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''The Watchtower Announcing Jehovah's Kingdom'' is an illustrated religious magazine, published by the
Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania The Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania is a non-stock, not-for-profit organization headquartered in Warwick, New York. It is the main legal entity used worldwide by Jehovah's Witnesses to direct, administer and disseminate d ...
.
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 ...
distribute ''The Watchtower—Public Edition'', along with its companion magazine, ''
Awake! ''Awake!'' is an illustrated religious magazine published by the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania. It is considered to be a companion magazine of '' The Watchtower'', and is distributed by Jehovah's Witnesses. The Watch Tower ...
''. The Watch Tower Society reports circulation of 36.3 million per issue for ''The Watchtower—Public Edition'' in 419 languages, with one new issue produced annually. ''The Watchtower—Study Edition'', used at congregation meetings, is published monthly.


History

The magazine was started by Charles Taze Russell in July 1879 under the title ''Zion's Watch Tower and Herald of Christ's Presence''. According to its first issue, the magazine's original purpose was to draw attention to Russell's belief that people of the time were "living 'in the last days' 'the day of the Lord'—'the end' of the Gospel age," and that "the dawn of the 'new' age, are facts not only discernible by the close student of the Word, led by the spirit, but the outward signs recognizable by the world bear the same testimony." In 1909 the name was changed to ''The Watch Tower and Herald of Christ's Presence''. In 1920, the Watch Tower Society reprinted all issues from 1879–1919 in seven volumes, known as the ''Watchtower Reprints'', which have since been reprinted by various Bible Student groups. On 15 October 1931, the magazine was renamed ''The Watchtower and Herald of Christ's Presence''; in January 1939, ''The Watchtower and Herald of Christ's Kingdom''; from March 1939 until the present, its full name has been ''The Watchtower Announcing Jehovah's Kingdom''.


Content

Articles are submitted by writing committees from worldwide branch offices, which are then checked by editors and translated into the languages of publication; all involved are volunteers. Women are permitted to write articles that are not of a doctrinal nature. The names of the authors (except in first-person life stories), and other publishing staff are not provided. ''The Watchtower'' is overseen by the Writing Committee of the
Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses The Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses is the ruling council of Jehovah's Witnesses, based in the denomination's Warwick, New York, headquarters. The body formulates doctrines, oversees the production of written material for publications and ...
. ''The Watchtower'' is the official means of sharing Jehovah's Witness beliefs, and includes articles relating to biblical prophecies,
Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words '' Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρ ...
conduct and morals, and the
history of religion The history of religion refers to the written record of human religious feelings, thoughts, and ideas. This period of religious history begins with the invention of writing about 5,200 years ago (3200 BC). The prehistory of religion involves t ...
and the Bible. It is intended to draw attention to the
kingdom of God The concept of the kingship of God appears in all Abrahamic religions, where in some cases the terms Kingdom of God and Kingdom of Heaven are also used. The notion of God's kingship goes back to the Hebrew Bible, which refers to "his kingdom" ...
, which Jehovah's Witnesses believe is a real government that will soon replace all earthly governments. According to the magazine's mission statement:
THIS MAGAZINE, The Watchtower, honors Jehovah
God In monotheistic thought, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. Swinburne, R.G. "God" in Honderich, Ted. (ed)''The Oxford Companion to Philosophy'', Oxford University Press, 1995. God is typically ...
, the Ruler of the universe. It comforts people with the good news that God's heavenly Kingdom will soon end all wickedness and transform the earth into a paradise. It promotes faith in
Jesus Christ Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...
, who died so that we might gain everlasting life and who is now ruling as King of God's Kingdom. This magazine has been published continuously since 1879 and is nonpolitical. It adheres to the
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 o ...
as its authority.
Previously, each issue of the ''Watchtower'' contained study articles and other regular features and was distributed to the general public. In 2008, content was divided into a ''Public Edition'' distributed to non-Witnesses and a ''Study Edition'', which contains "pointed information prepared especially for Jehovah's Witnesses".


