Analysis of Letters From Representatives of Religious Bible Student Groups (Badaczy Pisma Świętego) in Poland during the Nazi Occupation

Authors

Roman OrlovskiiFollow
Denys Shpak, Ukrainian Institute of Arts and SciencesFollow

Author ORCID Identifier

Roman Orlovskyi: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6924-3866

Denys Shpak: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0545-6560

Abstract

The founder and leader of the International Bible Students movement was Charles Taze Russell (1852–1916), an eminent religious figure, the first president of the Watch Tower Society. After his death, the denomination he created split into a number of communities: Jehovah's Witnesses, as well as various groups of Bible Students who refused to recognize the authority of the Watch Tower Society under the rule of subsequent presidents. The followers of these groups, who recognized only the works of Charles Taze Russell, lived in different countries of the world, including in Poland. There are practically no scientific works devoted to the study of the history of the community of Bible Students (Badaczy Pisma Świętego) during the Second World War, except for historical studies of adherents of these religious groups. Therefore, our study is unique for two reasons. First, it describes the branches of Bible students that had not previously come to the attention of academic religious scholars. Secondly, it presents the life and activity of its individual members under the conditions of Nazi occupation by analyzing the personal correspondence of representatives of the denomination, containing a description of important historical events. Based on the results of the analysis of the personal correspondence of the Bible Students, we see three important components. Religious activity and adherence to the principle of non-combating the Bible. Suffering and death in German concentration camps for their religious views. Coverage through letters of real events that happened to the civilian population: the Bandera massacred the Polish population, the Germans executed, tortured and enslaved the "lower" races, and a small religious group, which in all its sufferings tried to rely on God in their religious beliefs.

Recommended Citation

Orlovskii, Roman and Shpak, Denys (2023) "Analysis of Letters From Representatives of Religious Bible Student Groups (Badaczy Pisma Świętego) in Poland during the Nazi Occupation," Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe: Vol. 43 : Iss. 7 , Article 6.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.55221/2693-2148.2463
Available at: https://digitalcommons.georgefox.edu/ree/vol43/iss7/6