the early 19th century was an interesting time in Ohio
http://www.ohiohistorycentral.org/entry ... Millerites
Millerites:
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_richardMdBorn
- _Emeritus
- Posts: 1639
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Re: Millerites:
I've studied the Millerites and this is nonsense.Many sources claim that the Millerites, dressed in white robes, climbed the highest mountains and hills that they could find so that they would be closer to heaven.
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_karl61
- _Emeritus
- Posts: 2983
- Joined: Sat Aug 11, 2007 6:29 pm
Re: Millerites:
richardMdBorn wrote:I've studied the Millerites and this is nonsense.Many sources claim that the Millerites, dressed in white robes, climbed the highest mountains and hills that they could find so that they would be closer to heaven.
thanks for the comments. reading a book about miller from a non believing historian could be interesting.
I want to fly!
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_richardMdBorn
- _Emeritus
- Posts: 1639
- Joined: Sat Oct 28, 2006 3:05 am
Re: Millerites:
I suggest that you read The Disappointed, ed by Numbers and Butler. I spent a lot of time at the Jenks Center at Aurora University.
Here's an article I wrote on the Millerites and the Great Comet of 1843. American Heritage liked it, but they had a couple year backlog of articles.
Comets, Meteors and the Millerites
"But immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the son of man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory.”
Mat 24:29-30
The Leonids meteor shower on the night of Nov. 12-13, 1833 was one of the most spectacular ever seen. It has been estimated that over 240,000 meteors fell that evening. There were so many meteors in the sky at a time that many people woke from their beds and stared at the sky in panic, believing that the sky was on fire. An eyewitness reported that it was so bright that he could at times read common sized print. It began at midnight, reached its peak about four, and lasted until it was made invisible by daylight. There were three varieties of meteors. The first were phosphoric lines proceeding from one given point; the second were large fireballs leaving trains that sometimes remained visible for some time; the third were luminous bodies that were visible for a considerable amount of time. For several hours over the United States there was a continual blaze of thousands and thousands of meteors at a time. The Leonids are an annual shower. What made the 1833 one so spectacular? Abnormally bright showers are possible every 33 years when the Comet Temple-Tuttle is near the sun (it has a 33-year orbit). The type of meteor storm seen in 1833 occurs when the Earth passes close behind the comet’s orbit (thus, a spectacular Leonid shower can only occur every 33 years but will not always occur then). People in 1833 were obviously not aware of this. What they did know were theologians’ predictions that, per the Matthew passage, the last sign before Christ’s return would be the falling of the stars. And just two years before this meteor shower, a man had begun preaching that Christ would return around 1843.
William Miller
William Miller, 1782-1849, was no wild-eyed prophet of doom. He was a prosperous farmer from Low Hampton, NY, near the Vermont border. Over time, he held the positions of constable, sheriff and justice of the peace. Like many of his fellow citizens, he changed his religious opinions several times. He had friends who were deists, and they introduced him to the skeptical writers Voltaire, Hume, Paine, Ethan Allen, etc. Under their influence, he was a deist from 1804-16. However, Miller fought in the War of 1812. Against the odds, the Americans won the Battle of Plattsburgh. Captain Miller interpreted this a sign of God’s intervention in human affairs. Also, fellow soldiers who were Christians favorably impressed him. In addition, the deistic teaching that there was no life after death (universal annihilation) horrified him. He returned to the church and began intensive biblical study. Soon, he became convinced, using especially the book of Daniel, that Christ would return around 1843. He was a reluctant preacher, but was finally prevailed upon to first preach this message in 1831. There was a positive response, and he began preaching wherever he was invited, spending a considerable amount of his own money in the process. Many churches had revivals as a result of Miller’s preaching.
Over time, men prominent in reform movements joined the Adventists or Millerites. For example, Rev. Joshua Himes joined the movement in 1839. Rev. Himes, a friend of William Garrison, had been active in the anti-slavery and temperance movements. For men like Himes, preaching about the return of Christ represented the ultimate reform movement. An expert promoter, he started several newspapers and greatly increased publicity for Miller’s message. In addition, he arranged for Miller to preach in the big cities. Prior to their meeting, Miller had preached where he received invitations, but these had not come from the metropolitan centers. At its peak, there were 50,000-100,000 Millerites. Many of them were drawn from causes similar to those of Rev. Himes. Given the anti-slavery stand of many Millerites, it is not surprising that the movement had little appeal in the South.
