Uriah Smith
Encyclopedia
Uriah Smith was a Seventh-day Adventist
author and editor who worked for the Review and Herald (now the Adventist Review) for 50 years.
Uriah Smith was a gifted church leader—a teacher, writer, editor, poet, hymn writer, inventor, and engraver. Uriah Smith in 1863, when the General Conference was organized, was elected its first secretary. This was a position that he subsequently held five different times. He was ordained to the gospel ministry in 1874. With the founding of Battle Creek College in 1874, Elder Smith became the Bible teacher, a position he held for the next eight years, the last two of which he was also chairman of the board. Uriah also served as General Conference treasurer from 1876-1877.
Uriah Smith produced many of the first illustrations that appeared in the Review and Herald. He also wrote a number of books, the most famous of which was Thoughts on Daniel and the Revelation better know just as Daniel and the Revelation.
In addition, Uriah Smith was an inventor who patented such diverse things as an artificial leg with a moveable ankle and a school desk with an improved folding seat. He died in Battle Creek, Michigan, in 1903, at the age of 70, from a stroke on his way to the Review office.
His book Daniel and the Revelation became the classic text on Adventist end-time beliefs.
His sister Annie R. Smith
was an early Seventh-day Adventist hymnist.
. His family accepted the Millerite
message and in 1844 experienced what has become known as the Great Disappointment
. That same year, Smith had his left leg amputated due to an infection
. Following the Disappointment, Smith lost interest in religion and commenced schooling at Philips Exeter Academy in Exeter, New Hampshire
. In December 1852, he accepted the message taught by Sabbatarian Adventists which in 1863 became the Seventh-day Adventist Church
. In 1853, he began working at the offices of the Advent Review and Sabbath Herald (now the Adventist Review), 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
and other topics. He advocated religious liberty, the abolition of slavery, and noncombatancy for Adventists.
Seventh-day Adventist Church
The Seventh-day Adventist Church is a Protestant Christian denomination distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the original seventh day of the Judeo-Christian week, as the Sabbath, and by its emphasis on the imminent second coming of Jesus Christ...
author and editor who worked for the Review and Herald (now the Adventist Review) for 50 years.
Uriah Smith was a gifted church leader—a teacher, writer, editor, poet, hymn writer, inventor, and engraver. Uriah Smith in 1863, when the General Conference was organized, was elected its first secretary. This was a position that he subsequently held five different times. He was ordained to the gospel ministry in 1874. With the founding of Battle Creek College in 1874, Elder Smith became the Bible teacher, a position he held for the next eight years, the last two of which he was also chairman of the board. Uriah also served as General Conference treasurer from 1876-1877.
Uriah Smith produced many of the first illustrations that appeared in the Review and Herald. He also wrote a number of books, the most famous of which was Thoughts on Daniel and the Revelation better know just as Daniel and the Revelation.
In addition, Uriah Smith was an inventor who patented such diverse things as an artificial leg with a moveable ankle and a school desk with an improved folding seat. He died in Battle Creek, Michigan, in 1903, at the age of 70, from a stroke on his way to the Review office.
His book Daniel and the Revelation became the classic text on Adventist end-time beliefs.
His sister Annie R. Smith
Annie R. Smith
Annie Rebekah Smith An early American Seventh-day Adventist hymnist, she was the sister of the Adventist pioneer, Uriah Smith. She has ten hymns in the current Seventh-day Adventist Church Hymnal. She died of tuberculosis....
was an early Seventh-day Adventist hymnist.
Early life
Uriah Smith was born in 1832 in West Wilton, New HampshireWilton, New Hampshire
- Demographics :As of the census of 2000, there were 3,743 people, 1,410 households, and 1,023 families living in the town. The population density was 145.3 people per square mile . There were 1,451 housing units at an average density of 56.3 per square mile...
. His family accepted the Millerite
Millerites
The Millerites were the followers of the teachings of William Miller who, in 1833, first shared publicly his belief in the coming Second Advent of Jesus Christ in roughly the year 1843.-Origins:...
message and in 1844 experienced what has become known as the Great Disappointment
Great Disappointment
The Great Disappointment was a major event in the history of the Millerite movement, a 19th-century American Christian sect that formed out of the Second Great Awakening. Based on his interpretations of the prophecies in the book of Daniel The Great Disappointment was a major event in the history...
. That same year, Smith had his left leg amputated due to an infection
Infection
An infection is the colonization of a host organism by parasite species. Infecting parasites seek to use the host's resources to reproduce, often resulting in disease...
. Following the Disappointment, Smith lost interest in religion and commenced schooling at Philips Exeter Academy in Exeter, New Hampshire
Exeter, New Hampshire
Exeter is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The town's population was 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
Seventh-day Adventist Church
The Seventh-day Adventist Church is a Protestant Christian denomination distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the original seventh day of the Judeo-Christian week, as the Sabbath, and by its emphasis on the imminent second coming of Jesus Christ...
. In 1853, he began working at the offices of the Advent Review and Sabbath Herald (now the Adventist Review), 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
Conditional immortality
In Christian theology, conditionalism or conditional immortality is a concept of special salvation in which the gift of immortality is attached to belief in Jesus Christ. This doctrine is based in part upon another theological argument, that if the human soul is naturally mortal, immortality is...
and other topics. He advocated religious liberty, the abolition of slavery, and noncombatancy for Adventists.
