Psychotic Cult of the 1830s

[ideologyhunter]

The Matthias cult of 1832-35 is worth a look if you think you've seen it all. It is the subject of a book by Paul E. Johnson and Sean Wilentz, first published in 1994 (but look for the updated 2012 edition.) Title: The Kingdom of Matthias.
Matthias was Robert Matthews, a hillbillyish man with a certain gift for oratory who fancied that he was (take your pick) a modern prophet, the Spirit of Truth, and/or God incarnate. He conned a group of wealthy Manhattanites into supporting him in style, and the cult took over the country house owned by one of the group in Sing Sing.
The book has many surprises, including one that the authors withhold for their final paragraph. To cite only the events that one could glean from the back cover blurb, the Kingdom of Matthias eventually devolved into an absolute patriarchal rule by "Father" (Matthias), partner swapping, fraud, and a murder trial. It became a tremendous scandal in 1835.
The book is well written, scholarly without sacrificing style, and it will convince you that the lineage of Jim Jones and David Khoresh is a long and continuous gallery of con men whose followers are led step by step into the rabbit hole. Like many a fellow "perfect master", Matthias was driven by a need for praise, power, riches, and nookie. This book chronicles as much of the sad, sometimes predictable tale as can be had at a remove of 185 years.

 

[Politesse]

The things we call "cults" are certainly not new. New religious movements have something of a cyclical nature, breaking up established norms and assumptions on a roughly generational schedule. You may not know the specifics, but you can assume comfortably that in any given society at any given moment, they are contending with several small, cellular religious groups such as these. Some more publically than others, some more violently than others.

 

[rousseau]

Thanks for the tip. You caught my attention with Paul Johnson's name. I have 5 of his titles, but it remains to be seen whether I'll ever give Birth of the Modern or Modern Times much attention. I read his History of Christianity from cover to cover about three years ago which was great, and still waiting for the right time to dive into his History of the Jews. Also own Intellectuals which I've scanned a bit of.

And now The Kingdom of Matthias, onto my Goodreads list. I wonder if it's somewhere in Western's libraries.