The Prophetic Faith of Our Fathers, vol. 4

IX. “Robertson” Pamphlet-Indiana Reprint of Davis

Another pamphlet on prophecy, coming from a western outpost, was a tractate published in 1826 at “Lawrenceburgh, la. [Indiana], ⁵⁷ signed “Th. R. Robertson, Professor of the Greek, Hebrew, Natural History, and Moral Philosophy.” It is a verbatim reprint from W. C. Davis’ 1811 pamphlet. Nevertheless this publication bears witness to the extent of the keen interest in Bible prophecy in general and in the prophetic time periods of Daniel and the Apocalypse in particular, especially the terminal point of the 2300 years. ⁵⁸ PFF4 223.2

There is, of course, no way of knowing just how many were merely preaching orally and locally on the prophecies. And on the Western frontier printed editions vere small, and there were no large libraries where such items were preserved. But the wide geographical distribution of the American expositors who got into print indicates the far-flung interest regarding inspired prophecy, and especially the intriguing time prophecy of Daniel 8:14. These included Davis in South Carolina, with his “Robertson” reprint in Indiana, Campbell in Virginia, an anonymous writer in Pennsylvania, Wilson in Ohio, M’Corkle in Tennessee, Scott in New York, and Burwell in Canada, whose writings we have; together with others such as A. J. Krupp of Philadelphia, David McGregor of Maine, and Charles Wheeler of West Virginia, of whose names and teachings we read; and some whose writings we have not thus far found. PFF4 224.1

These, added to the large and aggressive group of British and Continental expositors (discussed in Vol. Ill) whose products had penetrated all parts of North America, show the really amazing number of pens soon attempting to discern the intent of this specific 2300-year Bible prophecy at this time. Yet this was only the faint prelude to a great chorus of voices soon to break forth in the third and fourth decades of the nineteenth century. PFF4 224.2