work as a blessing” (DA, p. 72)
Charles Coffin Adams (1810-1888): “He laboured as a carpenter and forever hallowed manual labour – made it both honourable and glorious” (The Life of Our Lord Jesus Christ, vol. p. 53, 1878).
Constant Fouard (1837-1903): “It was doubly necessary for Jesus to work with His hands, for the Holy family was poor and their only means of livelihood were drawn from this handicraft of Joseph” (Christ, The Son of God, Vol. 1, p. 86, 1891).
15. Childhood Miracles of Jesus (DA, Ch. 7)
Ellen White (1827-1915): “He made no exhibition of His miraculous power” (DA, p, 74).
Ellen White: “None could say that he had worked a miracle; but virtue – the healing power of love – went out from Him to the sick and distressed. Thus in an unobtrusive way He worked for the people from His very childhood” (Desire of Ages, p. 92).
Alexander Walker (1825-1903): According to The Gospel of Thomas [A.D 140-170], some of the miracles Jesus performed between the ages 5 – 12 were: 1). He breathes life into twelve sparrows fashioned out of clay. 2). Carries water on a cloth. 3). Heals James from snake bite. 4). Resurrects a man who died. 5). He took a dried fish and put it into a basin, and ordered it to move about, and it began to move (Apocryphal Gospels, Acts and Revelations, pp. 78-85, 1870).
J. R. Miller (1840-1912): “There were no miracles wrought by his hands but the miracle of duty, faithful service, and gentle kindness” (Personal Friendships of Jesus, p. 140, 1897 [1894]).
Note: The bible is silent about the childhood of Jesus and does not say anything about the childhood miracles of Jesus. The first miracle of Jesus was the turning of water to wine (John 2:11) performed as an adult at the beginning of his ministry. J.W. M c Garvey says that “John’s statement brands false all the Catholic traditions which tell of miracles performed by Christ in his childhood” (The Fourfold Gospel).
F. W. Farrar (1831-1903): Here is a warning and a rebuke to all who would attempt to add to the scripture: “We have only to turn to the Apocryphal Gospels, and we shall find how widely different is the false human ideal from the divine fact. There we shall see how, following their natural and unspiritual bent, the fabulists of Christendom, whether heretical or orthodox, surround Christ’s boyhood with a blaze of miracles…They meant to honour Christ; but no invention can honour Him; he who invents about Him degrades Him; he mixes weak, imperfect, erring fancies of man with the unapproachable and awful purposes of God” (The Life of Christ, Vol. 1, pp. 58, 59, 1874).
16. Singing drives the devil away (DA, Ch. 7)
Ellen White (1827-1915): “His praises seemed to banish evil angels” (DA, p. 73).
Ellen White: “I saw, singing to the glory of God often drove the enemy, and shouting would beat him back and give us the victory” (Letter 5, 1850).
Ellen White: “Vocal music is one of God’s gifts to men” (Manuscripts 5, 1874).
Ellen White: “The ability to sing is a gift of God” (9T, p. 144).
Charles A. Johnson: “The partisan temper of church leader Alexander Campbell (1788-1866) is indicated by his charge that the Methodist church could not live without her “glory! Glory! Glory! … her periodical Amens dispossess demons – storm heaven – shut the gates of Hell – and drive Satan from the camp” (Frontier Campmeeting, p. 233, 1955).
Charles A. Johnson: “At another encampment, an unusual stratagem was used to outwit “Beelzebub” … we will take him by surprise tonight … The move had the desired psychological effect, for with the aid of hymn singing…” (Ibid., p. 190).
Charles A. Johnson: [From Methodist Camp meeting Hymns] “They pray, they sing, they preach the best, and do the Devil most molest” (Ibid., p. 204).
Charles A. Johnson: “Shout, Shout, we’re gaining ground, Halle, Hallelujah! We’ll shout old Satan’s kingdom down, O glory hallelujah!” (Ibid., p.202).
Martin Luther (1483-1547): “Music is a gift of God, not a gift of men. Music drives away the devil and makes people happy” (1541).