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)
- Daniel and the Revelation
- Thoughts on Daniel, Critical and Practical, on the Book of Daniel 2nd edn (DjVuDjVuDjVu is a computer file format designed primarily to store scanned documents, especially those containing a combination of text, line drawings, and photographs. It uses technologies such as image layer separation of text and background/images, progressive loading, arithmetic coding, and lossy...
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 WhiteJames Springer WhiteJames Springer White , also known as Elder White was a co-founder of the Seventh-day Adventist Church and husband of Ellen G. White...
(1878) - A Sketch of the Last Sickness and Death of Elder James White with W. C. Gage and John Harvey KelloggJohn Harvey KelloggJohn Harvey Kellogg was an American medical doctor in Battle Creek, Michigan, who ran a sanitarium using holistic methods, with a particular focus on nutrition, enemas and exercise. Kellogg was an advocate of vegetarianism and is best known for the invention of the corn flakes breakfast cereal...
(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 ButlerGeorge Ide ButlerGeorge Ide Butler 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, but George expressed leanings to infidelity. In 1853 his family moved to Iowa...
(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)
- Looking Unto Jesus, or, Christ in Type and Antitype (1897)
- Our Country, the Marvel of Nations (1901)
See also
- Seventh-day Adventist ChurchSeventh-day Adventist ChurchThe Seventh-day Adventist Church is a Protestant Christian denomination distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the original seventh day of the Judeo-Christian week, as the Sabbath, and by its emphasis on the imminent second coming of Jesus Christ...
- Seventh-day Adventist theology
- Seventh-day Adventist eschatology
- 28 fundamental beliefs
- Questions on DoctrineQuestions on DoctrineSeventh-day Adventists Answer Questions on Doctrine is a book published by the Seventh-day Adventist Church in 1957 to help explain Adventism to conservative Protestants and Evangelicals...
- History of the Seventh-day Adventist ChurchHistory of the Seventh-day Adventist ChurchThe Seventh-day Adventist Church had its roots in the Millerite movement of the 1830s and 1840s, during the period of the Second Great Awakening, and was officially founded in 1863. Prominent figures in the early church included Hiram Edson, James Springer White and his wife Ellen G. White, Joseph...
- MilleritesMilleritesThe Millerites were the followers of the teachings of William Miller who, in 1833, first shared publicly his belief in the coming Second Advent of Jesus Christ in roughly the year 1843.-Origins:...
- William Miller (preacher)William Miller (preacher)William Miller was an American Baptist preacher who is credited with beginning the mid-nineteenth century North American religious movement now known as Adventism. Among his direct spiritual heirs are several major religious denominations, including Seventh-day Adventists and Advent Christians...
- AdventistAdventistAdventism is a Christian movement which began in the 19th century, in the context of the Second Great Awakening revival in the United States. The name refers to belief in the imminent Second Coming of Jesus Christ. It was started by William Miller, whose followers became known as Millerites...
- Ellen G. WhiteEllen G. WhiteEllen Gould White was a prolific author and an American Christian pioneer. She, along with other Sabbatarian Adventist leaders, such as Joseph Bates and her husband James White, would form what is now known as the Seventh-day Adventist Church.Ellen White reported to her fellow believers her...
- Teachings of Ellen WhiteTeachings of Ellen WhiteEllen G. White, one of the co-founders of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, has been extremely influential on the church, which considers her a prophet, understood today as an expression of the New Testament spiritual gift of prophecy. She was a voluminous writer and popular speaker on health and...
- List of Ellen White writings
- Prophecy in the Seventh-day Adventist ChurchProphecy in the Seventh-day Adventist ChurchSeventh-day Adventists believe that Ellen G. White, one of the church's co-founders, was a prophet, understood today as an expression of the New Testament spiritual gift of prophecy....
- Second comingSecond ComingIn Christian doctrine, the Second Coming of Christ, the Second Advent, or the Parousia, is the anticipated return of Jesus Christ from Heaven, where he sits at the Right Hand of God, to Earth. This prophecy is found in the canonical gospels and in most Christian and Islamic eschatologies...
- PremillennialismPremillennialismPremillennialism in Christian end-times theology is the belief that Jesus will literally and physically be on the earth for his millennial reign, at his second coming. The doctrine is called premillennialism because it holds that Jesus’ physical return to earth will occur prior to the inauguration...
- Remnant (Bible)Remnant (Bible)The remnant is a recurring theme throughout the Hebrew and Christian Bible. The Anchor Bible Dictionary describes it as "What is left of a community after it undergoes a catastrophe."...
- Investigative judgmentInvestigative judgmentThe investigative judgment is a unique Seventh-day Adventist doctrine, which asserts that a divine judgment of professed Christians has been in progress since 1844. It is intimately related to the history of the Seventh-day Adventist Church and was described by the church's prophet and pioneer...
- Three Angels' MessagesThree Angels' MessagesIn Seventh-day Adventist beliefs, the "three angels' messages" is an interpretation of the messages given by three angels in Revelation . The church teaches that these messages are given to prepare the world for the second coming of Jesus Christ, and sees them as a central part of its own...
External links
- Ellen G. White Estate(R): Pathways to the Pioneers - Uriah Smith
- Adventist Heritage - URIAH SMITH - Biographical Sketch
- Articles by Smith and about Smith as cataloged in the Seventh-day Adventist Periodical Index (SDAPI)