The Urantia Book Fellowship History Archive

The Urantia Book (sometimes called "the Urantia Papers" or "the fifth epochal revelation") is a spiritual and philosophical book that originated in Chicago, Illinois, USA, sometime between 1924 and 1955. The exact circumstances of the origin of The Urantia Book are unknown. The book and its publishers do not name a human author.

In the oral tradition of The Urantia Book readership there are many legends and stories about how the book came to be published, many of which cannot be documented beyond personal stories. Various published accounts of these stories are listed below.

Significant research is currently being conducted related to the authorship and construction of The Urantia Book, providing new perspectives on the question of its origin. An extensive collection of documents related to the development of the Urantia movement is being accumulated in an archive housed at the University of California, Santa Barbara, USA.

• Historic Timeline of Events in the Urantia Book Reader Community
  • This timeline serves as a secondary index to historic documents of the readership. It covers the period from 1875 to the present and includes photographs as well as reproductions of textual documents.
    • 1875-1900
    • 1901-1925
    • 1926-1950
    • 1951-1965
    • 1966-1980
    • 1981-1995
    • 1996-2003
• A History of The Urantia Movement, 1960
  • Notes sometime regarded as written by Dr. William S. Sadler in preparation for a never-published history of the early days of the readership; 1960.
• Memorial Service for a Forumite, 1959
• 1967 Letter from Harold Sherman to Dr. Sadler
• 1942 Letter from Harold Sherman to Dr. Sadler
• Urantia Foundation and Urantia Brotherhood named as defendants in 1983 lawsuit
• Internal memos expressing concern about "The Pelley Papers" authored by "Nostradamus"
• 1959 Memo to Societies about trademark usage
• 1959 Memo to Executive Committee about trademark restrictions
• This is the Truth -- short note by Harold Sherman
• 1965 Memo on Library of Congress classification change
• 1974 Memo on concentric circle symbol
• 1955 Memo on selling books to strangers
  • William S. Sadler, Jr.
• 1941 Solicitation Letter
  • William S. Sadler, William Hales
• Marian Rowley's draft of a history; June 1960
  • [See PDF reproduction of original]The original shows hand-written margin notes which may be of interest to the student of readership history. These notes indicate deletions and edits for her completed history.
• Marian Rowley's completed history, June 1960 [See PDF reproduction of original]
  • (Compare Marian's completed history with her draft noted above as well as with the history attributed to Dr. Sadler from the same time period, also noted above.) [See Marian's comparison of the histories]
• How the Urantia Papers Came
  • An account by Webster Stafford received at the Brotherhood office 7/5/63
• Some early notes of historic value
  • Various sources
• "Christy's History" of Urantia Organizations, October 1964
  • [See PDF reproduction of original]
• Burton King's Introductory History, Circa 1965
• Jacques Weiss: The Origin of The Urantia Book, 1967
  • A history written from the recollections of the translator of the first French edition
• A History of Urantia Brotherhood: January 1955-March 1975
  • Primarily a list of General Council and Executive Committee administrative decisions, by Marian Rowley
• The Question of Origin
  • Meredith Sprunger, October 1978 -- This is a good one to print and distribute to interested persons.
• Meredith Sprunger's Affidavit regarding the origin of The Urantia Book
• Fellowship Publications Committee History, 1980
  • Note: This never published history was a source of internal controversy covering some 10 years. It never escaped the confines of the resultant bureaucratic quagmire. See documents and correspondence related to this controversy
• Origin of the Urantia Papers
  • Mark Roser recounts a personal interview with Dr. Sadler; 1985
• A Viewpoint on Dissemination: Presentation to the Forum
  • By Earle Steinbeck, February 7, 1948
• The Origin of Urantia Foundation and Urantia Brotherhood
  • Statement by founding Trustee and First President of Urantia Foundation, William Hales; June 1990
• Dr. Meredith Sprunger's Notes on The Origin of The Urantia Book
  • (A portion of this collection was earlier published by Dr. Sprunger in print media under the title, "The Historicity of The Urantia Book.")
• The Urantia Book: The Question of Origin
  • Dr. Meredith Sprunger, October 1978
• Some Speculation Regarding the Origin of The Urantia Book
  • A recently surfaced document by two forum members which provides some speculation into the process by which the text was materialized.
• Development of Urantia Foundation and Urantia Brotherhood
  • A detailed account of the origin of the primary Urantia organizations by Carolyn Kendall; June 1993
• La Cosmogonie d'Urantia: The Story of Jacques Weiss and the First French Translation of The Urantia Book
  • A collection of historic documents compiled by David Kantor
• Dr. William S. Sadler Originals
  • Early examples of Dr. Sadler's public writing.
• What was the "Sherman Rebellion?"
  • A collection of documents providing a rare look into issues and activities of forum days, compiled by David Kantor. Since the time of this compilation extensive research has been conducted by Saskia Praamsma and published in a series of books. For more information visit her Square Circles website.
• Who was Sir Hubert Wilkins?
  • Background information on a noted arctic explorer who was involved in the work of the forum and the early spread of the revelation.
• Some things for the Trustees of The Urantia Foundation and the Executive Committee of the Urantia Brotherhood Corporation to ponder
  • An unofficial "White Paper" related to book distribution by Clyde Bedell, 1976
• The Controversy over Publishing the Concordex: Excerpts from Internal Correspondence, 1969-1977
• The Plan for The Urantia Book Revelation
  • Carolyn Kendall
• Summer Study Session '03: A Review and Perspective
  • Lee Smith, Chair of the Fellowship Education Committee
• Urantia Foundation's dismissal of Trustee Thomas Kendall
• Fragment of 1947 study notes by Bill Sadler
• Personal notes for a 1958 talk in Oklahoma City
  • Bill Sadler
• Tribute to a Passing Generation
  • Grace Stephens; Urantian Journal, Winter 1980
• An Analysis of our Historical Situation
  • Presented at the Summer Study Session, 1968 by Dr. Meredith Sprunger
• Organizational History: Correspondence of 1989
  • Copies of internal correspondence related to key organizational political events in 1989 and 1990
• What Happened to the Perpetual Printing Fund?
• Documentation for the Larry Mullins history Archive of documents related to the Michael Foundation copyright lawsuit
• Was Urantia Foundation established by the Revelators to protect the revelation?
  • Answer to a reader's question by David Kantor
• Was the Forum in direct contact with the revelators?
  • Personal correspondence between Julia Fenderson and Marian Rowley
• A History and Overview of The Urantia Book and Urantia Foundation
  • Georges Michelson-Dupont's Helsinki Speech, 7 August 1998
• 1983 Interview with Clyde Bedell
• Interview with Tom and Carolyn Kendall
  • Bby Polly Friedman, 1993
• Interview with Bill and Mary Lou Hales
  • An interview of the first President of Urantia Foundation and his wife, by Polly Friedman, 1993
• Letter from Clyde Bedell to Martin Myers
  • An internal memo expressing concern about Urantia Foundation censorship, October 1979
• Dr. Sadler's "Charge to the Seventy"?
• Some Criticisms of the Forum
  • Private letter from Harold Sherman to Elsie Baumgartner, February 4, 1951
• Challenge from Harold Sherman to Dr. Sadler
  • Private correspondence from 1967
• Letter from Jacques Weiss to Robert Burton
  • Regarding Urantia Foundation's copyright claims, April 9, 1975
• Personal comments and apocryphal fragments
  • By Carolyn Kendall in a report submitted April 1992
• Comments on Proposed Urantia Organizations
  • Letter from Harold Sherman to Dr. Sadler, August 8, 1942
• Contract for original typesetting of The Urantia Book
• Wilfred Kellogg's affidavit donating original plates to Urantia Foundation.
• Letter from Dr. Sadler to Harold Sherman
  • Internal memo indicating that permission has been granted to create the plates for the printing of The Urantia Book. December 1941
• Letter from Jacques Weiss to Robert Burton
  • Early discussion of emerging copyright issues
• This is the Truth
  • Note from Harold Sherman's archive, 1978
• 1941 fund raising note to Forum members
  • Solicitation letter seeking funds for initial printing.
• A Self-Made Renaissance Man
  • Article about Dr. Sadler from the Spring 1979 issue of Pervaded Space.
• • An online book by Larry Mullins
• Information on current "source materials" studies
• Some Human Sources for Materials Contained in The Urantia Book
  • Matthew Block, 1994. See also examples of source materials. Since the time of this compilation more extensive research has been conducted by Matthew Block. See the collection of his source studies on the Square Circles website.

