BIOGRAPHICAL NOTES
JOHN THOMAS was born in Hoxton Square. London, on
April 12th. 1805. Information concerning
his ancestry is meagre, and interest centres more in his work than in his
extraction. He studied medicine at an early age in Chorley and London, and
contributed to The Lancet occasionally
as far back as 1830. His English degree. of that year's date, is M.R.C.S., his
M.D. being an American degree of date 1848.
Some insinuations of unfriendly critics have been met by the brief
statement of facts that appears in The
Christadeiphian for April. 1886, page 152.
In 1832 Dr. Thomas emigrated
to America, making the passage as surgeon to the ship Marquis of Wellesley. The vessel ran ashore on Sable Island, and it
was supposed she would be lost with all hands. Dr, Thomas was naturally
exercised as to the future state, and finding himself in a state of hopeless
ignorance on the matter, resolved, if his life should be spared. that he would
end the uncertainty and search out the truth upon the matter.
On getting safely ashore he
did not forget this resolution; and in the course of his travels, having been
introduced to Mr. Walter Scott, of Camphellite " associations, and by him
convinced of the necessity of baptism, he submitted to immersion as an ordinance
appointed of God. From this time onward be became involved with Campbellism and
the theolgical expositions and discussions which were altogether distasteful to
him, and from which he would fain have escaped. But it was not to be. At Wellsburg, Va., in 1833. he made the
acquaintance of Alexander Campbell. and was by him constrained to speak in his
meeting-place; which he did, on Daniel's prophecies, and on the subject of The
Apostasy spoken of by Paul.
From this time forth
wherever he went he was in demand in this connection. At Baltimore, Md., and at Philadelphia, Pa.,
he was likewise constrained to set forth what he then believed to be the
truth. At Philadelphia he set up as a medical
practitioner; but his practice was somewhat hampered by the Biblical studies
and speaking in which he had become involved.
In 1834 Dr. Thomas started a
month~ magazine called The
Aposrtolic-Advocate, in the pages of which he manifested an understanding
of the Scriptures. and especially of the Apocalypse, that was rare in those
times (and. indeed. in any). and gave promise of the fruit of after years. of
which
Elpis Israel is a good sample.
About this time, by the growing influence of "
the Word". Dr, Thomas was rapidly becoming " wiser than his
teachers". and trouble ensued, He perceived that the knowledge and belief
of the gospel must in God's appointments precede baptism, and was thereupon
re-immersed upon the belief of what he then supposed to be the gospel. and
which was certainly much nearer to it than the very rudimentary belief with
which he had been immersed a few years previously. Upon this there naturally arose a cry against
what Alexander Campbell and his followers called "Anabaptism". Mr.
Campbell controverted Dr, Thomas in The
Millennial Harbinger. and he replied vigorously in The Apostolic Advocate, in which, in December, 1835, he published
an article in all good faith under the heading, "Information Wanted",
putting forward a series of 34 questions intended to elucidate the Scriptural
doctrines of eternal life, the Kingdom of God, and related topics.
This was treated by
Campbellism as heretical speculation, and a rupture followed which was never
healed.
In 1839. becoming tired of
theological strife, Dr. Thomas migrated westward into the State of Illinois,
and settled at Longrove upon some 300 acres of land and took to farming, with
experiences of an arduous and sometimes amusing character. 1841 found him editing a weekly newspaper at
St. Charles, and in 1842 a monthly magazine called The Investigator.
About this time a taste of
Job's experience befell him, for, having removed to Louisvifle, Va., and
determined to sell the farm in llinois, he intrusted the sale to an agent who
absconded with the proceeds, leaving Dr. Thomas not only minus the price but
saddled with debt as well.
In 1844 he started a monthly
magazine called The Herald of ihe Fufure
Age, and settled at Richmond, Va., and soon after finally broke with
Campbellism, the oppositions of which had done so much to force his attention
to the accurate and thorough study of the Scriptures.
In 1847 he had elaborated
from the Scriptures the doctrines that find such lucid and ample exhibition in Elpis Israel; and, perceiving that he
had after all only just arrived at "the truth of the gospel". he
published in March, 1847. "A Confession and Abjuration" of past
erroneous belief and contentions, and was re-immersed for "the hope of
Israel". which Paul preached to the Jews at Rome. About this time also he paid a visit to New
York, where afterwards he was to settle. Also about this time he proposed to
Alexander Campbell a full and exhaustive written discussion upon the
immortality of the soul and related topics.
The proposal, however, met with so contemptuous a refusal that several
of Mr. Campbell's friends were alienated by his manner.
An interesting episode
occurred also about this time, namely, the phrenological examination of both
Alexander Campbell and John Thomas by Mr. L. N. Fowler, of New York. It was a
quite independent examination and interestingly illustrated the natural
tendencies of the disputants, and is strikingly borne out by the portraits of
each.
In 1848 Dr. Thomas visited Britain. He was deeply stirred by the revolutionary
upheavals of the time, and before his departure wrote on the subject to the New York Sear, which, in publishing his
letter, spoke of him as "A Missionary for Europe", which indeed he
was, but of an unusual type. Arriving at
Liverpool in June, 1848, he made his way South
and by a series of providences a door of utterance was opened for him by
the interactions of Campbellite rivalries.
He travelled through Notting'nam, Darby. Birmingham, Plymouth. Lincoln,
Newark, and other places, speaking upon the gospel of the Kingdom of God as
occasion offered. Afterwards he made his way to Glasgow, and lectured there,
and at Paisley, attracting much attention by his expositions of the prophetic
word in its bearings upon the signs of the times.
Elpis Israel itself came out of this visit, as is explained by Dr. Thomas himself in
the subjoined PREFACE.