''Public Edition''

The ''Public Edition'' of ''The Watchtower'' contains biblical articles relating to a theme shown on the cover. In January 2013, ''The Watchtower—Public Edition'' was reduced from 32 to 16 pages, with greater focus on the official Jehovah's Witnesses website. Initially issued monthly, as of January 2016 the ''Public Edition'' was published every two months, and was further reduced to three issues per year as of January 2018. In 2022, publication was reduced to one new issue per year.


''Study Edition''

The ''Study Edition'' contains study articles written for the ''Watchtower'' Study, as well as other intra-organizational information directed to current and prospective members. Congregations of Jehovah's Witnesses worldwide discuss the same article each week at the ''Watchtower'' Study. At this meeting, each paragraph is read aloud by a designated reader; the study conductor then asks questions printed at the bottom of the page for each paragraph and calls on members of the congregation to answer the questions based on the printed information. They are encouraged to put the information in their own words and to "draw attention to scripture application, supporting arguments, or practical application of the material." A separate ''Simplified'' version of the ''Study Edition'' was introduced in July 2011 but was discontinued in 2019.


Distribution

The magazine is printed in nineteen countries. each issue of the ''Public Edition'' has an average circulation of 36.3 million copies in 419 languages. The monthly production of the ''Study Edition'' is not stated in the English edition; in January 2018 the Russian edition stated a circulation of 13,825,000. The ''Public Edition'' is distributed by Jehovah's Witnesses in the course of their public ministry including door-to-door canvassing, approaching people in public places, given informally to acquaintances and professionals, or left as reading material in waiting areas. The ''Study Edition'' is generally distributed only to members but is made available to members of the public attending the study of ''The Watchtower'' at congregation meetings. The magazine has been made available in various accessible formats. Selected articles were provided in Braille since 1960 with the full magazine available in 1979. It has also been made available in various audio formats since 1998. Jehovah's Witnesses' official website provides content from ''The Watchtower'' in various digital formats.


Cost

Until March 1990, ''The Watchtower'' was available for a small charge that varied over time and in different countries. For example, in the United States, the suggested donation per issue was $0.05 in 1950, gradually increasing to $0.25 in 1989. On January 17, 1990, the
Supreme Court of the United States The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point ...
ruled against
Jimmy Swaggart Jimmy Lee Swaggart (; born March 15, 1935) is an American Pentecostal televangelist, gospel music recording artist, pianist, and Christian author. His television ministry, which began in 1971, and was originally known as the “Camp Meeting H ...
that sales of religious literature were subject to taxation, which introduced ambiguity into the formerly tax-free practice of suggesting a specific amount in exchange for the magazines. The Watch Tower Society supported Swaggart in the case, arguing that the perceived sale of religious literature should be exempt from taxation. From March 1, 1990, the magazines were made available at no cost, on a freewill donation basis in the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...
, with the stated purpose of simplifying their Bible educational work and distinguishing themselves from those who commercialize religion. An article in the May 1990 issue of ''Our Kingdom Ministry''—a newsletter provided to members—stated that "there are growing pressures against all religious elements" and went on to say that their main concern was to move ahead in the worldwide preaching work, "without hindrance." The sale of Jehovah's Witnesses' literature was gradually phased out in other countries, and ''The Watchtower'' has been distributed free of charge worldwide since January 2000, its printing being funded by voluntary donations from Jehovah's Witnesses and members of the public.


See also

* Jehovah's Witnesses publications * List of Watch Tower Society publications * List of magazines by circulation


References


External links


''The Watchtower'' and ''Awake!'' Magazines

''Watch Tower'' Reprints (1879–1916)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Watchtower, The 1879 in Christianity Audio periodicals Downloadable magazines Free magazines English-language magazines German-language magazines French-language magazines Italian-language magazines Dutch-language magazines Portuguese-language magazines Spanish-language magazines Jehovah's Witnesses magazines Magazines established in 1879 Religious magazines published in the United States Magazines published in New York (state) Magazines published in Pennsylvania