The Publishing Ministry
The first publication to come from Zion’s
Watch Tower was Songs of the Bride, a 134 page hymnal containing 144
songs. Russell and William I. Mann were joint editors. All of the hymns would
have been familiar to Watch Tower readers, but almost all of them were
revised to reflect their unique doctrinal mix. Some were radically changed, and
some received a one or two word revision. Russell explained the rational behind
their choices:
photo
William Imre
Mann in 1880
We
have long felt the need of a Hymn Book containing a larger number of spiritual
songs free from objectionable theology, and this is our reason for publishing “The
Songs of the Bride.” We have selected according to our judgment they hymns
best suited to the wants and desires of the more matured and consecrated
Christians, the “little flock,” … the true “Church of the first-born whose
names are written in Heaven,” … hence the perhaps peculiar name “Songs of
the Bride.” They are not the songs of the world, nor of cold or half dead
Christians, but of the Chaste Virgin Church, waiting and longing for her union
with the heavenly Bridegroom.[1]
Illustration
Title Page – Songs
of the Bride
We do not know how great a part
Russell played in developing this songbook. He pointed to William Mann, thanking
him for “valuable assistance” in arranging and revising the songs. It appears
to have been a joint effort with Mann taking the lead. As would be true with
the later Hymns of Millennial Dawn, most of the songs were taken form Gospel
Hymns No. 1, The Jubilee Harp, and Winnowed Hymns. They also drew
from C. C. Barker’s Hymns of the Morning, the basis for the abbreviated
hymnal published by the Herald of the Morning. The authors’ names were
omitted, as were many of the original titles. Russell explained that he “would
gladly give credit of the hymns to their composers, but have been obliged to
alter many of them to such an extent that we feared their authors would feel
offended if their names were associated with them as they now are.”[2]
Advertising matter in the back promoted Russell’s Object and Manner and Zion’s
Watch
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4 comments:
Hi, Is there a rough date for the finished volume to be released ?
We hope in 18 mos, but that's very optimistic. We keep stumbling on new material that often enough alters the story. We go where the facts lead.
Excellent article. Am looking forward to the second volume.
Son of Ton
Hello, excellent!!! Only two comments:
1) At the Introduction of SONGS OF THE BRIDE there is: "Our thanks are due and tendered to brother W.I. Mann, for valuable assistance in the arranging and revising of this collection of hymns"
This is enough to establish that Mann had an important role of editing or compiling of this songbook. But you say that Russell had also this role. I know that Russell had an important weight in almost every writing at the beginning of the group, but he also left that other people wrote at Zion's Watch Tower with more or less freedom of opinion.
Then, can we assert that both Russell and Mann can be considered the compilers or editors of this songbook, or only Mann?
2) Why not include in this part of your book some more information about this songbook? For example, despite Russell says that he can not credit the hymns... why not include the name of original composers and/or writers of these hymns (at least some of them that can be clearly assigned to a composer or a writer)?
You have given many names that can be related to the origin of Russells doctrines in all of your previous books. Giving some name of these hymns one can see the origin of them. For example you will find some known names as I. Watts, H. Bonar. C. Wesley, J. Newton, etc.
I think I could supply a list of possible composers and writers for these songs... not for all the songs, but almost.
I repeat, excellent work, Bruce and Rachae.
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