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Answers to questions our research team has received.
“Present Order of Services”
"Order of Services," (Church Manual 120-121), was originally published in the Christian Science periodicals. In August 1889 Mary Baker Eddy introduced a notice in The Christian Science Journal that, for the first time, mentioned the order of services.Mary B. G....
Mary Baker Eddy and John Greenleaf Whittier
Eddy was a lifelong admirer of the work of Whittier (1807-1892). An avid scrapbooker, she clipped his poems out of literary magazines, and later quoted his words in her own published writings. The archives also contain an unpublished poem she wrote sometime before...
What are the “blue book” and the “red book”?
Read about our exploration of the history and authenticity of these widely circulated compilations.
The “Great Litigation”
The litigation consisted of two lawsuits: Eustace vs. Dickey, and Dittemore vs. Dickey. The first lawsuit was between the Trustees of The Christian Science Publishing Society and the Christian Science Board of Directors; the second was between John V. Dittemore, a...
Christian Science Reading Rooms 1887–1910
(Updated January 2019)The beginnings of Christian Science Reading Rooms can be dated to January 1887. According to a later article in The Christian Science Journal, in that month the “Free Dispensary of Christian Science Healing” opened in Boston, possibly...
Elvis Presley and Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures
The Library’s Research staff had heard this rumor over the years but like many rumors that come to us for authentication, we’d found no concrete evidence one way or another. Then, in the November 17, 2008, issue of The New Yorker, an article reviewed the work of the...
What’s the background on Eddy’s poems set to music in the “Christian Science Hymnal”?
"Christmas Morn" was published in The Christian Science Journal for December 1898. It was first included in the...
Article XXVI, Section 7: “A Single Field of Labor”
To best answer this inquiry, we have prepared a chronology of this By-Law's development. To read the full text please download the PDF.
Did Eddy require use of the King James Version?
Learn from her correspondence how she felt about the use of this and other Bible translations.
The Major Editions of Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures
This PDF document contains information on the major editions of Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures including publisher, printer, page count, and contents. Please contact Research & Reference Services if you need more detailed information.
Did Joseph Armstrong heal people of smallpox?
Here is background that suggests he did.
Did Eddy use Webster’s 1828 dictionary?
The answer is somewhat nuanced.
Did Eddy regularly read a hymn at bedtime?
Here’s information that suggests she did.
How did Christian Scientists respond to the 1918–1919 Spanish flu?
Here is information from a variety of sources.
What is the origin of the Explanatory Note found in the Christian Science Quarterly?
See how this text evolved to what is currently read.
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