In a document titled "A copy of E. G. White's vision which she had at
Oswego, New York," January 11, 1850, an unusual statement appears concerning
the Apocrypha, also known as "the hidden book":
"I then saw the Word of God, pure and unadulterated, and that we must
answer for the way we received the truth proclaimed from that Word. I saw that
it had been a hammer to break the flinty heart in pieces, and a fire to consume
the dross and tin, that the heart might be pure and holy. I saw that the
Apocrypha was the hidden book, and that the wise of these last days should
understand it. I saw that the Bible was the standard Book, that will judge us
at the last day. I saw that heaven would be cheap enough, and that nothing was
too dear to sacrifice for Jesus, and that we must give all to enter the
kingdom" (Manuscript Releases, vol. 16, p. 34).
If what we have is a correct copy of what she wrote, the meaning and
significance of this statement is unclear. At no subsequent time did Ellen
White make reference to the Apocrypha, call upon Adventists to study it, or
urge its reading. Nor did she include this statement in any of her
publications. Whatever one makes of the statement, it should be observed that
the Apocrypha is not described as inspired, but is contrasted with the
Scriptures which are called the "standard Book, that will judge us at the last
day."