The Trail of Blood
- Title:
- The Trail of Blood
- Alternate Title:
- The Trail of Blood
- Collection:
- Persuasive Maps: PJ Mode Collection
- Creator:
- Carroll, J[ames] M[ilton]
- Date:
- 1931
- Posted Date:
- 2024-04-25
- ID Number:
- 2561.01
- File Name:
- PJM_2561_01.jpg
- Style/Period:
- 1920 - 1939
- Subject:
- Deception/Distortion
Religion - Measurement:
- 15 x 45 sheet (centimeters, height x width)
- Notes:
- This timeline is a roadmap to the thesis of a popular 1931 religious booklet entitled "The Trail of Blood," by a Baptist minister, J.M. Carroll. "The purpose of this book and chart is to show according to History that Baptists have an unbroken line of churches since Christ." According to Carroll, the red circles on the chart represent Baptist churches, albeit under different names, functioning continuously since the time of Christ. "The red indicates they were persecuted," hence the "Trail of Blood." The grey circles represent "irregular" churches - those "into which error came" - including Catholicism and Protestantism. "Baptists are not Protestants since they did not come out of the Catholic Church." (Chart, notes 1, 4, 5.) This is a view of church history known as "Baptist Succession" or "Organic Succession."
Church scholars have a different view. "No major historian today holds to the organic succession of Baptist churches. This view is based on inadequate sources, was more polemical than historical, and made large assumptions where evidence was lacking." McBeth 1987, 60. "Baptists arose in the seventeenth century in Holland and England. They are Protestants, heirs of the Reformers." McGoldrick 2000, 2. In light of the work of "genuine scholars," Carroll's claims have been described as "faulty methodology" followed by "pastors who lack an understanding of historical theology and critical historiography." Ibid. 149. The Trail of Blood is said to be based on "massive historical revisionism, plain and simple." Ayala 2013, pt. 1.
Whether or not based on sound evidence, Carroll's chart is clear and effective, and the small booklet has had a wide reach. Originally published in 1931, it has been repeatedly reprinted. The copy in the collection is dated November 1964 and declares "760,000 copies." Almost a century after its publication, the work is apparently still in print, and copies are readily available online at prices as low as $2.
For other religious charts and timelines in the collection, Search > "Religious Charts."
Cornell University Library is pleased to present this digital collection of Persuasive Maps, the originals of which have been collected and described by the private collector PJ Mode. The descriptive information in the “Collector’s Notes” has been supplied by Mr. Mode and does not necessarily reflect the views of Cornell University. - Source:
- Carroll, J[ames] M[ilton]. 1964. The Trail of Blood: Following the Christians Down through the Centuries . . . . or The History of Baptist Churches from the Time of Christ, Their Founder, to the Present Day. Lexington KY: Ashland Avenue Baptist Church.
- Format:
- Image
- Rights:
- For important information about copyright and use, see http://persuasivemaps.library.cornell.edu/copyright.