Miller had resisted setting a specific date for Christ’s return. However, under pressure, he set a period between March 21, 1843 and March 21, 1844 (the two vernal equinoxes). As the time approached, the Millerites faced increased opposition and hostility. Rocks were thrown at Miller and gangs beat up Millerite preachers. An amusing incident occurred in 1842 when a friend took him to see a phrenologist. The phrenologist said that Miller had a large, well-developed head. Not knowing Miller, but aware that his friend knew him, the phrenologist pronounced that, “’Mr. Miller could not easily make a convert of this man to his hair-brained theory. He has too much good sense…O, how I should like to examine Mr. Miller’s head”’, said he, ‘I should give it one good squeezing.’” Miller and his friends had a good laugh and told the phrenologist that he was addressing the man he had mocked.
Comets
Comets have historically been considered harbingers of disaster. The famous Bayeaux Tapestry shows Haley’s Comet appearing in 1066, the year of the Norman Conquest. Calpurnia in Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar says, “When beggars die there are no comets seen; The heavens themselves blaze forth the death of princes.” In spite of Edmund Haley’s explanation of comets as natural phenomena and his correct prediction of Haley’s Comet’s orbital period in the late 17th century, this belief persisted into the 19th century.
What evidence helped draw people to and sustain faith in the movement? The first obviously was Mr. Miller’s theological arguments. He knew the Bible better than most of the preachers of his day, and his good character gave credence to his message. Many skeptics came to hear him and were convinced by his persuasive preaching. In addition, as I stated earlier, prominent men had become Adventists and added their arguments to his. And the 1833 comet shower had been seen as a significant sign of the imminent end times..
The Great March Comet of 1843 appeared at the perfect time to apparently demonstrate divine approval for Miller’s theory. It burst into the evening sky during the first half of March, was seen from all over the world (both northern and southern hemispheres), and exhibited a tail estimated at over 40 degrees long. Elder Joshua Bates, an Adventist preacher, wrote in his autobiography:
The year 1843 was remarkable for signs and wonders in the heavens; so much so that people said that these Adventists were the most fortunate people in the world, for they had signs in the heavens to help prove their doctrine [emphasis mine]. I will here name one that was seen by millions of witnesses, which I believe was supernatural. It was a brilliant stream of light which suddenly made its appearance in the path of the setting sun, a short distance above the horizon, soon after dark, and was very visible every clear day for three weeks in the month of March. While attending an evening meeting in Rhode Island during this time, the awfully grand and sublime appearance of this light was the cause of much excitement.
Bates then dismisses the speculation, which of course we know now is true, that the object was a comet. The proximity of the comet’s appearance to the beginning of Miller’s time period seemed significant to many at the time. Thus, Miller’s preaching was helped by the proximity of two spectacular celestial events. The 1833 meteor shower occurred just after he began preaching, and the spectacular 1843 comet appeared at the beginning of his year-long period for Christ’s return.
Another Adventist leader, Rev. Loshua Litch, predicted in 1838 based on Revelation 9 the fall of the Ottoman empire by August 11, 1840 (the sick man of Europe had been declining for a long time). The Adventists asserted, and their opponents disputed the point, that the 1840 revolution in Turkey, and intervention by the Great Powers, fulfilled this. Another evidence cited was the very ferment the movement aroused. Many thought that this also portended the end-times.
Then the kingdom of heaven will be comparable to ten virgins, who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were prudent. For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, but the prudent took oil in flasks along with their lamps. Now while the bridegroom was delaying, they all got drowsy and began to sleep. But at midnight there was a shout, 'Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.' Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. The foolish said to the prudent, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.' But the prudent answered, 'No, there will not be enough for us and you too; go instead to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.' And while they were going away to make the purchase, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding feast; and the door was shut. Later the other virgins also came, saying, 'Lord, lord, open up for us.' But he answered, 'Truly I say to you, I do not know you.' Be on the alert then, for you do not know the day nor the hour.
Mat 25:1-13
The failure of his first prediction made Miller reluctant to set another date. He thought that his method had been correct, and had no explanation for the failure. He counseled people to be patient (as in the parable of the wise virgins in Mat 25). However, as often is the case, the movement got away from the control of its leaders. In the summer of 1844, the “Seventh Month” movement arose which predicted Christ’s return on October 22, 1844. Miller was reluctant to endorse it, but the very enthusiasm it aroused finally led him to embrace it in early October. Contrary to rumors, the Adventists did not wear white robes in anticipation of the return on the 22nd. However, the disappointment was great when He did not appear.
