Uriah Smith (May 3, 1832 – March 6, 1903) was a

Seventh-day Adventist The Seventh-day Adventist Church is an Adventist Protestant Christian denomination which is distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the seventh day of the week in the Christian (Gregorian) and the Hebrew calendar, as the Sabbath, and ...

author, minister, educator, and theologian who is best known as the longest serving editor of the ''Review and Herald'' (now the ''

Adventist Review The General Conference Corporation of Seventh-day Adventists is the governing organization of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Its headquarters is located in Silver Spring, Maryland and oversees the church in directing its various divisions an ...

'') for over 50 years. Uriah Smith was an extremely versatile and creative individual. Some of his lesser known contributions include his work as a poet, hymn writer, inventor, and engraver. He patented an artificial leg with a moveable ankle and a school desk with an improved folding seat and several other inventions and improvements. At the time of the formation of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists in 1863, Smith was elected as the first secretary. He later held this same position again five separate times. He also served a term (1876–77) as General Conference treasurer. Ordained to the gospel ministry in 1874, in that same year he also helped co-found Battle Creek College. As a theologian in residence at church headquarters he regularly taught Bible classes, ministerial workshops, and chaired the college board. As the author of numerous books, Smith carved some of the first woodcut illustrations published by early Sabbatarian Adventists. He was one of the most prolific authors of early Adventism. His best-known work is ''Thoughts on Daniel and the Revelation'' often abbreviated simply as ''Daniel and the Revelation''. It became the classic text on Adventist end-time beliefs. He died in Battle Creek, Michigan, in 1903, at the age of 70, from a stroke on his way to the Review office. His older sister Annie R. Smith was an early Seventh-day Adventist poet and

hymnist A hymnwriter (or hymn writer, hymnist, hymnodist, hymnographer, etc.) is someone who writes the text, music, or both of hymns. In the Judeo-Christian tradition, the composition of hymns dates back to before the time of David, who composed many of ...

Early life

Uriah Smith was born in 1832 in West Wilton, New Hampshire. His family accepted the

Millerite Millerite is a nickel sulfide mineral, Ni S. It is brassy in colour and has an acicular habit, often forming radiating masses and furry aggregates. It can be distinguished from pentlandite by crystal habit, its duller colour, and general la ...

message and in 1844 experienced what has become known as the

Great Disappointment The Great Disappointment in the Millerite movement was the reaction that followed Baptist preacher William Miller's proclamations that Jesus Christ would return to the Earth by 1844, which he called the Second Advent. His study of the Daniel 8 ...

. That same year, Smith had his left leg

amputated Amputation is the removal of a limb by trauma, medical illness, or surgery. As a surgical measure, it is used to control pain or a disease process in the affected limb, such as malignancy or gangrene. In some cases, it is carried out on indiv ...

due to an

infection An infection is the invasion of tissues by pathogens, their multiplication, and the reaction of host tissues to the infectious agent and the toxins they produce. An infectious disease, also known as a transmissible disease or communicable dise ...

. Following the Disappointment, Smith lost interest in religion and commenced schooling at

Phillips Exeter Academy (not for oneself) la, Finis Origine Pendet (The End Depends Upon the Beginning) gr, Χάριτι Θεοῦ (By the Grace of God) , location = 20 Main Street , city = Exeter, New Hampshire , zipcode ...

Exeter, New Hampshire Exeter is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 16,049 at the 2020 census, up from 14,306 at the 2010 census. Exeter was the county seat until 1997, when county offices were moved to neighboring Brentwood. ...

. In December 1852, he accepted the message taught by Sabbatarian Adventists which in 1863 became the

Seventh-day Adventist Church The Seventh-day Adventist Church is an Adventist Protestant Christian denomination which is distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the seventh day of the week in the Christian (Gregorian) and the Hebrew calendar, as the Sabbath, and ...

. In 1853, he began working at the offices of the Advent Review and Sabbath Herald (now the

), becoming its editor in 1855. His main contribution to Adventist theology was a commentary on the prophetic Biblical books of Daniel and the Revelation, but he also wrote extensively on

conditional immortality In Christian theology, conditionalism or conditional immortality is a concept in which the gift of immortality is attached to (conditional upon) belief in Jesus Christ. This doctrine is based in part upon another biblical argument, that the human ...

and other topics. He advocated religious liberty, the abolition of slavery, and noncombatancy for Adventists.