Martin Luther (1483-1547): “Music is a gift and grace of God, not an invention of men. Thus it drives out the devil and makes people cheerful… Music is the art of the prophets and the gift of God” (Martin Luther Quotes: 21 Powerful Sayings, 1541).
17. Jesus would stoop to relieve a wounded bird (DA, Ch. 7)
Ellen White (1827-1915): “He whose word of power upheld the worlds would stoop to relieve a wounded bird” (DA, p. 74).
John Harris (1802-1856): “Like the Almighty Father, sustaining the worlds, yet stooping to succor the falling bird” (The Great Teacher, p. 341, 1835).
18. He was the fountain of healing (DA, Ch. 7)
Ellen White (1827-1915): “Jesus was the fountain of healing mercy for the world; and through all those secluded years at Nazareth, His life flowed out in currents of sympathy and tenderness” (DA, p. 74).
Ellen White (1827-1915): “Jesus was a fountain of healing mercy for the saving of the world; for by precept and example he represented the justice and love of God to men. When the nature of man is renewed by grace, he will be full of tenderness, sympathy, and love. ST, Nov, 28, 1892
Note: The above quote is quote similar to John Harris’ citation below.
John Harris (1802-1856): “Having turned all his infinite nature into grace, having dissolved into a fountain of healing mercy for the recovery of the world… he would have their natures, like his own, changed into tenderness and love” (The Great teacher, p. 389, 1835).
19. Twelfth year of a Jewish boy (DA, Ch. 8, Luke 2: 42)
Ellen White (1827-1915): “Among the Jews the twelfth year was the dividing line between childhood and youth. On completing this year a Hebrew boy was called a son of the law, and also a son of God. He was given special opportunities for religious instruction, and was expected to participate in the sacred feasts and observances. It was in accordance with this custom Jesus in His boyhood made the Passover visit to Jerusalem… There were three annual feasts, the Passover, the Pentecost, and the Feast of Tabernacles at which all the men of Israel were commanded to appear before the Lord at Jerusalem” (DA, p. 75).
William Hanna (1808-1882): “When Jesus was twelve years old… He had reached that age, when according to Jewish reckoning, he crossed the line which divided childhood from youth, got the new name of a son of the Lord” (The earlier years of our Lord’s life on earth, p. 121, 1864).
August Neander (1789-1850): “Jesus had attained his twelfth year, a period which was regarded among the Jews as the dividing line between childhood and youth” (Life of Christ in its Historical Connexion and Historical Development, p. 30, 1848).
Charles F. Deems (1820-1893): “The Jews believed the age of twelve to be the line dividing childhood from youth. At this period one was called “son of the law,” and first incurred legal responsibility” (Jesus, p. 51, 1868).
Jamieson (1802-1880): “When He was twelve years old – At this age every Jewish boy was styled “a son of the law,” being put under a course of instruction and trained to fasting and attendance on public worship, besides being set to learn a trade. At this age accordingly our Lord is taken up to Jerusalem, at the Passover season, the chief festival of the three annual festivals” (Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the While Bible, 1871).
B.W. Johnson (1833-1894): “At the age of twelve a boy was called by the Jews “son of the law,” and first incurred legal obligation. Henceforth it would be his personal duty to keep the law” (People’s New Testament, Luke 2:42, 1891).
Samuel J. Andrews (1817-1906): “His presence at the Passover at the age of twelve, was in accordance with Jewish custom. At that age the Jewish boys began to be instructed in the law, to be subjected to the fasts, and to attend regularly the feasts, and were called the sons of the Law” (Life of Our Lord upon the Earth, p. 102, 1863).
Note: Interesting comment about the above author: “In the preparation of The Desire of Ages such works were used in determining the order of events. On this point Marian Davis, writing to the manager of the Pacific Press, stated on November 23, 1896, “In the order of chapters we followed Andrews’ harmony as given in his life of Christ. He is generally regarded as the very best authority, and is quoted by leading writers. We know of no better arrangement than his.” Samuel J. Andrews, The Life of Our Lord Upon the Earth, First published in 1862. The 1891 edition was in Ellen White’s library. (3SM, p. 122; Letter 38, 1885, p. 8).
