I'm researching a paper on the Adventist religions. I keep reading that Russell was influenced by Miller but I can't find a direct link. And I have some other questions I'm trying to figure out:
Russellites and other questions
by under74 16 Replies latest watchtower bible
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under74
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fjtoth
In Crisis of Conscience (second edition), pages 141-63, Raymond Franz shows the connection between Russell and the Millerite and adventist movements. But there doesn't appear to be any direct connection with Campbell or Miller. Miller died in the 1840's, and Russell was born in the 1850's.
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hubert
I found a site you can check, called "apologetics index". I can't link sites to the forum. Don't know why. Maybe you looked at this site already.
There was a post on William Miller a while back. It was by "Justin". He posted it on July 20, 2004. Maybe you can find it from the member file. I can't find my copy, so I'm going to print a new one.
Hope this helps a little. That's all I got on it.
Hubert
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garybuss
Studies In The Scriptures
Vol 3. Thy Kingdom Come
Page 64
world's estimation, take no such attitude.
But the "Miller movement" was more than this: it was
the beginning of the right understanding of Daniel's visions,
and at the right time to fit the prophecy. Mr. Miller's application
of the three and a half times (1260 years) was practically
the same as that we have just given, but he made the
C87
mistake of not starting the 1290 and 1335 periods at the
same point. Had he done so he would have been right. On
the contrary, he started them thirty years sooner--about
509 instead of 539, which ended the 1335 days in 1844, instead
of 1874.* It was, nevertheless, the beginning of the right
understanding of the prophecy;
http://www.biblestudents.net/studies/harvestmessage/volume3.pdf
Do a search on "Miller"
Miller comes up 13 times.
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I don't know about the other questions. Russell's works are at
http://www.biblestudents.net/studies/harvestmessage/
and they are searchable.
Hope this helps. GaryB -
garybuss
For history of the date 1914 the book written by Nelson Barbour 1877 on page 83 says:
The seventy years captivity ended in the first year of Cyrus, which was B. C. 536. They therefore
commenced seventy years before, or B. C. 606. Hence, it was in B. C. 606, that God's kingdom
ended, the diadem was removed, and all the earth given up to the Gentiles. 2520 years from B. C.
606, will end in A. D. 1914, or forty years from 1874; and this forty years upon which we have
now entered is to be such "a time of trouble as never was since there was a nation." And during
this forty years, the kingdom of God is to be set up, (but not in the flesh, "the natural first and
afterwards the spiritual)," the Jews are to be restored, the Gentile kingdoms broken in pieces "like
a potter's vessel," and the kingdoms of this world become the kingdoms of our Lord and his
Christ, and the judgment age introduced.
http://www.heraldmag.org/olb/bsl/Library/Russell/3Worlds/3worlds.pdf
There is lots more here. All searchable. -
Kenneson
Check out the following on this forum
http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/32/78491/1.ashx
Scroll down to "The Roots of Pastor Russell's Teachings," a thread which I began. Additionally, there may be other topics on the list that are pertinent to your questions.
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M.J.
I remember reading about this in "Gentile Times Reconsidered". And I'm sure there's gotta be something in Freeminds.org under Watchtower History. Anyway, going by memory, Nelson Barbour was the link. He was a Millerite who went through the "great disappointment", lost his faith, and regained it when he realized he could tweak Miller's dates, revising it to 1874. When his revised date didn't work out, he found a new Bible translation that interpreted Christ's coming as Christ's "presence", so in this way he justified reasoning that his date was right and Christ was present invisibly (sounds familiar). He started publishing this junk in his magazine, which Russell got a hold of, they got in touch and started publishing a magazine together. The rest is history. Also, George Storrs was an adventist who influenced Russel even before that, with the doctrine of "soul sleep".
Here's a link: http://www.premier1.net/~raines/offshoot.html
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minimus
One of our posters---RR has any info on Russell and the Bible Student movement. Save time and look through his info!
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Beachbender
Well......that was interesting read on Russell, I wasn`t aware (or remembered!)
any of that! Thanks for the link MJ.
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AlanF
As Gary pointed out, Russell taught that Miller was, in effect, the first one in his day to begin fulfilling Bible prophecy, so that's a pretty strong connection.
Also, Russell adopted Nelson Barbour's "bible chronology" as his own in 1876. Barbour was a Millerite when that movement was going strong, but left in the late 1840s. Penton's Apocalypse Delayed has a lot more information on this. Since Barbour was from Rochester, New York, It's likely that he was influenced by the strong religious feelings produced in the 1830s to 1850s, which resulted in the so-called "burned over district" in New York, which certainly included Rochester.
AlanF