Richard Brothers facts for kids
Richard Brothers (born December 25, 1757 – died January 25, 1824) was an early thinker who believed in a theory called British Israelism. This idea suggests that the Lost Ten Tribes of ancient Israel are actually hidden among people in Britain.
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Richard Brothers' Life Story
Richard Brothers was born in Port Kirwan, Newfoundland, which is now part of Canada. He went to school in Woolwich, England.
He joined the Royal Navy and served as a lieutenant. In 1783, he left the Navy with an honorable discharge and received a small pension. He then traveled around Europe. In 1786, he got married, but his marriage was not happy, so he returned to the Royal Navy for a short time.
In 1789, Richard Brothers decided to leave the Navy again. He believed that military service did not fit with his new calling to serve Christianity. He felt he could not serve the King, who was also the head of the Church of England, because of his own strong religious beliefs.
By 1791, he started to question the oath he had taken to receive his Navy pension. This meant he ended up with very little money. During this time, he began to believe that he had a special message from God. He claimed to hear an angel's voice telling him that London was "Babylon the Great" and would be destroyed. However, he said that after he pleaded for mercy, God decided to spare London for a while. Around this time, he also hoped for a heavenly lady to bring him money and happiness.
In February 1792, Brothers announced that he could heal people and even restore sight to the blind. Many people came to see him, not just for his healing, but also because he sometimes gave small gifts of money to those he prayed for.
Richard Brothers' Ideas and Writings
Becoming a Prophet
In 1793, Richard Brothers declared himself an apostle of a new religion. He believed he had a special role in bringing the Jews back to Palestine. He thought that many of these "Jews" were actually hidden among the people of Great Britain.
Like some modern British Israelists, Brothers claimed that these "hidden Israelites" did not know their true family history. He believed his job was to teach them who they really were and lead them to the land of Canaan. Brothers called himself the Prince of the Hebrews and a direct descendant of the Biblical House of David. He also called himself the Nephew of the Almighty. He said he would rule over Israel until Jesus Christ returned. He even claimed he would perform miracles, like Moses, using a rod he made from a wild rosebush.
His Main Book
All these ideas were shared in what is considered the first British Israelist book, published in 1794. Its long title was:
A REVEALED KNOWLEDGE OF THE PROPHECIES AND TIMES, Book the First, wrote [sic] under the direction of the LORD GOD and published by His Sacred Command, it being the first sign of Warning for the benefit of All Nations; Containing with other great and remarkable things not revealed to any other Person on Earth, the Restoration of the Hebrews to Jerusalem by the year of 1798 under their revealed Prince and Prophet (i.e., Richard Brothers). London, Printed in the year of Christ 1794.
Challenges and Later Life
Richard Brothers gained many followers, but he didn't create a large organized group because he avoided such work and was quite unusual. In 1795, he was arrested because he predicted the death of the King and the end of the monarchy. He was imprisoned because people thought he was mentally unwell.
However, his strong supporter, Nathaniel Brassey Halhed, who was an orientalist and a member of the House of Commons, brought his case to Parliament. As a result, Brothers was moved to a private asylum in Islington.
While in the asylum, Brothers wrote many pamphlets about his prophecies, which convinced more people to believe him. One of his supporters was William Sharp, a famous engraver. Some of Brothers' predictions, like the violent death of Louis XVI, seemed to come true, which made people think he was truly inspired.
But when Brothers predicted that on November 19, 1795, he would be revealed as the Prince of the Hebrews and Ruler of the world, and nothing happened, many followers like William Sharp left him. His supporters often became disappointed or embarrassed and drifted away.
Richard Brothers' Final Years
Richard Brothers spent the last 30 years of his life designing flags, uniforms, and palaces for what he called the New Jerusalem. In 1806, John Finlayson helped him get released from the private asylum. Brothers then moved into Finlayson's home in London. He died there on January 25, 1824, living a quiet life. After his death, Finlayson tried to get money from the government for taking care of Richard Brothers for so many years.