Miller had de-emphasized doctrinal differences, thereby unifying the movement and focusing attention on his central message. With the failure of the second prediction, they reappeared. Some asserted that they had been correct on the date but wrong about the event’s nature. This led to some proposing the shut door doctrine (no one could be saved after October 22nd). The group that became the Seventh Day Adventists embraced the idea that Christ entered the inner sanctum of heaven on October 22nd. This group also embraced annihilationism (hell is not forever) and rejected the trinity. William Miller rejected all these views, as one would expect from a Calvinistic Baptist church’s member. He met with other Adventists in the Albany Conference in 1845 to discuss the situation. They rejected the spiritualizing of the October 1844 prediction, and counseled patience in waiting for Christ’s return.
Miller died in 1849, still waiting for Jesus’ return. But many of his followers must have pondered those exciting days in 1833 and 1843, when the skies seemed to be affirming his prediction that the end of the world was near.
Historians today emphasize multi-dimensional explanations for events. This is appropriate. However, there is a tendency to downplay religious causation of events and movements. In particular, economic factors are sometimes overemphasized. The Millerite phenomenon shows that tens of thousands of generally sober individuals in the first half of the nineteenth century took religion seriously, and responded positively to an end-time message. Their leaders were generally not motivated by money (both Miller and Himes refuted assertions of financial corruption). People sometimes associate end times speculation with the advent of the nuclear age. The Millerite movement shows that it predated this. The Jacksonian Age was a time of rapid expansion to the west and economic development. However, events like the Great Panic of 1837 caused uncertainty. In times like this, people looked to non-economic sources for assurance. And one major source of assurance was the expectation of God’s imminent intervention in the world.
Here's an article I wrote on the Millerites and the Great Comet of 1843. American Heritage liked it, but they had a couple year backlog of articles.
Comets, Meteors and the Millerites
"But immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the son of man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory.”
Mat 24:29-30
The Leonids meteor shower on the night of Nov. 12-13, 1833 was one of the most spectacular ever seen. It has been estimated that over 240,000 meteors fell that evening. There were so many meteors in the sky at a time that many people woke from their beds and stared at the sky in panic, believing that the sky was on fire. An eyewitness reported that it was so bright that he could at times read common sized print. It began at midnight, reached its peak about four, and lasted until it was made invisible by daylight. There were three varieties of meteors. The first were phosphoric lines proceeding from one given point; the second were large fireballs leaving trains that sometimes remained visible for some time; the third were luminous bodies that were visible for a considerable amount of time. For several hours over the United States there was a continual blaze of thousands and thousands of meteors at a time. The Leonids are an annual shower. What made the 1833 one so spectacular? Abnormally bright showers are possible every 33 years when the Comet Temple-Tuttle is near the sun (it has a 33-year orbit). The type of meteor storm seen in 1833 occurs when the Earth passes close behind the comet’s orbit (thus, a spectacular Leonid shower can only occur every 33 years but will not always occur then). People in 1833 were obviously not aware of this. What they did know were theologians’ predictions that, per the Matthew passage, the last sign before Christ’s return would be the falling of the stars. And just two years before this meteor shower, a man had begun preaching that Christ would return around 1843.
William Miller
William Miller, 1782-1849, was no wild-eyed prophet of doom. He was a prosperous farmer from Low Hampton, NY, near the Vermont border. Over time, he held the positions of constable, sheriff and justice of the peace. Like many of his fellow citizens, he changed his religious opinions several times. He had friends who were deists, and they introduced him to the skeptical writers Voltaire, Hume, Paine, Ethan Allen, etc. Under their influence, he was a deist from 1804-16. However, Miller fought in the War of 1812. Against the odds, the Americans won the Battle of Plattsburgh. Captain Miller interpreted this a sign of God’s intervention in human affairs. Also, fellow soldiers who were Christians favorably impressed him. In addition, the deistic teaching that there was no life after death (universal annihilation) horrified him. He returned to the church and began intensive biblical study. Soon, he became convinced, using especially the book of Daniel, that Christ would return around 1843. He was a reluctant preacher, but was finally prevailed upon to first preach this message in 1831. There was a positive response, and he began preaching wherever he was invited, spending a considerable amount of his own money in the process. Many churches had revivals as a result of Miller’s preaching.
Over time, men prominent in reform movements joined the Adventists or Millerites. For example, Rev. Joshua Himes joined the movement in 1839. Rev. Himes, a friend of William Garrison, had been active in the anti-slavery and temperance movements. For men like Himes, preaching about the return of Christ represented the ultimate reform movement. An expert promoter, he started several newspapers and greatly increased publicity for Miller’s message. In addition, he arranged for Miller to preach in the big cities. Prior to their meeting, Miller had preached where he received invitations, but these had not come from the metropolitan centers. At its peak, there were 50,000-100,000 Millerites. Many of them were drawn from causes similar to those of Rev. Himes. Given the anti-slavery stand of many Millerites, it is not surprising that the movement had little appeal in the South.
