Richard Reader Harris

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Richard Reader Harris , KC (born July 5, 1847 in Worcester , † March 30, 1909 in London ) was an English barrister , King's Counsel and Master of the Bench at Gray's Inn . He was also a Methodist pastor, founder of the Pentecostal League of Prayer, and author of 34 books. He is known for the theory of Anglo-Israelism , according to which the people of Western Europe are the descendants of the Lost Tribes of Israel ( Ten Lost Tribes ).

Life

Harris initially worked as a civil engineer for the Great Western Railway (GWR) and the Great Eastern Railway (GER) before becoming chief engineer for the Republic of Bolivia . When he returned to London in 1883, he trained as a lawyer and was appointed to Gray's Inn (called to the bar). There he later became one of the more respected lawyers (elected to the bench).

As a youth, Harris had liberal views on Christianity . Then he turned to Charles Bradlaugh's Ethical Society . Bradlaugh, an atheist , ridiculed Christians for living immorally while lecturing Biblical texts and demanding that his listeners adhere to the teachings set out in the Sermon on the Mount . Harris, as a member of the Puritan Wing of the Ethical Society , pledged not to smoke or drink.

conversion

When Harris married Mary Griffin Bristow in 1880, he was converted to Christianity. At the same time, the high social status of his bride's family gave him access to the upper class of society in London .

Pentecostal League of Prayer

In 1891 he and his wife founded the Pentecostal League of Prayer , a non-denominational association of Christians who joined together in prayer in the spirit of the sanctification movement . In 1912 she had 150 missions in Great Britain and 12 abroad. Reader Harris published Tongues of Fire magazine on behalf of the League . After his death, his wife and the evangelist Oswald Chambers continued the work.

When Harris' follower David Thomas founded his own Pentecostal Church with the International Holiness Mission in 1906 , Harris disagreed because he wanted to see the concerns of the sanctification movement continue to be realized in the existing denominations. However, he supported the phenomenon of speaking in tongues with reference to the second chapter in the Acts of the Apostles, Acts 2,6-12  LUT . In November 1907 he wrote:

" There is nothing wrong with speaking in tongues; it was the privilege of the early Church, and it can be the privilege of any believer today. "

death

On March 25, 1909, he suffered a stroke and fell into a coma at his home in London . He passed away four days later. On April 6, he was buried in West Norwood Cemetery , where more than two thousand people attended his funeral.

Lost Tribes of Israel

In 1907, Reader Harris published The Lost Tribes of Israel , in which he expressed his belief that the Anglo-Saxons were descendants of the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel:

The scriptures are such that it seems to me that there is strong evidence in the dispute to speak for those who believe that in the Anglo-Saxon race, God today possesses the descendants of the house of Israel. If this is true, it adds immensely to our responsibility and opens before us a path that no human tongue can describe, of spiritual possibilities, temporal possibilities, national possibilities and universal possibilities.

literature

  • David McCasland: Oswald Chambers - A life full of devotion. SCM Hänssler-Verlag , Holzgerlingen 1994. ISBN 978-3-7751-2112-5 .
  • William Kostlevy (Ed.): Historical Dictionary of the Holiness Movement. Scarecrow Press, Lanhan, MD. [u. a.] 2009, pp. 141f.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ There is nothing wrong with speaking in tongues; it was the privilege of the early Church, and it may be the privilege of any believer today. Sermon in November 1907: David McCasland: Oswald Chambers - Abandoned to God : The Life Story of the Author of My Utmost for His Highest. Discovery House, 2010. S. ISBN 1572934743 , 9781572934740
  2. ↑ Such then are the Scriptures that appear to me to furnish strong evidence in favor of the contention of those who believe that in the Anglo-Saxon race God possesses today the descendants of the house of Israel. If this be true, it adds tremendously to our responsibilities, and opens before us in a way that no human tongue can describe, spiritual possibilities, temporal possibilities, national possibilities, and universal possibilities. Lost Tribes of Israel , S.?
personal data
SURNAME Harris, Richard Reader
BRIEF DESCRIPTION English lawyer, methodist and author
DATE OF BIRTH July 5, 1847
PLACE OF BIRTH Worcester
DATE OF DEATH March 30, 1909
Place of death London , England