26 Photo of Bishop William Henry Benade and John Pitcairn in Jerusalem (1878)

A “magic lantern” slide of Bishop William Henry Benade and John Pitcairn camping near the Jaffa Gate in Jerusalem was recently discovered in the Academy of the New Church Archives, Swedenborg Library, Bryn Athyn, PA. The slide, which dates to around 1910, is labeled “Bishop Benade and Mr. John Pitcairn Outside the Walls of Jerusalem.” The location of the original print (which dates to 1878) is unknown.

In 1877 Benade and Pitcairn undertook an extended tour of Europe, Egypt and the Holy Land. Their intended purpose was to spread New Church ideas across Europe, and to see for themselves the land of the Bible. However, they would return home with something unexpected— Continue reading » » » »

21 Introducing New Church History Fun Facts and General Announcements

NewChurchHistory.org represents a collaboration between the history major at Bryn Athyn College of the New Church and Glencairn Museum, both located in Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania. Over the past few months we have given the site a new “look,” and added some exciting new features and content (e.g. The New Church History Image Project). The section of the site you are reading now, “New Church History Fun Facts and General Announcements,” will be the place to go for information about new additions to the site (e.g. articles, books, photo albums) and also “fun facts” and new discoveries about New Church history.

You can automatically be notified of new “fun facts” and announcements by subscribing to this site either through a blog/rss reader or through e-mail. If you use one of the popular blog/rss readers (or would like to start using one), just click on the appropriate button in the right-hand column. To receive updates through e-mail, submit your email address in the box in the right-hand column marked “Receive Updates Through Email” and follow the online instructions. When a new item is posted it will be e-mailed to you.

A complete list of recently added articles, books, and online projects is maintained here. (Note: this list does not include the “fun facts.”)