Abstract
Hidden in plain sight among the multitude of manuscripts documenting the Era of Manifestations are two notices that reveal not only a publishing partnership between two Shaker men but the dramatic byplay of spiritual activity which fueled a lengthy revival period. For at least twenty years in the mid-nineteenth century, spiritual revelations enlivened and expanded Shaker theological and institutional life; moreover, within the solemn messages, the enthusiastic music, and the arresting gift drawings one finds a number of personal exchanges which suggest that the intimate notices strengthened, if they did not create, the web on which larger issues grew. Embedded in a collection of prophetic revelations which Calvin Green received in the early 1840s is a dramatic spiritual gift for his colleague, Seth Youngs Wells. In turn, five years later, in 1847, Calvin Green received a booklet of messages and emblems from the recently deceased Seth Youngs Wells. This exchange of spiritual gifts celebrated over fifty years of literary collaboration and honored the intimacy of their common spiritual journey.
Date
4-1-2019
Volume
13
Number
2
First Page
65
Last Page
86
Journal Title
American Communal Societies Quarterly
ISSN
1939-473X
