|
Home
Up
Pro
Con
| |
The Roots (Cont.)
Prof. Charles A.L.Totten:
An Introduction
"I judge that God has blessed
the two great nations of the Anglo-Saxon race--England and the United States--and given
them preeminence [so that]... they may spread abroad the knowledge of the glory of
God"
C.H. Spurgeon (1834-1892)
Treasury of the Old Testament, vol. 2, p. 145
Charles Totten was the author of a series of
journal articles entitled "Our Race" in the early 1890s, and it is at
about this same time that he garnered Frank Sandford's attention. Totten did not
invent the theory, though he was one of the late nineteenth centuries chief exponents of
it. One of Sandford's earliest supporter's Dr. Peck also was a staunch advocate of
Totten's theories on Anglo-Isreal. For the un-initiated, Anglo-Isreal or, more
recently referred to by Herbert W. Armstrong as British-Isrealism, is the theory that the
"lost 10 tribes" of Isreal, which dispersed after the Assyrians were defeated by
Alexander the Great, migrated to northern and western Europe and there established
themselves, merged with the indigenous peoples, and eventually became the super powers of
the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. In a book published in 1992 by
Frank S. Murray entitled "All Israel Restored", Murray, Frank
Sandford's biographer, goes to great lengths in a Bible study/proof of the core validity
of Totten's work, while knitting the Sandford theology of the Restoration
of All Things into Totten's basic thesis. It should be noted however, that Totten's
credibility may today be considered not entirely reliable. Totten was certain, as
indicated by his other works, that the second coming of Christ was to occur at or near the
turn of the nineteenth and twentieth century, a "prophecy" Sandford also
endorsed.
I can remember attending one Kingdom feast
as an adolescent where the subject of Anglo-Israel was developed in a sermon, and having
never heard of the concept (it was not promoted widely while I was growing up) queried my
parents on the subject. They informed me that it was something that Mr. Sandford
believed, as well as several of the existing church leaders, that it was controversial and
not to be considered a "worry stone" for sincere Christians. (similar to
Sandford's prophetic Elijah status)
To the left in the word buttons are
"Pro" and "Con", for your further research into the topic, which are
self explanatory
Below are several exerpts from websites with
regard to Totten and Anglo-Isrealism.
Charles Totten, the Yale military science instructor who came up with
alleged calculations proving "Joshua's Missing Day" (later turned into an urban
legend about NASA by Harold Hill), was also an advocate of British-Israelism (promoted in
his journal Our Race ) and a pyramidologist.
http://talkorigins.org/faqs/racism.html
Totten was a West Point graduate who, after
completing several assignments on active duty, taught military science and tactics at Yale
University from 1889-92. The next year he resigned from the army to pursue full time his
interest in certain biblical questions. An Adventist (though not, I think, of the
Seventh-Day variety) and a Zionist who believed that the ten lost tribes of Israel became
the Anglo-Saxons, Totten spent much of his time investigating a wonderful conglomerate of
unusual beliefs such as spiritualism, Swedenborgianism, and the pyramid theories of Piazzi
Smith (which he endorsed). In Joshua's Long Day he used a wholly absurd argument
based on wild assumptions to "prove" that 23 hours and 20 minutes were lost out
of time when the sun stood still for Joshua, and an additional 40 minutes were lost when
the sundial went backwards for Hezekiah--a story resurrected in another guise by a NASA
engineer named Harold Hill around 1970. (Astrophysicist turned biblical scholar Robert C.
Newman and sociologist Tom McIver have written at some length on both of these episodes.)
Both Rimmer and Gook appealed to this ridiculous story to show that the long day of Joshua
had been established as a scientific "fact". Rimmer in addition embellishes his
version with a story presumed to come from Totten (but not actually found there) of how
Totten convinced an astronomer of the validity of his claim, whereupon the man embraced
Christianity.
In each place Rimmer concluded his
defense of the historical veracity of the book of Joshua with a summary of a book (which
he cites, but not by name) written by Charles A.L. Totten in 1890, entitled Joshua's
Long Day and the Dial of Ahaz.
http://asa.calvin.edu/ASA/PSCF/1991/PSCF12-91Davis.html
British Israelism - Preliminary Points:
British-Israelism1
has until recently lost much of its zest. The year 1939 was held by followers of its
teaching to be of great significance when the Prince of Wales (called Prince David) became
monarch. It was said at the time that he would live a long prosperous life which would
result in the advent of the Messiah. The Prince of Wales, however, married the
twice-divorced Mrs. Simpson and his abdication dealt a temporary blow to British Israelite
doctrine.
Now that Britain is ridden with agnosticism and loss of influence in
the international world one would have thought that British-Israelism would have little to
offer. But recently through the mass media of radio on a world-wide basis, Herbert W.
Armstrong's "World Tomorrow" broadcasts have given new life to British-Israel
teaching. A number of Bible passages are cited in support of its doctrine and special
publications on the subject have circulated since 1954.
In brief, British-Israelism (with some variation) is the belief that
modern Britain and the Anglo-Saxon peoples of Canada, the U.S.A., Denmark, Sweden,
Holland, France, Germany and Northwestern European nations comprise the "lost"
ten tribes of Israel. The following underpinnings are noteworthy:
~ That the term "Jew" as used in Scripture applies only to the two tribes
(Judah and Benjamin) and not to the "House of Israel"---the ten tribes. The
terms "Israelite" and "Jew" are not synonymous for British-Israelites.
~ That the return of Jews under Zerubbabel, Ezra and Nehemiah to Palestine from
their captivity was limited to the two tribes.
~ That David's throne is presently the throne on which Queen Elizabeth sits in
London, England.2
~ That the "stone of Israel" of Gen. 49:24 was the pillow used by Jacob
and carried by him into Palestine. When Nebuchadnezzar invaded the land of Israel in 606
B.C., the daughter of Zedekiah, King of Judah, fled to Egypt with Jeremiah the prophet,
taking the stone with her. From Egypt it was shipped by Jews to Ireland, then Scotland and
finally found its place in the coronation chair in Westminster Abbey.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Footnotes:
1 The term "British-Israelism" is used instead of "Anglo-Israelism"
since Herbert Armstrong's doctrine is popularly known by the former term. Return
2 Some astounding conclusions have been drawn from British-Israelite doctrine. Edward
Hine, one of the greatest promoters of its teaching said: "It is an utter
impossibility for England ever to be defeated. And this is another result arising entirely
form the fact of our being Israel." Edward Hine, "The British Nation identified
with Lost Israel", p. 73. Robert Roberts, former editor of the Christadelphian
Magazine, engaged Hine in a three-nights' debate in Exeter Hall, London, England, 1879.
The debate was subsequently published. See, "Are Englishmen Israelites?",
(Birmingham: C. C. Walker, 1919). Return
http://members.aol.com/WRESTED/A06BritishIsraelism/PreliminaryA06.html
We would re-iterate that we, the editors, are not promoting
the information shown on these Totten/Anglo-Israel related pages as facts per se, but
provide them, along with the various links that are associated with them, only as points
of reference. The Editors
|