F. W. Farrar (1831-1903): “The age of twelve years was a critical age for a Jewish boy. It was the age at which, according to Jewish legend, Moses had left the house of Pharoah’s daughter… At this age, a boy of whatever rank was obliged, by the injunction of the Rabbis and the custom of his nation, to learn a trade for his own support… At this age he became a ben hat-torah, or “son of the Law”” (The Life of Christ, Vol. 1, pp. 67, 68, 1874).
Cunningham Geikie (1824-1906): “Jesus who had ended His twelfth year when taken up to the Passover, was already a “Son of the Law,” and as such, required to perform all religious duties” (The Life and Words of Christ, Vol. 1, p. 224, 225, 1877).
Constant Fouard (1837-1903): “Along about His twelfth year, the young Jew found Himself, in a measure, exempt from the family government. Having entered the synagogue, He had begun already to bind about His head the phylacteries, – long bands of parchment, covered with sacred texts, – and was become “a Son of the law,” and subject to its prescriptions. One of paramount importance was to visit Jerusalem at the Feast of the Pasch” (Christ, the Son of God, Vol. 1, p. 81, 1890).
Charles C. Adams (1810-1888): “Hebrew parents trained their children for confirmation; and, in that rite, they took their covenant vow on themselves; and, afterwards, were called Sons of the Law” (The Life of Our Lord Jesus Christ, p. 47, 1878).
20. Divinity flash through humanity – 1
(DA, Ch. 8, 16, 77, Luke 2: 48-49; John 2: 12-22)
Ellen White (1827-1915): “On His face was a light at which they wondered. Divinity flashing through humanity” DA, p. 81).
Ellen White: “Looking upon Christ, they behold divinity flash through the garb of humanity…His form seems to rise above them in commanding dignity, and a divine light illuminates His countenance” (DA, p. 158).
Ellen White: “…for divinity had flashed through humanity” (DA, p. 731).
Ingraham J. H (1809-1860): “…but a halo of softened lustre shone still around the head of Jesus, and his face, like that of Moses, emitted rays of glory” (The Prince of the House of David, p. 115, 1855).
Cunningham Geikie (1824-1906): “That one man should have effected such an amazing act may have been due, as St. C says, “to the starry light which shone from His eyes, and to the Divine majestic which beamed from His features” (Life and Words of Christ, vol. 1, p. 497, 1879).
Cunningham Geikie (1824-1906): “Just before His arrest Jesus not only demonstrated to the mob that He could easily escape if He so desired, but He also gave them a final proof of His divinity. A ray of His divine glory flash through His humanity, and the murderous throng staggered backward and fell as dead men to the ground” (Life and Words of Christ, vol. 2, p. 742, 1880).
F. W. Farrar (1831-1903): “The legends of early Christianity tell us that night and day, where Jesus moved and slept, the cloud of light shone round about Him. And it was so; but that light was no visible Shechinah, it was the beauty of holiness; it was the peace of God” (The Life of Christ, Vol.1, p. 95, 1874).
J. R. Miller (1840-1912): “There was no halo about his head, no transfiguration, that awed men…There was no halo about his head but the shining of manly character” (Personal Friendships of Jesus, pp. 4, 140, 1897 [1894]).
Henry Ward Beecher (1813-1887): “Except his mother’s arms, there was no circle of light about his head, fondly as artists loved to paint it” (The Life of Jesus Christ, pp. 54, 1871).
Note: Gospel writers did not make mention about the divine light shining round Jesus’ face, neither of “divinity flashing through humanity.” But this information is found in other writings, legends and also can be drawn from paintings dating back to 1000 – 1800 AD. For example, Giotto di Bondone’s (1266/7-1337) paintings of the life of Jesus, portrays Jesus, and His parents, with a circle of halo round their heads. The same is true of the illustrations used in the Desire of Ages where Jesus is portrayed with a halo encircling his face. (See the illustration below from The Desire of Ages, p. 79. [Similar pictures on pp. 84, 379, 511, 688 and 741]).