That's an interesting piece of early JW history though many would argue that their history really began with Rutherford. They are really an adventist offshoot and have nothing to do with the early Christian Church as they like to claim.
ebay 1875 Bible Examiner issue
by stev 17 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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stev
The Advent Christian church (or the Second Adventists) was an outgrowth of the Millerite movement. Barbour's 1873 time movement, which Russell later joined, was an offshoot of the Advent Christian Church. Russell's group was an offshoot of Barbour's group. Eventually Russell shed his Adventist roots, and his followers lost contact with it. Although Rutherford was president of Russell's Society, most of the early Bible Students left, and he radically changed what remained. The JWs perhaps are an offshoot of Russell's Bible Student group.
The Advent Christian Church remains to this day. I have heard rumors that some of Barbour's followers still exist, as the Church of the Stranger(s) in the Rochester, NY area. The heirs of the Russell's Bible Students are the present day Bible Students.
Storrs had helped to found the Adventist group the Life and Advent Union, which split from the Advent Christian Church. Storrs left the group around 1871. The Life and Advent Union merged back with Advent Christian Church sometime during the 20th century.
Does anyone what happened to Storrs' Bible Examiner movement? As far as I know, Storrs was not interested in founding a church, was against organization, and there was no body to continue his beliefs, although Russell promoted some of them.
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stev
Here is information on Nelson Barbour's church in Rochester:
http://www.rootsweb.com/~nymonroe/church1.htmReligious
Congregations in Rochester, NY formed before 1900
by
Dick Halsey
1900 - 1905Church of the StrangerFounded1878Addresses1879 - 1882Court St., corner of Stone190086 William St.1905180 William St.Names 1879 - 1882 Church of the Strangers (No information given after 1905. Did the church die out then?)
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cabasilas
I've always wondered if there was some contact between Barbour's group in Rochester and the Megiddo Church in Rochester:
http://www.monroecc.edu/depts/sociology/pluralism/profile30.htm
They apparently have a Christadelphian background and moved to the Rochester area between 1902-1905.
My Mom used to order their literature when I was a kid back in the 60s.
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cabasilas
I did find Heath's "The Future Human Kingdom of Christ" (credited by Dunn as an inspiration for his "Destiny of the Human Race") online at:
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GMahler
Years ago, I paged all the issues of the BIble Examiner, but no library had the years from 1872-1876. So this 1875 issue is truly rare.
stev,
The Center for Adventist Research at the Andrews University Library in Berrien Springs, MI has every issue of the Bible Examiner available on microfilm. I've looked through their catalog at lentgh. For anyone who wants to research William Miller and the movements his beliefs started (including the Bible Students), this library has the best resources that I could find.
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stev
GMahler:
Many years ago I did visit that library on numerous occasions. Yes, it is excellent, and there is nothing like feeling the original document. They have the World's Crisis and Advent Christian Times. Also the Three Worlds.
About 25 years ago, I looked through the Bible Examiner on microfilm and the years 1872-1876 were missing. Are you sure that it is available on microfilm? Perhaps since then it has been microfilmed.
Paton's The World's Hope is at a library in Michigan, perhaps Detroit.
A few issues of Zion's Day Star is at the Pittsburgh library.
The first several years of the original Zion's Watch Tower is also at the Pittsburgh library.
It is unfortunate there is no historical library for the Bible Students/JWs, like the Andrews library, or the Advent Christian Aurora, IL library. The JWs have the resources for it, but they have never been pathfinders when it comes to their history.
It would be possible to trace Russell's Adventist connections if the research were done, which is time consuming, and a group effort would be more feasible than an individual. But no group seems to want to do it. The Herald website is to be applauded for putting so much Russell history online.
Russell's name appears in the World's Crisis, The Advent Christian Times, The Bible Examiner, and probably other Adventist papers. He likely regularly attended the Advent Christian Church in the Pittsburgh area for some years, attended the Adventist church in Philadelphia and visited Lutheran minister Joseph Seiss when he visited there on business trips, and the 1876 exposition. Russell traveled to Adventist churches when preaching with Barbour. When he formed his Watch Tower, many of his readers were Adventists. When he traveled on speaking trips in the early years, he went to locations where there were Adventist churches. It is likely that there were few Watch Tower churches at the beginning, and he went to churches where there might be a reader or a few. Articles from Adventist papers are quoted through the 1880s. There was a running paper war with Paton's World's Hope through the 1880s, and this could be an indication that Russell and Paton shared a common readership. -
stev
When I did much of my research 25-30 years ago, Russell's Adventist connections was not known among the Bible Students/JWs nor the Adventist groups. Russell acknowledged Wendell, Barbour, Storrs, Stetson. But some of Russell's statements were misleading, such as that he learned no single truth from the Adventists, and that he was never an Adventist. As newcomers came in, and the old-timers died, many of Russell's followers assumed that he learned much of what taught on his own, by himself, by independent study of the Bible. This supported their belief that he was "that servant", and "The Laodicean Messenger." Did Russell cover it up? Russell, like other "Adventists", was reluctant to use the word "Adventist", because of its association with sectarianism, which he and others sought to avoid.