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Studies in the Scriptures (Or, Millennial Dawn) #4
Studies In The Scriptures; Volume 4
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This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.
As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
- GenresReligion
692 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1923
6 people are currently reading
45 people want to read
About the author
Charles Taze Russell
132 books17 followersSee also: books about Charles Taze Russell
Charles Taze Russell, also known as Pastor Russell, was a Protestant evangelist from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania & founder of the Bible Student movement. He started the Watchtower Magazine, which is today published to disseminate the views of Jehovah's Witnesses, & also formed the Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society, which is also today the main legal entity of that religious group.
After having published several articles in various religious journals as early as 1876 he formed his own religious journal Zion's Watch Tower & Herald of Christ's Presence in 1879, as well as establishing Zion's Watch Tower Tract Society in 1881. In 1884 Zion's Watch Tower Tract Society published the first in a series of seven books (six of which Russell wrote himself) entitled Studies in the Scriptures with the first six originally entitled The Millennial Dawn.
In 1908 Russell transferred the headquarters of the Society to its current location in Brooklyn, New York.
Following Russell's death controversy arose over the practices of the new president of the Society, J.F. Rutherford. A widespread schism erupted which divided the movement. The majority of the membership broke away, eventually resulting in the formation of several smaller groups known as Bible Students, while those who remained in fellowship with the Watch Tower Society took on the name Jehovah's Witnesses. Several denominations later formed around, or adopted some style of, Russell's views, among them the Worldwide Church of God, the Concordant Publishing Concern & the Assemblies of Yahweh. The numerous Bible Student offshoot groups include the Pastoral Bible Institute & the Layman's Home Missionary Movement.
Russell was a charismatic figure, but claimed no special revelation or vision to authenticate his teachings & professed no special authority on his own behalf. He wrote that the "clear unfolding of truth" within his teachings was due to "the simple fact that God's due time has come; & if I did not speak, & no other agent could be found, the very stones would cry out." He viewed himself–& all other Christians anointed with the Holy Spirit–as "God's mouthpiece" & an ambassador of Christ. Later in his career he accepted without protest that many Bible Students viewed him as "the faithful & wise servant" of Matthew 24:45, & was described by the Watch Tower after his death as having been made "ruler of all the Lord's goods".
Charles Taze Russell, also known as Pastor Russell, was a Protestant evangelist from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania & founder of the Bible Student movement. He started the Watchtower Magazine, which is today published to disseminate the views of Jehovah's Witnesses, & also formed the Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society, which is also today the main legal entity of that religious group.
After having published several articles in various religious journals as early as 1876 he formed his own religious journal Zion's Watch Tower & Herald of Christ's Presence in 1879, as well as establishing Zion's Watch Tower Tract Society in 1881. In 1884 Zion's Watch Tower Tract Society published the first in a series of seven books (six of which Russell wrote himself) entitled Studies in the Scriptures with the first six originally entitled The Millennial Dawn.
In 1908 Russell transferred the headquarters of the Society to its current location in Brooklyn, New York.
Following Russell's death controversy arose over the practices of the new president of the Society, J.F. Rutherford. A widespread schism erupted which divided the movement. The majority of the membership broke away, eventually resulting in the formation of several smaller groups known as Bible Students, while those who remained in fellowship with the Watch Tower Society took on the name Jehovah's Witnesses. Several denominations later formed around, or adopted some style of, Russell's views, among them the Worldwide Church of God, the Concordant Publishing Concern & the Assemblies of Yahweh. The numerous Bible Student offshoot groups include the Pastoral Bible Institute & the Layman's Home Missionary Movement.
Russell was a charismatic figure, but claimed no special revelation or vision to authenticate his teachings & professed no special authority on his own behalf. He wrote that the "clear unfolding of truth" within his teachings was due to "the simple fact that God's due time has come; & if I did not speak, & no other agent could be found, the very stones would cry out." He viewed himself–& all other Christians anointed with the Holy Spirit–as "God's mouthpiece" & an ambassador of Christ. Later in his career he accepted without protest that many Bible Students viewed him as "the faithful & wise servant" of Matthew 24:45, & was described by the Watch Tower after his death as having been made "ruler of all the Lord's goods".
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
August 23, 2008
In my desperate search for things to read during childhood summers in grandmother's cottage in Michigan I found this on a tall narrow bookshelf in the livingroom. Since members of the family were at best nominal Lutherans, this book by a founder of the Jehovah's Witnesses must have been obtained like most Witness publications are obtained today, for free and under duress.
