Is there a proof for the authorship of J. L. Harris? In The Bible Treasury, New Series 07 (1908-1909), p. 202 etc. this is attributed to J. L. Harris. But according to The Believers' Magazine, New Series 07 (1906), p. 14 etc. the author was J. G. Bellett. Also in "Paul's Apostleship and Epistles" reprinted by John Ritchie.
The first printing seems to have been „The Apostleship of St. Paul“ in: The Christian Witness 4 (1837), p. 221–250 where it is generally attributed to JGB. An early Frech translation is here:
https://books.google.de/books?id=fOU8AAAAcAAJ No author mentioned.
I have copies of two German translations (from the French), Zürich 1849 and Düsseldorf 1850. Also no hint about the author.
Martin
Well, and I wonder if there is any attribution to Harris before 1908 ;-)
The handwritten attributions in the printed books of "The Christian Testimony" are quite old. In the exemplar which I used to scan years ago it is clearly "J. G. B.". Edwin Cross had several sets of the Christian Testimony which went through his hands as he had the 2nd hand shop and he made a list. In some cases the attribution was not uniform - but in vol. 4, p. 221 he has only "Bellett". I think the exemplar originally owned by Harris himself is somewhere. Perhaps T. Stunt can help us here.
In my oppinion the style of the "Apostleship" is nearer to Bellett than to Harris. Take the expression "I judge that" (first page of the "Apostleship"). I found it never in Harris' writings (according to his "Collected Writings" by Present Truth Publishers) but taking only Bellett's booklet "On the Return of the Lord Jesus Christ From Heaven to Meet His Saints in the Air" the expression is 5 times in it. Or consider the expression "this being so" (Apostleship. p. 2) which is used quite often by Bellett, but never by Harris, as far as I see.
Both arguments (the handwritten attributions in the "Christian Testimony" and the style) point to Bellett, not to Harris though no security of 100% can be achieved.
Martin
I'm not familiar with a copy of this item belonging to Harris himself. In the Guicciardini collection and the Vigna Veccha Assembly Library (both in Florence) there are several anonymous pamphlets endorsed with MS authorial attributions, which belonged to Eliza Browne who received them from J L Harris. Regrettably however, the copies of this item in the Guicciardini collection are unattributed. In the three copies known to me of the Christian Witness (1837), containing attributions, The Apostleship of St Paul is said to be by Bellett. Timothy Stunt