Returning to London, he occupied some months in writing Elpis Israel. and during the time
attended a Peace meeting in the British Institution, Cowper Street, at which he
moved an amendment to the effect that war was a divine institution in this age
of sin and death, and that the coming years were by the prophetic word defleed
to be a time of war", and not " a time of peace". The amendment was derisively rejected; but
the past hundred years have only too sadly well attested the soundness of Dr.
Thomas' views.
Having completed Elpis Israel, Dr. Thomas made a second
journey through England and Scotland. among other things contributing a
pamphlet to " the Gorham controversy", under the title Clerical Theology Unscriptural, now out
of print ; and, in a breezy dialogde
between "Boanerges " and " Heresian ", exhibits the Bible
truth coezerning original sin", "remission of sins", etc.. as
graphically set forth in other style in Elpis
Israel.
After over two years'
absence from America, Dr. Thomas returned, and resumed the publication of The Herald of the Kingdom, which he
continued for eleven years, until the outbreak of the American Civil War in
l860-61 brought about its suspension.
In 1862 Dr. Thomas revisited
Britain and found that, notwithstanding the fact that Elpis Israel had in many cases been burnt in disgust upon its
receipt by subscribers, some small communities of believers of the gospel had
arisen. For the edification of these, he
travelled and lectured through the country once more, returning to America
shortly afterwards.
His next, and greatest and
last work, was Eureka, an exposition
of the Apocalypse, in three volumes (over 2,000 pages), published by
subscription, of which the first volume was published in 1862, and the third in 1868. It is a work which none of " the
servants of God" should fail to possess.
In 1864, as The Herald of the Kingdom had been
suspended. and Dr. Thomas was engaged upon Eureka,
at his suggestion The Ambassador of
the Coming Age was started under the editorship of the late Robert Roberts,
of Birmingham, England, who continued it (as The Chistadelphian) to the day of his death in September, 1898.
The progress of the American Civil War bore hardly
upon the brethren of Christ, who were found in both the opposing camps, and who
abhorred the taking of the sword as a thing forbidden by their Lord and Master,
whose dictum is,,' All they that take the sword, shall perish with the
sword". In their extremity they desired Dr. Thomas to formulate some
appeal to the authorities for exemption from military service on account of
their conscientious objections, and subject to such conditions as might be
thought fit to he imposed. To save his friends from being called Thomasites. it
was necessary to adopt some distinctive name.
The name Christian, as Dr. Thomas pointed out, had heen appropriated by
every Anti-Christian thing under the sun, and was no longer distinctive as it
was in the first century. So Dr. Thomas hit upon the name CHRISTADELPHIAN,
which, after many years "earnest contention for the faith ·, conquered for
itself a recognition in the allotment of about three inches of space in the Encyclopaedia Britannica, after this
manner .' -
CHRISTADELPHIANS (Xoi~TOV
dce). a community founded by John Thomas (1848), who studied medicine in
London and then migrated to America
There he first joined the
Campbellites ', but afterwards struck out independently, preaching
largely on the application of Hebrew prophecy and of the language of the
Apocalypse to current and future political events In America and in Great Britain he gathered
a number of adherents and formed a community which is said to have extended to
most English speaking countries. It consists
of exclusive ' Ecclesias with neither ministry nor organization. The members meet on Sundays to ' break bread
' and discuss the Bible. Their theology
is strongly Millenarian centering in the hope of a world-wide theocracy, with
its seat at Jerusalem They believe that they alone have the true exegesis of
Scripture, and that the faith of Christendom ' is ' compounded of the fables
predicted by Paul no statistics are
published."
In 1869 after the completion
of Eureka, Dr. Thomas visited Britain
for the last time He found that the truth had taken root through his labours, and
decided to transfer his residence to England for the rest of his days. But it
was riot to be Upon his advice the name
of The Ambassador was changed to The CIiristadelphian, which it still
bears. After travelling and lecturing
among the people created by '' the truth " llustrated bv his writings, Dr.
Thomas returned to New York, but was soon afterwards attacked by illness, and
died March 5th, 1871. He is buried in
Greenwood Cemetery, Brooklyn, where, by a remarkable coincidence, the late
Robert Roberts. who for many years continued his work, was laid - beside him in
September, 1898.
Of the correctness of Dr.
Thomas' political anticipations from the prophets, the following is offered as
proof, in addition to what may be found in the text and footnotes of this
edition of Elpis Israel. The sub-joined extract is from Dr, Thomas : His Life and Work, a
biography by the late Robert Roberts, with copious extracts from Dr. Thomas'
letters and articles.
Dr. Thomas' political
prognostications, based on proplsecy. have been too signally realized to admit
of the supposition that he was radically mistaken in his chronological
scheme. He predicted the failure of the
Hungarian revolt (Herald of the Kingdom,
vol. i., p. 98); the uprise of Napoleon III, without mentioning his name Herald
of the Future Age, vol. iv., p. 48) ; the political and war-developing
ascendancy of France under him for a series of years (Herald of the Kingdom, vol. ii,. p. 37 ; vol. iii., p. 16); his
interference in the affairs of Italy (Herald
of the Future Age, vol. iii., p. 262);
his expulsion of the Austrians from that country (vol. v., p.205) ; the war
between Austria and italy, resulting in Austria losing her hold on Italy (vol.
iii.' p. 262) ; the dismemberment of the Austrian Empire by France (it)id., p. 263) ; the downfall of the
French Empire (Herald of the Kiiigdom,
vol. iii., p. 17); the co-existence of
tue Pope and King of Italy in Rome (Herald
of the Future Age. vol. iii,, p,
238) and a number of other things, such as the efforts of Egypt for
independence, the attempt of Russia on Turkey in 1854, etc,, etc, -Dr, Thomas
His Life and Worh, page 316,