Publisher's Synopsis
The 48th Edition (1889), presented here, is historically significant as the year of its publication marks a turning point in the development of the Church of Christ Scientist. 1889 is the year in which Mary Baker Eddy closed the Massachusetts Metaphysical College, dissolved the church as a corporate structure, and moved away from Boston to the quiet Concord where she devoted herself for the next two years to a major revision of the textbook on Christian Science that became the 50th Edition, published in 1891. With this step completed, she reorganized the church on an 'incorporeal' bases, based on a deed of trust and governed from 1895 on. by the by-laws of its Church Manual, the Manual of the Mother Church, which she is the author of. The 48th Edition marks the beginning of this turning transition. I personally find the 48th Edition interesting, and glad to be sharing it, for its revolutionary concepts that mark the beginning of the great transition. Referring to the earlier, now historic editions of Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy counsels, "...do not attempt to dispose of the earlier editions." Fortunate is he who has all former revisions, together with the original edition of 1875! They are indicators of successive stages of growth in Christian Science, ...Keep them all; they will prove a "treasure trove." ... "Let the new (modern) volume be studied in connection with earlier editions. The very contrasts help to see how the thoughts have risen only as we have been able to receive them. ... It is simply because the advancing thought, or demonstration, of Christian Students has ascended to that plane which makes it both possible and practicable for us to have the new (modern) Work. MARY BAKER G. EDDY -from the Christian Science Journal, April, 1891. This reprint edition has been prepared with great effort in a project to make the earlier editions, which have largely disappeared from the landscape, accessible again, and this not only in printed form, but also in PDF form that is electronically searchable, and selectively printable. During the editorial process, I, as editor of the printed format have taken the liberty to include a number of subheadings into the Table of Contents, shown in brackets, that I find of personal interest and have included for this reason, to share my interest. Please note, it is an enormously tedious task to recompile a printed historic book with historic terminology and spelling. While great care has been taken to verify the electronically scanned and converted text for accuracy, some typographical errors may have made it past the guard. If so, please excuse the oversight. The 48th Edition (1889), presented here, is historically significant as the year of its publication marks a turning point in the development of the Church of Christ Scientist. 1889 is the year in which Mary Baker Eddy closed the Massachusetts Metaphysical College, dissolved the church as a corporate structure, and moved away from Boston to the quiet Concord where she devoted herself for the next two years to a major revision of the textbook on Christian Science that became the 50th Edition, published in 1891. With this step completed, she reorganized the church on an 'incorporeal' bases, based on a deed of trust and governed from 1895 on. by the by-laws of its Church Manual, the Manual of the Mother Church, which she is the author of. The 48th Edition marks the beginning of this turning transition. I personally find the 48th Edition interesting, and glad to be sharing it, for its revolutionary concepts that mark the beginning of the great transition. Rolf A. F. Witzsche