Miller had resisted setting a specific date for Christ’s return. However, under pressure, he set a period between March 21, 1843 and March 21, 1844 (the two vernal equinoxes). As the time approached, the Millerites faced increased opposition and hostility. Rocks were thrown at Miller and gangs beat up Millerite preachers. An amusing incident occurred in 1842 when a friend took him to see a phrenologist. The phrenologist said that Miller had a large, well-developed head. Not knowing Miller, but aware that his friend knew him, the phrenologist pronounced that, “’Mr. Miller could not easily make a convert of this man to his hair-brained theory. He has too much good sense…O, how I should like to examine Mr. Miller’s head”’, said he, ‘I should give it one good squeezing.’” Miller and his friends had a good laugh and told the phrenologist that he was addressing the man he had mocked.
Comets
Comets have historically been considered harbingers of disaster. The famous Bayeaux Tapestry shows Haley’s Comet appearing in 1066, the year of the Norman Conquest. Calpurnia in Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar says, “When beggars die there are no comets seen; The heavens themselves blaze forth the death of princes.” In spite of Edmund Haley’s explanation of comets as natural phenomena and his correct prediction of Haley’s Comet’s orbital period in the late 17th century, this belief persisted into the 19th century.
What evidence helped draw people to and sustain faith in the movement? The first obviously was Mr. Miller’s theological arguments. He knew the Bible better than most of the preachers of his day, and his good character gave credence to his message. Many skeptics came to hear him and were convinced by his persuasive preaching. In addition, as I stated earlier, prominent men had become Adventists and added their arguments to his. And the 1833 comet shower had been seen as a significant sign of the imminent end times..
The Great March Comet of 1843 appeared at the perfect time to apparently demonstrate divine approval for Miller’s theory. It burst into the evening sky during the first half of March, was seen from all over the world (both northern and southern hemispheres), and exhibited a tail estimated at over 40 degrees long. Elder Joshua Bates, an Adventist preacher, wrote in his autobiography:
The year 1843 was remarkable for signs and wonders in the heavens; so much so that people said that these Adventists were the most fortunate people in the world, for they had signs in the heavens to help prove their doctrine [emphasis mine]. I will here name one that was seen by millions of witnesses, which I believe was supernatural. It was a brilliant stream of light which suddenly made its appearance in the path of the setting sun, a short distance above the horizon, soon after dark, and was very visible every clear day for three weeks in the month of March. While attending an evening meeting in Rhode Island during this time, the awfully grand and sublime appearance of this light was the cause of much excitement.
Bates then dismisses the speculation, which of course we know now is true, that the object was a comet. The proximity of the comet’s appearance to the beginning of Miller’s time period seemed significant to many at the time. Thus, Miller’s preaching was helped by the proximity of two spectacular celestial events. The 1833 meteor shower occurred just after he began preaching, and the spectacular 1843 comet appeared at the beginning of his year-long period for Christ’s return.
Another Adventist leader, Rev. Loshua Litch, predicted in 1838 based on Revelation 9 the fall of the Ottoman empire by August 11, 1840 (the sick man of Europe had been declining for a long time). The Adventists asserted, and their opponents disputed the point, that the 1840 revolution in Turkey, and intervention by the Great Powers, fulfilled this. Another evidence cited was the very ferment the movement aroused. Many thought that this also portended the end-times.
Then the kingdom of heaven will be comparable to ten virgins, who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were prudent. For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, but the prudent took oil in flasks along with their lamps. Now while the bridegroom was delaying, they all got drowsy and began to sleep. But at midnight there was a shout, 'Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.' Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. The foolish said to the prudent, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.' But the prudent answered, 'No, there will not be enough for us and you too; go instead to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.' And while they were going away to make the purchase, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding feast; and the door was shut. Later the other virgins also came, saying, 'Lord, lord, open up for us.' But he answered, 'Truly I say to you, I do not know you.' Be on the alert then, for you do not know the day nor the hour.
Mat 25:1-13
The failure of his first prediction made Miller reluctant to set another date. He thought that his method had been correct, and had no explanation for the failure. He counseled people to be patient (as in the parable of the wise virgins in Mat 25). However, as often is the case, the movement got away from the control of its leaders. In the summer of 1844, the “Seventh Month” movement arose which predicted Christ’s return on October 22, 1844. Miller was reluctant to endorse it, but the very enthusiasm it aroused finally led him to embrace it in early October. Contrary to rumors, the Adventists did not wear white robes in anticipation of the return on the 22nd. However, the disappointment was great when He did not appear.
