''Studies in the Scriptures'' is a series of publications, intended as a

Bible The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus ...

study aid, containing seven volumes of great importance to the history of the

Bible Student movement The Bible Student movement is a Millennialist Restorationist Christian movement. It emerged from the teachings and ministry of Charles Taze Russell (1852–1916), also known as Pastor Russell, and his founding of the Zion's Watch Tower Tract ...

, and the early history of

Jehovah's Witnesses Jehovah's Witnesses is a millenarian restorationist Christian denomination with nontrinitarian beliefs distinct from mainstream Christianity. The group reports a worldwide membership of approximately 8.7 million adherents involved in ...

Origin

The author of the first six volumes of ''Studies in the Scriptures'',

Charles Taze Russell Charles Taze Russell (February 16, 1852 – October 31, 1916), or Pastor Russell, was an American Christian restorationist minister from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and founder of what is now known as the Bible Student movement. He was an ...

, reported that he did not write them "through visions and dreams, nor by God's audible voice," but that he sought "to bring together these long scattered fragments of truth". The first volume was written in 1886. Originally entitled ''The Plan of the Ages'' as part of a series called ''Millennial Dawn'', it was later renamed ''The Divine Plan of the Ages''. The name ''Studies in the Scriptures'' was adopted in limited editions around October 1904 and was more generally used from 1906.

Purpose

The series was written as a Bible study aid. Russell held that topical study was the best approach, rather than verse by verse. The series contains commentary about biblical events and expressions, and progresses from elementary topics such as the existence of God and promoting the Bible as God's word, to deeper subject matter throughout the series. Russell did not claim infallibility, but declared that God's plan of salvation could not be understood independently from his writings. He stated, "if he then lays he Studies in the Scripturesaside and ignores them and goes to the Bible alone, though he has understood his Bible for ten years, our experience shows that within two years he goes into darkness." ''Studies in the Scriptures'' claimed to represent that humankind had reached the end of the current era, and that Jesus would soon separate the wheat from the weeds.

# ''The Divine Plan of the Ages'' (1886)—interpretations of fundamental biblical topics associated with God's plan of salvation; # ''The Time is at Hand'' (1889)—an interpretation of biblical chronology, keys to time prophecies, the second advent of Christ, and the identification of the

Antichrist In Christian eschatology, the Antichrist refers to people prophesied by the Bible to oppose Jesus Christ and substitute themselves in Christ's place before the Second Coming. The term Antichrist (including one plural form)1 John ; . 2 John . ...

; # ''Thy Kingdom Come'' (1891)—describes biblical prophecies in further detail, along with the fate of Israel and information on the

Great Pyramid of Giza The Great Pyramid of Giza is the biggest Egyptian pyramid and the tomb of Fourth Dynasty pharaoh Khufu. Built in the early 26th century BC during a period of around 27 years, the pyramid is the oldest of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient Worl ...

as being built under God's direction. The section on Pyramidology was influenced by the theories of

Charles Piazzi Smyth Charles Piazzi Smyth (3 January 1819 – 21 February 1900) was an Italian-born British astronomer who was Astronomer Royal for Scotland from 1846 to 1888; he is known for many innovations in astronomy and, along with his wife Jessica Duncan P ...

, who also helped review it; # ''The Day of Vengeance'' (1897), later renamed ''The Battle of Armageddon''—suggests causes of the dissolution of the present order, with the biblical remedy as God's kingdom; # ''The At-one-ment Between God and Man'' (1899)—discusses the nature of humanity, the work of redemption, and the

Holy Spirit In Judaism, the Holy Spirit is the divine force, quality, and influence of God over the Universe or over his creatures. In Nicene Christianity, the Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost is the third person of the Trinity. In Islam, the Holy Spirit acts as ...

; # ''The New Creation'' (1904)—discusses the seven days of creation found in

Genesis Genesis may refer to: Bible * Book of Genesis, the first book of the biblical scriptures of both Judaism and Christianity, describing the creation of the Earth and of mankind * Genesis creation narrative, the first several chapters of the Book of ...

, and the duties and personal responsibilities of a Christian.

''The Finished Mystery''

Russell had stated an intention to write a seventh volume of ''Studies'', which would be a commentary on the books of

Ezekiel Ezekiel (; he, יְחֶזְקֵאל ''Yəḥezqēʾl'' ; in the Septuagint written in grc-koi, Ἰεζεκιήλ ) is the central protagonist of the Book of Ezekiel in the Hebrew Bible. In Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, Ezekiel is ac ...

and

Revelation In religion and theology, revelation is the revealing or disclosing of some form of truth or knowledge through communication with a deity or other supernatural entity or entities. Background Inspiration – such as that bestowed by God on the ...

, as early as 1906. Following Russell's death in 1916, a seventh volume—entitled ''The Finished Mystery''—was published in 1917 and advertised as his "posthumous work". This seventh volume was a detailed interpretation of the books of Ezekiel and Revelation, as well as the Song of Solomon. An advertisement for the book in '' Zion's Watch Tower'' called it "the true interpretation", and it was promoted as being "of the Lord—prepared under his guidance." Immediate controversy surrounded both its publication and content. It was soon established that it was largely written and compiled by two of Russell's associates, Clayton J. Woodworth and George H. Fisher, and edited by Russell's successor,

Joseph Franklin Rutherford Joseph Franklin Rutherford (November 8, 1869 – January 8, 1942), also known as Judge Rutherford, was the second president of the incorporated Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania. He played a primary role in the organization ...

Legacy

The abandonment of several core doctrines under Rutherford's presidency prompted the Watch Tower and Bible Tract Society to cease publication of all seven volumes of ''Studies in the Scriptures'' in 1927, and distribution of remaining stock ended in 1929. The six volumes of ''Studies in the Scriptures'' authored by Russell are still published by independent groups within the

References

External links