Oahspe (ePub)

John Ballou Newbrough (1828-1891) was an American spiritualist, dentist, and writer, best known for his authorship of 'Oahspe: A New Bible,' published in 1882. The book is a mystical text that purportedly was written through automatic writing, a process Newbrough claimed was guided by higher spiritual entities. The content of 'Oahspe' encompasses a vast and complex narrative that synthesizes theology, cosmology, and history, narrating the story of the world from its creation to Newbrough's present. This work, deemed prophetic by his followers, aims to present a harmonious fusion of science and religion and to provide moral guidelines aligned with the claimed revelations from the spirit world. Within 'Oahspe', Newbrough introduced the term 'Faithist' to describe the adherents of the religion based upon the book's teachings. His writing is characteristic of 19th-century spiritualist literature, with an emphasis on universal knowledge, moral perfection, and a connection to the spiritual realm that exists beyond the visible world. Despite his once growing following, Newbrough's influence has waned, and his work is now considered esoteric, with only a small community of believers remaining. The literary style of 'Oahspe' is both poetic and archaic, often resembling the language of the King James Bible. While it has never achieved mainstream recognition, it remains an artifact of the spiritualist movements that swept through the United States during the 19th century.