When did Watchtower writings start becoming anonymous?

by Wild_Thing 20 Replies latest jw friends

  • Wild_Thing
    Wild_Thing

    I think most people know that authorship was credited in the old Watchtower literature, but at some point everything became anonymous. I still do not know exactly when this started, but I found this in Charles Taze Russell's last will and testament. His will was not honored in other respects, so I doubt they would have honored this request. It's interesting that he only wanted this to happen after his death. Does anybody know when or what year Watchtower writings became anonymous?

    From Russell's will:

    The names of the Editorial Committee (with such changes as may from time to time occur) shall all be published in each number of the journal--but it shall not in any manner be indicated by whom the various articles appearing in the journal are written. It will be sufficient that the fact be recognized that the articles are approved by the majority of the committee.
  • Drearyweather
    Drearyweather

    Children (published in 1941) was the last book which credited the writer as JF Rutherford.

    After Rutherford's death and starting with the book- The New World (published in 1942) writings became anonymous.

  • Wild_Thing
    Wild_Thing

    Thanks, Drearyweather.

  • slimboyfat
    slimboyfat

    The sole exception after 1942, as far as I'm aware, being the booklet "Defending and Lagally Establishing the Good News" in 1950 which bears the Watchtower imprint and names Covington as author.

    Some have suggested that Knorr made the books anonymous because he didn't write them and didn't want to give others prominence. It's also been suggested that Knorr disliked Convington in particular for the prominence that resulted from his legal work for JWs.

  • dropoffyourkeylee
    dropoffyourkeylee

    There is a common belief that FW Franz was ghost writer for some of Rutherfords later books anyway.

  • Ding
    Ding

    If it's anonymous, no one can check out the author's credentials -- or lack of them.

  • Wild_Thing
    Wild_Thing

    Does anybody know if there are any other religions or cults that insists on their published works being anonymous? Now that I have been away for so long, it seems like it should be such a red flag to the discerning eye.

  • dropoffyourkeylee
    dropoffyourkeylee

    I think the Seventh Day Adventist literature is anonymous.

  • Vidiot
    Vidiot

    What Ding said.

  • slimboyfat
    slimboyfat

    No I've got various copies of Adventist World and Messenger and both tend to have authors names against articles.

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