d to speak directly to God and were following a pattern of two centuries of American occultism.
Robert Matthews was the real name of the man who would call himself Matthias. His family had been steeped in Calvinism, and he began at an early age to amaze his friends with feats of clairvoyance. He became a carpenter, married, and fathered seven children. In time he failed in trade because of illness and a contraction of credit, and when reduced to poverty and poor health, he was also subject to uncontrollable rages and beat his wife regularly, certain that a bad spirit had entered into her and that it could travel from her to others. In time, he stopped working completely and took up the role of evangelist full time. He also abandoned his family. He claimed to be Matthias, the prophet of the Jews, and said he had been sent to earth by God to bring t
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