So I read somewhere that the 1914 date came from Bourbor and that Russell used the pyramid to confirm his belief in 1914. Its this accurate?
did Russell come up with 1914 via the pyramid or just confirm it via pyramid
by Crazyguy 23 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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Sapphy
Not only that, but when his first date of 1874 didn't work out, he changed the measurement of the pyramid, by adding 40 inches to one of the passageways.
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cofty
1844 came from William Miller
When that failed in the "Great Disappointment" some of his followers decided Jesus had returned invisibly. One of his followers Nelson Barbour took off for the Australian gold rush and got disappointed again.
On his voyage home he studied prophecy and decided he had found Miller's error. He stopped off in London and read Bishop Usher's writings at the British Library. He was convinced the end would be in 1878.
He got disappointed again but decided Jesus had returned invisibly (do you see a pattern yet?)
He changed the title of his magazine from Herald of the Morning to Millennial Dawn.
Meanwhile Russell had been avoiding date setting until somebody showed him a copy of Millennial Dawn. He met up with Barbour and adopted his chronology lock-stock and two smoking barrels.
At some point about here Russell also adopted somebody else's waffle about the great pyramid of Giza. I saw the original book once in an art exhibition. Every inch or foot or something of every passage stood for a year or some such nonsense.
1914 was to be the absolute last possible date that armageddon could begin. Everybody was disappointed again but Russell managed to massage the numbers a bit.
Russell died on a train wearing a white sheet in 1916 believing that WWI was the beginning of the end. Peace came in 1918 and everybody was disappointed again.
Everybody decided Jesus had returned invisibly.
Rutherford scrapped the previous chronology - scrapped 1799 and 1878 and made 1914 the beginning of the last days. 1925 was now the end - absolutely definitely this time.
The volume of Studies in Scriptures that explained all about the pyramid was republished and voila one of the passageways had miraculously grown by 40 inches to accommodate the new dates.
1926 came and everybody was disappointed again.
Wash, rinse and repeat.
Edited to add - Sapphy's link will contain more accurate info than this post does. I am working from memory of stuff I read in Russell's and Rutherford's books 18 years ago
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Crazyguy
So it looks like that Yes Boubor came up with the dates and then Russell used those dates in his books and the measurements of the Pyramid to collaborate his dates so to speak.
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sarahsmile
Not too sure about Barbour coming up with anything. His books really lacked.
1914 would be an easy date considering the daily head lines.
Russell borrowed everything and it is not like he prdicted anything.
As far as Jesus invisible presence came from Ellen White as there excuse for failure.
Pyramids was like a gold rush everyone was trying to discover new science because some famous English college was going to pay the winner money.
Pyramidology was rejected as a science. Laugh at!
People like Smyth was rejected and Russell agreed with Smyth writings then did his own.That is what I remember.
You can order the Chart to put on your wall. That will show you how crazy they were back then.
But if you read some of Rutherford's writings they are worse.
Considered the times Russell probably already had his dates outlined then placed them in some obscured book to make it appear like it was from God. How can you take a ruler apply years for each inch then go measure a pyramid come up with dates mankind. All made up.Although the nut did visit the pyramids.
He just banked that people were interested in reading anything about Egypt.
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sarahsmile
Confirm
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BroMac
Cofty
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Old Goat
Barbour borrowed the 1914 date from E. B. Elliott's Horae. Russell did not derive the date from pyramidology but found it confirmed there.
You should read Schulz and de Vienne's Nelson Barbour: The Millennium's Forgotten Prophet. lulu for physical book, barns and noble for ebook. Excellent research.