Relationship to Ellen White

While SDA co-founder Ellen White wrote many things saying how she "loved Brother Smith next to my own husband and children, because he has had a part in the work for so many years.", she also had many warnings for him. In 1869 she wrote: "I had no rest in spirit in the house of Brother Uriah. I have left the house saying to myself, “It is a godless house. I have seen no less than four evil angels controlling members of the family". And in the same letter: "We do not expect you will have any more light nor as much as you have had. We cannot trust you." In 1883 he was one member of five people who was appointed the task of removing the grammatical imperfections in the writings of Ellen White. Along with General Conference president, Elder Butler, Uriah Smith was one of the two top figures in the Seventh-day Adventist Church to reject the message of Righteousness by Faith, brought by

Jones Jones may refer to: People *Jones (surname), a common Welsh and English surname *List of people with surname Jones * Jones (singer), a British singer-songwriter Arts and entertainment * Jones (''Animal Farm''), a human character in George Orwell ...

and Waggoner to the General Conference session Minneapolis in 1888. "The result of your (Uriah Smith's) course, and your working on the same line since you left Minneapolis, has made the carrying out of the work given me of God to do fifty fold harder than it needed to have been. You have barred my way," He repented in 1891, saying: “Sister White, will you forgive me for all the trouble and distress that I have caused you? I assure you this is the last time, if the Lord will pardon me. I will not repeat the history of the past three years.” Ellen White rejoiced at this. In 1899 Ellen White endorsed Uriah Smith's book ''Thoughts on Daniel and the Revelation'', along side two of her own, saying: "We will stand together, Brother Smith. Of all the books that have come forth from the press, those mentioned are of the greatest consequence in the past and at the present time. I know that “Thoughts on Daniel and the Revelation” has done a great work in this country."

Publications

* ''The Warning Voice of Time and Prophecy'' (1853) * ''The Bible Student's Assistant, Or, A Compend Of Scripture References'' (1858) * ''Mortal or Immortal? Which?, or, An Inquiry into the Present Constitution and Future Condition of Man'' (1860) * ''The Two Covenants'' (1860s) * ''Which? Mortal, Or Immortal? : Or, An Inquiry Into The Present Constitution And Future Condition Of Man'' (1864) *
Thoughts on Daniel, Critical and Practical, on the Book of Daniel
' 2nd edn (

DjVu DjVu ( , like French "déjà vu") is a computer file format designed primarily to store scanned documents, especially those containing a combination of text, line drawings, indexed color images, and photographs. It uses technologies such as ima ...

format) * ''An Appeal to the Youth: Funeral Address of Henry N. White'' (1868) * ''The Visions of Mrs. E. G. White : a Manifestation of Spiritual Gifts According to the Scriptures'' (1868) * ''Poems'' with Rebekah Smith and Annie R. Smith (1871) * ''The United States in the Light of Prophecy, or, An Exposition of Rev. 13:11-17'' (1872) * ''The State of the Dead and the Destiny of the Wicked'' (1873) * ''The Sanctuary And The Twenty-Three Hundred Days Of Daniel VIII, 14'' (1877) * ''The Biblical Institute'' with James White (1878) * ''A Sketch of the Last Sickness and Death of Elder James White'' with W. C. Gage and

John Harvey Kellogg John Harvey Kellogg (February 26, 1852 – December 14, 1943) was an American medical doctor, nutritionist, inventor, health activist, eugenicist, and businessman. He was the director of the Battle Creek Sanitarium in Battle Creek, Michigan. The ...

(1881) * ''Man's Nature And Destiny, or, The State Of The Dead, The Reward Of The Righteous, And The End Of The Wicked'' (1884) * ''Our Country's Future. The United States in the Light Of Prophecy, or, an Exposition of Rev. 13:11-17'' (1884) * ''Synopsis of the Present Truth : A Brief Exposition of the Views of S. D. Adventists'' (1884) * ''An Exposure of Fanaticism and Wickedness'' with

George Ide Butler George Ide Butler (1834–1918) was a Seventh-day Adventist minister, administrator, and author. Originally from Vermont, United States, Butler's parents were closely involved in the beginnings of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. In 1853 his fami ...

(1885) * ''The Marvel of Nations. Our Country: Its Past, Present, and Future, and What the Scriptures Say of It'' (1886) * ''Modern Spiritualism: a Subject of Prophecy and a Sign of the Times'' (1896) * ''Here and Hereafter, or, Man in Life and Death'' (1897) * ''Daniel and the Revelation'' (1897) * ''Looking Unto Jesus, or, Christ in Type and Antitype'' (1897) * ''Our Country, the Marvel of Nations'' (1901)

Death of Uriah Smith

He died in Battle Creek, Michigan, in 1903, at the age of 70, from a stroke on his way to the Review office. He is buried in Oak Hill Cemetery, Battle Creek, Michigan.

References

External links