Kingdom of Matthias

Paper Summary:

This paper looks at why the cult of Matthias, led by Robert Matthews, was so popular, what factors could have led to the Matthews' revelations and the social and religious climate and needs of the cult's followers. The paper also explores whether the cult's popularity was a result of its trans-historical appeal and whether it offers deeper lessons about early American religious experiences.

From the Paper:

"Robert Matthews was "a carpenter from upstate New York who, after a lifetime of finding God everywhere and economic success nowhere, rode his half-starved horse into Manhattan in 1832, proclaiming his own divinity. He presented himself as not a Christian at all, but as Matthias, the culmination of a line of virile Jewish prophets leading up through Adam, Moses and Jesus to his penultimate incarnation as the thirteenth apostle. In the 1,800 years sine the apostolic times, Matthias declared, God's 'male governing spirit' had been wandering the earth, staying his hand until the vast Christian heresy was ripe for its end (Brown)." Matthias told the people of the time that he had now taken human form and was there to collect his chosen followers."

More papers on Kingdom of Matthias:

• Book Review # 75770 : "'The Kingdom of Matthias'"
• Book Review # 40262 : "The Kingdom of Matthias" and Religious Cult"
• Book Review # 11216 : "The Kingdom of Matthias"

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