Whatever the case, I had long been perplexed by Christianity. My direct exposure to it had been minimal. Once a year maybe Mother would take me and some elderly aunts to the Norwegian Lutheran Church in Chicago for an Easter services which would invariably include an interminable sermon. For one year or so, sometime around third or fourth grade, I attended Lutheran Sunday school with my best friend, Larry Nolden, while his parents worshipped upstairs with the adults. Otherwise, it was something one heard a lot about through literature and other media. My Catholic friends would also sometimes talk about the religious instruction they received in the afternoons after Oak Ridge Elementary's regular classes were through for the day. A lot of friends' homes had religious literature laying about, sometimes denominational publications intended for children with lots of pictures and cartoons. It was all very perplexing. Father was an atheist. Mother would make occasional vague references to god. But theology was never really discussed at home.
This book attracted me particularly because I'd heard of the Book of Revelation and of the Christian belief that the world was to come to some sort of end with happy consequences for the few and dire ones for the many. This book seemed to promise some sort of explanation beyond the confused stories I got from other kids.
Well, it did provide a lot of explanation, pretty much all based on the assumption that the bible was absolutely true, a belief that I did not want to credit given its apparent implications. Along the way the author also went on at length about various false Christians, particularly Catholics, with their pernicious, pagan ideas of an afterlife. He, as I recall, stood on this bible and thus on the doctrine of the resurrection of all flesh while most of my ostensibly Christian friends seemed to favor the going to heaven when you die heresy. In any case, it was wierd and scary. He seemed so very convinced.
When I tried to talk about it with family, I was met with answers ranging from Dad's simple "I don't believe in god" to the liberally dismissive "well, some people believe those things, but you don't have to." At this point, however, I probably knew more about the End Times than any of them did, despite never having actually read the Book of Revelation, so the replies didn't speak to the haunting dread which grew to such great proportions that by fifth grade I resisted going outside on Sunday mornings for fear of being recognized as a little atheist boy. Walks to Thompson's Market in Park Ridge for the Sunday Daily News (for Dad) or the Tribune (for Grandfather) were extremely unpleasant, but I never told them why I was so resistant to doing the chore before the later afternoon hours.
This "haunting dread" evolved into eventually majoring in Religious Studies at Grinnell College, obtaining an M.Div. at Union Theological Seminary and years of study in three degree programs at Loyola University Chicago. I'm still trying to deal with people like Charles Taze Russell and their incredible beliefs.
Whatever the case, I had long been perplexed by Christianity. My direct exposure to it had been minimal. Once a year maybe Mother would take me and some elderly aunts to the Norwegian Lutheran Church in Chicago for an Easter services which would invariably include an interminable sermon. For one year or so, sometime around third or fourth grade, I attended Lutheran Sunday school with my best friend, Larry Nolden, while his parents worshipped upstairs with the adults. Otherwise, it was something one heard a lot about through literature and other media. My Catholic friends would also sometimes talk about the religious instruction they received in the afternoons after Oak Ridge Elementary's regular classes were through for the day. A lot of friends' homes had religious literature laying about, sometimes denominational publications intended for children with lots of pictures and cartoons. It was all very perplexing. Father was an atheist. Mother would make occasional vague references to god. But theology was never really discussed at home.
This book attracted me particularly because I'd heard of the Book of Revelation and of the Christian belief that the world was to come to some sort of end with happy consequences for the few and dire ones for the many. This book seemed to promise some sort of explanation beyond the confused stories I got from other kids.
Well, it did provide a lot of explanation, pretty much all based on the assumption that the bible was absolutely true, a belief that I did not want to credit given its apparent implications. Along the way the author also went on at length about various false Christians, particularly Catholics, with their pernicious, pagan ideas of an afterlife. He, as I recall, stood on this bible and thus on the doctrine of the resurrection of all flesh while most of my ostensibly Christian friends seemed to favor the going to heaven when you die heresy. In any case, it was wierd and scary. He seemed so very convinced.
When I tried to talk about it with family, I was met with answers ranging from Dad's simple "I don't believe in god" to the liberally dismissive "well, some people believe those things, but you don't have to." At this point, however, I probably knew more about the End Times than any of them did, despite never having actually read the Book of Revelation, so the replies didn't speak to the haunting dread which grew to such great proportions that by fifth grade I resisted going outside on Sunday mornings for fear of being recognized as a little atheist boy. Walks to Thompson's Market in Park Ridge for the Sunday Daily News (for Dad) or the Tribune (for Grandfather) were extremely unpleasant, but I never told them why I was so resistant to doing the chore before the later afternoon hours.
This "haunting dread" evolved into eventually majoring in Religious Studies at Grinnell College, obtaining an M.Div. at Union Theological Seminary and years of study in three degree programs at Loyola University Chicago. I'm still trying to deal with people like Charles Taze Russell and their incredible beliefs.
Displaying 1 of 1 review