Miller had de-emphasized doctrinal differences, thereby unifying the movement and focusing attention on his central message. With the failure of the second prediction, they reappeared. Some asserted that they had been correct on the date but wrong about the event’s nature. This led to some proposing the shut door doctrine (no one could be saved after October 22nd). The group that became the Seventh Day Adventists embraced the idea that Christ entered the inner sanctum of heaven on October 22nd. This group also embraced annihilationism (hell is not forever) and rejected the trinity. William Miller rejected all these views, as one would expect from a Calvinistic Baptist church’s member. He met with other Adventists in the Albany Conference in 1845 to discuss the situation. They rejected the spiritualizing of the October 1844 prediction, and counseled patience in waiting for Christ’s return.
Miller died in 1849, still waiting for Jesus’ return. But many of his followers must have pondered those exciting days in 1833 and 1843, when the skies seemed to be affirming his prediction that the end of the world was near.
Historians today emphasize multi-dimensional explanations for events. This is appropriate. However, there is a tendency to downplay religious causation of events and movements. In particular, economic factors are sometimes overemphasized. The Millerite phenomenon shows that tens of thousands of generally sober individuals in the first half of the nineteenth century took religion seriously, and responded positively to an end-time message. Their leaders were generally not motivated by money (both Miller and Himes refuted assertions of financial corruption). People sometimes associate end times speculation with the advent of the nuclear age. The Millerite movement shows that it predated this. The Jacksonian Age was a time of rapid expansion to the west and economic development. However, events like the Great Panic of 1837 caused uncertainty. In times like this, people looked to non-economic sources for assurance. And one major source of assurance was the expectation of God’s imminent intervention in the world.
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_beefcalf
- _Emeritus
- Posts: 1232
- Joined: Sun Feb 21, 2010 6:40 pm
Re: Millerites:
If I recall correctly, Joseph Smith himself witnessed the 1833 Leonids and commented in his diary about the event. I believe his impression, as recorded in his diary, was that this was a clear sign of the imminent return of Christ.
Now, that I'm out on a limb, I'll do what I should have done first and go find that reference...
[ETA]
Whew! Memory serves.
http://josephsmithpapers.org/paperSummary/-journal-1832–1834#20
Now, that I'm out on a limb, I'll do what I should have done first and go find that reference...
[ETA]
Whew! Memory serves.
http://josephsmithpapers.org/paperSummary/-journal-1832–1834#20
eschew obfuscation
"I'll let you believers in on a little secret: not only is the LDS church not really true, it's obviously not true." -Sethbag
"I'll let you believers in on a little secret: not only is the LDS church not really true, it's obviously not true." -Sethbag
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_GR33N
- _Emeritus
- Posts: 261
- Joined: Thu Nov 04, 2010 7:37 pm
Re: Millerites:
beefcalf wrote:If I recall correctly, Joseph Smith himself witnessed the 1833 Leonids and commented in his diary about the event. I believe his impression, as recorded in his diary, was that this was a clear sign of the imminent return of Christ.
Now, that I'm out on a limb, I'll do what I should have done first and go find that reference...
[ETA]
Whew! Memory serves.
http://josephsmithpapers.org/paperSummary/-journal-1832–1834#20
Maybe just the link to the wiki will serve instead of the link you quoted which doesn't say anything about the comment attributed to Joseph.
Then saith He to Thomas... be not faithless, but believing. - John 20:27
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_beefcalf
- _Emeritus
- Posts: 1232
- Joined: Sun Feb 21, 2010 6:40 pm
Re: Millerites:
GR33N wrote:beefcalf wrote:If I recall correctly, Joseph Smith himself witnessed the 1833 Leonids and commented in his diary about the event. I believe his impression, as recorded in his diary, was that this was a clear sign of the imminent return of Christ.
Now, that I'm out on a limb, I'll do what I should have done first and go find that reference...
[ETA]
Whew! Memory serves.
http://josephsmithpapers.org/paperSummary/-journal-1832–1834#20
Maybe just the link to the wiki will serve instead of the link you quoted which doesn't say anything about the comment attributed to Joseph.
GR33N,
There seems to be a problem with the BBCode handling of this specific url. It cannot be embedded using the url tags for some reason.
Copy the entire link text and paste it in your browser address bar, then hit enter.
It will take you to the page where you can read Smith's entry in his own handwriting and see a printed transcription of the same page.
eschew obfuscation
"I'll let you believers in on a little secret: not only is the LDS church not really true, it's obviously not true." -Sethbag
"I'll let you believers in on a little secret: not only is the LDS church not really true, it's obviously not true." -Sethbag