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The Bible Student movement is the name adopted by a Millennialist Restorationist Christian movement that emerged from the teachings and ministry of Charles Taze Russell, also known as Pastor Russell. Members of the movement have variously referred to themselves as ''Bible Students'', ''International Bible Students'', ''Associated Bible Students'', or ''Independent Bible Students''. The origins of the movement are associated with the formation of Zion's Watch Tower Tract Society in 1881. A number of schisms developed within the congregations of Bible Students associated with the Watch Tower Society between 1909 and 1932. The most significant split began in 1917 following the election of Joseph Franklin Rutherford as president of the Watch Tower Society two months after Russell's death. The schism began with Rutherford's controversial replacement of four of the Society's board of directors and publication of ''The Finished Mystery''. Thousands of members left congregations of Bible Students associated with the Watch Tower Society throughout the 1920s prompted in part by Rutherford's failed predictions for the year 1925, increasing disillusionment with his on-going doctrinal and organizational changes, and his campaign for centralized control of the movement. William Schnell, author and former Jehovah's Witness, claims that three-quarters of the original Bible Students who had been associating with the Watch Tower Society in 1921 had left by 1931.〔, as cited by .〕〔 cites ''The Watch Tower'' December 1, 1927 (p 355) in which Rutherford states, "the larger percentage" of original Bible Students had by then departed.〕 In 1930 Rutherford stated that "the total number of those who have withdrawn from the Society... is comparatively large."〔''The Watch Tower'' November 15, 1930 p. 342 col 1.〕 Between 1918 and 1929, several factions formed their own independent fellowships, including the Standfast Movement, the Pastoral Bible Institute, the Laymen's Home Missionary Movement founded by PSL Johnson, and the Dawn Bible Students Association. These groups range from conservative, claiming to be Russell's true followers, to more liberal, claiming that Russell's role is not as important as once believed. Rutherford's faction of the movement retained control of the Watch Tower Society and adopted the name ''Jehovah's witnesses'' in July 1931. The cumulative worldwide membership of the various Bible Students groups independent of the Watch Tower Society is estimated at less than 75,000.〔''Present Truth'' February, 2006 pp 9–13.〕 ==Foundation== In 1869 Charles Russell viewed a presentation by Advent Christian preacher Jonas Wendell〔 pointed to 1873 for the time of Christ's visible return.〕 (influenced by the Millerites) and soon after began attending an Adventist Bible study group in Allegheny, Pennsylvania led by George Stetson. Russell acknowledged the influence of Adventist ministers including George Storrs, an old acquaintance of William Miller and semi-regular attendee at the Bible study group in Allegheny.〔''Watch Tower'', 1906, as cited by .〕 In early January 1876 Russell met independent Adventist preachers Nelson H. Barbour and John H. Paton, publishers of the ''Herald of the Morning'', who convinced him that Christ had returned invisibly in 1874.〔.〕 Russell provided financial backing for Barbour and became co-editor of Barbour's magazine, ''Herald of the Morning''; the pair jointly issued ''Three Worlds and the Harvest of This World'' (1877), written mostly by Barbour.〔.〕 Various concepts in the book are still taught by the Bible Student movement and Jehovah's Witnesses, including a 2520-year period termed "the Gentile Times" predicted to end in 1914. Deviating from most Second Adventists the book taught that the earth would not be burned up when Christ returned, but that humankind since Adam would eventually be resurrected to the earth and given the opportunity to attain eternal perfect human life if obedient. It also revealed an expectation that all of the "saints" would be taken to heaven in April, 1878.〔''Three Worlds'', pp. 184–85.〕 Russell continued to develop his interpretations of biblical chronology. In 1877, he published 50,000 copies of the pamphlet ''The Object and Manner of Our Lord's Return'', teaching that Christ would return invisibly before the battle of Armageddon. By 1878 he was teaching the Adventist view that the "time of the end" had begun in 1799,〔"The 'Time of the End,' a period of one hundred and fifteen (115) years, from A.D. 1799 to A.D. 1914, is particularly marked in the Scriptures." ''Thy Kingdom Come'', 1890, p. 23.〕 and that Christ had returned invisibly in 1874 and had been crowned in heaven as king in 1878. Russell believed that 1878 also marked the resurrection of the "sleeping saints" (all faithful Christians who had died up to that time) and the "fall of Babylon" which he taught to be God's final judgment of unfaithful Christendom.〔''Thy Kingdom Come'' (1890), Volume 3 of ''Studies in the Scriptures'', pp. 305–8.〕〔"This spuing out, or casting off, of the nominal church as an organization in 1878, we then understood, and still proclaim, to be the date of the commencement of Babylon's fall..."—("The Consummation of Our Hope" ) in ''Zion's Watch Tower'', April 1883. ''Reprints'' pp. 474–5.〕 October 1914 was held as the end of a harvest period that would culminate in the beginning of Armageddon, manifested by the emergence of worldwide anarchy and the decline and destruction of civilized society.〔() ''The Watch Tower'', July 1881, "Future Work and Glory"〕〔("Things to Come—And The Present European Situation" ), ''The Watch Tower'', January 15, 1892, ''Reprints'', p. 1355〕 Russell broke with Barbour in July 1879 over the doctrine of substitutionary atonement and began publishing his own monthly magazine, ''Zion's Watch Tower and Herald of Christ's Presence'' (now known as ''The Watchtower Announcing Jehovah's Kingdom''), and the pair competed through their rival publications for the minds of their readers.〔〔Russell explained his side of the break with Barbour in the (first issue of the ''Watch Tower'' ).〕 (Semi-monthly publication of the magazine began in 1892.)〔 In early 1881, Russell predicted that the churches ('Babylon') would begin to fall apart and that the rapture of the saints would take place that year, although they would remain on earth as materialized spirit beings.〔 In 1882 he outlined his nontrinitarian views concluding that the doctrine is not taught in the Bible.〔 Readers of ''Zion's Watch Tower'' formed thirty Bible study groups in seven states in the United States in 1879–80, with each congregation electing its own elders. In 1880 Russell visited the congregations to conduct six-hour study sessions, teaching each congregation how to carry out topical Bible study.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Bible Student movement」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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