Ann Bathurst was a prophet and member of the 17th century
English dissenter
English Dissenters or English Separatists were Protestant Christians who separated from the Church of England in the 17th and 18th centuries.
A dissenter (from the Latin ''dissentire'', "to disagree") is one who disagrees in opinion, belief and ...
group, the
Philadelphian Society. Not much is known of Bathurst's family, and what is known is due to her two-volume manuscript
diary
A diary is a written or audiovisual record with discrete entries arranged by date reporting on what has happened over the course of a day or other period. Diaries have traditionally been handwritten but are now also often digital. A personal ...
covering the period 1679 to 1696. This diary is held at the
Bodleian Library
The Bodleian Library () is the main research library of the University of Oxford, and is one of the oldest libraries in Europe. It derives its name from its founder, Sir Thomas Bodley. With over 13 million printed items, it is the second- ...
, Oxford. It appears that Bathurst came from a religious background, and her diary begins with an autobiographical account that describes family prayer and
Bible
The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts of a ...
reading.
By 1697, the Philadelphians met at Bathurst's house in Baldwin Gardens, London every Sunday, where she lived with Joanna Openbridge. This group are known to have held
millennialist
Millennialism (from millennium, Latin for "a thousand years") or chiliasm (from the Greek equivalent) is a belief advanced by some religious denominations that a Golden Age or Paradise will occur on Earth prior to the final judgment and future ...
views, and Bathurst produced prophetic visions that resulted in a 'lyrical, woman-inclusive representation of mystical theology'.
She was considered as a possible successor to
Jane Leade
Jane Lead (; March 1624 – 19 August 1704) was a Christian mystic born in Norfolk, England, whose spiritual visions, recorded in a series of publications, were central in the founding and philosophy of the Philadelphian Society in London at ...
who led the group until her death in 1704. This was prevented by Bathurst's own death at around the same time.
References
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Prophets in Christianity