Kingdom Of Matthias Analysis

Some called him a madman, others viewed him as a prophet. The Kingdom of Matthias is the story of Robert Matthews who deems himself as “The Spirit of Truth” and persuades others to partake in his unorthodox beliefs (Wilentz and Johnson, p.5). During the first half of the 19th century many parts of the United States were in turmoil as the Second Great Awakening begins to unfold. The Kingdom of Matthias takes place during the Burned-Over District which refers to an area in western New York during the 1820s through 1830s in which evangelical movements were prominent as damnation preaching prevailed which lead to new religious denominations, communes and reform movements. Robert Matthews was not always unconventional in his religious thinking.
He was born in 1788 to a Scottish immigrant family that settled in a farming village in Washington County, New York. They named their neighborhood Coila and were strict Calvinist Anti-Burghers (Johnson and Wilentz, p. 50). In general terms, the Calvinist believed that God extends grace only to the chosen and that people are predestined to enter heaven. They also believed that social hierarchy played a dominant role in the church and the household, and that the men were the head of the household and women played a subservient role. Through years of despair and turmoil in his life, including the loss of his parents at a young age, and the loss of two sons, his religious beliefs became diluted. He went from Scots Calvinism to Methodism (which he felt had the purest church that promised salvation to all that received Jesus in their hearts) and then to Judaism (Johnson and Wilentz, p.64 & 68). The Methodist Church he attended was an all-black congregation that first introduced him to evangelical ways and the thought of ending slavery and racial injustice (Johnson and Wilentz, p. 63). His encounter with Judaism was through a Jew he met named Mordecai Manuel Noah who wanted to create a Jewish homeland. Matthews proclaimed to be a Jew, but as Noah’s vision eventually died, Matthew became a man without a movement (Johnson and Wilentz, p. 65). Through Matthew’s travels he attended many evangelistic churches and claimed to receive regular visions and messages from God. His appearance became disheveled as he began growing a beard and his mental state became in question. His beliefs kept changing and through his own confusion and despair he would whip his wife and beat his daughter. So how did a man that appeared to be delusional and abusive to his wife and family become known as “The Spirit of Truth”; a patriarch with his own followers? Several major factors come into play. First, this period of time was considered the “Market Revolution.” Technology was advancing rapidly and information to the public was being disseminated faster than ever before due to printing presses and telegraphs. People were leaving the farms and artisan roles in which they produced things on a small scale for individual consumption, and moved towards a factory system in which goods were mass produced (Keene, p. 260). There was migration from rural areas and immigration from Europe that caused a melting pot in the cities of differing social, economic and religious views. For Matthews, this revolution was both a benefit and a hindrance. It was the catalyst that exposed him to different religious views and beliefs and allowed him to travel easily through the Northeast to attend revivals. He was able to speak freely and promote his ideas. He became a prophet in his own right; however when plagued with a scandal the advancement of communication was a downfall when the penny press had a feeding frenzy and labeled him an impostor. Second, a religious revival called the Second Great Awakening had a strong impact on Americans and they began seeking change.
It grew partly as a backlash of the materialism of the market revolution and partly from a charismatic lawyer turned preacher that conducted a revival in Utica, New York named Charles G. Finney who got people thinking. Finney argued against the Calvinist God that controlled the destiny of human beings. He told congregations that they were “moral free agents” who could obtain salvation through their own efforts (Johnson and Wilentz, p. 70). His revivals lead to the establishment of many reform movements. The one thing that all religions agreed upon was to refine humanity and abolish bad practices such as prostitution, alcoholism, gambling and lotteries. During this time, women began seeing their role differently. A “cult of true womanhood” emerged as women entered into the workforce to help maintain a middle class, yet they were paid lower salaries and not allowed to vote. Women were portrayed in books and pictures as being the gentle force in the family, but also being in charge (Keene,
p.295). In Matthews search for the truth, he attended a Finneyite service held by Edward Norris Kirk that refueled his evangelical beliefs. Kirk however, declined Matthews into the church because of rumors that he had beaten his wife. Highly offended and in an attempt to fuel controversy, Matthew claimed that Finneyites were trying to disrupt the natural order that placed women subordinate to men (Johnson and Wilentz, p. 76). At the same time he was receiving prophetic visions from God to start his own church and calling himself Prophet Matthias. The third factor that propelled Matthew’s quest to be labeled a prophet was his introduction to Elijah Pierson. Isabella Van Wagenen, a black servant, introduced Matthews to Pierson who was a wealthy merchant and became the primary factor in creating the Kingdom of Matthias. Pierson was considered a prophet and had personal anguishes. He was a loving husband who was part of the “perfectionist” movement but after his wife died, Pierson deteriorated quickly and lost all hope. Matthews felt he was a weak and gullible man and preyed on these qualities. Matthews convinced Pierson he was the “Spirit of Truth-the male governing spirit, or God” (Johnson and Wilentz, p. 94). That he was apart of all living things and lived thousands of years through various incarnations. Matthews believed that the male spirit would remain obedient to Truth, while the female spirit would participate in Christian chaos and disobedience (Johnson and Wilentz, p. 95). Hence Matthews changed his name to Matthias, named after the Apostle chosen by God to replace Judas. The Kingdom of Matthias was not conventional in the way it was structured or how it treated the women. It consisted of a commune type arrangement in which a small group of men and women lived in a home called Mount Zion. Men were held in the highest regard, and considered the source of truth (Johnson and Wilentz, p. 104). Women, on the other hand, were believed to corrupt the truth. Matthias was the patriarch in his kingdom and became accustom to lavish clothes and finer things. Because he had such disregard for women, he felt that women should concede to all of man’s pleasures. The primary purpose of women in the community was to serve and please their men. Within the community the men and women were allowed to have extramarital affairs that were called “matched spirits.” Jealousy and bitterness ultimately were factors in the downfall of the kingdom. It was the death of Elijah Pierson that provoked an investigation as to the practices of the commune.
At first the police concluded that Pierson died of natural causes, but the public thought that something criminal had happened when they realized the commune was engaging in “free sexual activities.” It was suggested that Pierson was poisoned by Matthias. Matthias hired a prominent lawyer and his loyal servant, Isabella Van Wagenen, (later known as Sojourner Truth) defended Matthias. Matthias was never convicted of murder and theft, but did go to prison for four months on lesser charges of contempt of court and assault of his own daughter (Johnson and Wilentz, p.11). The Kingdom of Matthias had been
disbanded. After the fall of the kingdom, Matthews went to meet with Joseph Smith, head of the Mormon Church. Matthews did not identify himself; however Smith was aware of who he was and the practices of the Kingdom of Matthias. Matthews was trying to seek answers as to why the Mormon community had flourished while his had failed. Smith concluded that his mind was filled with darkness (Johnson and Wilentz, p. 9). Both men concluded that each other were impostors. Was Matthews a madman trying to justify and defend his beliefs? I believe he was. Many of his later practices were immoral and self-serving, not disciplines of Christianity and the Bible. What allowed him to flourish was the fact that he became prominent in a period of time when the nation was undergoing drastic changes in society as we converted from a barter system to a complex market system. Evangelical ministries arose throughout the country each with varying philosophies and interpretations of the Bible. This opened the door for both sane and insane men that proclaimed to be prophets or leaders in their church. As illogical or unorthodox their views may have been, they existed for as long as they had a following. That was the case of The Kingdom of Matthias.