Other Documents of Historic Interest

• An early Glossary for The Urantia Book
• Consideration of Some Criticisms of The Urantia Book
  • Dr. William S. Sadler
• An Informal Summary of the Adventist-Sadler Connection
  • Comments by Dan Massey
• Group Memorial Service for Five Forum Members
  • Comments by Dr. William S. Sadler, Anna Rawson, Alvin Kulieke
• Memorial Service for Dr. William S. Sadler
  • Dr. Meredith Sprunger, Alvin Kulieke Officiating
• Memorial Service for William S. Sadler, Jr. ("Bill" Sadler)
  • Eulogy and short biography -- by Jim Mills
• Some Comments Made at Bill Sadler's Memorial Service, November 30, 1963
  • Meredith Sprunger reads "A Service of Commemoration" compiled the 8th of February, 1962, by Bill Sadler on the occassion of the death of Forum member, Floyd S. Bordsen.
• Some Problems Confronting a New Religious Organization
  • Internal memo from 1955 attributed to Bill Sadler
• Appendix from "The Mind at Mischief"
  • This Appendix is thought by some readers to contain a description by a contact commissioner of the process by which the information contained in the Urantia Book was received. Dr. William S. Sadler, 1929
• • Andr Lonard Glen
• Dr. William S. Sadler: Chautauqua's Medic Orator
  • A biography of Dr. William S. Sadler covering his professional life as an orator. Excerpt from a Doctoral Dissertation by G. Vonne Meussling, 1970
• Some Notes on the Life of Dr. William S. Sadler
  • Meredith Sprunger
• 1933 Letter from Clyde Bedell to Wilfred Kellogg
  • A memo expressing concerns about autocratic trends in group management.
• 1942 Forum petition presented to Dr. Sadler
  • Concerns about plans for Urantia organizations.
• Some Notes from 1945
  • Grace James
• The Meredith J. Sprunger Archive
  • A complete collection of the writings of the first generation's most prolific author.
• The Urantia Book Comes to Oklahoma City
  • Helen Butler
• Personal comments and apocryphal fragments
  • By Carolyn Kendall in a report submitted April 1992
• Documents of the Urantia Brotherhood School
• Documents and correspondence relate to the Michael Foundation trial
• Federal Court denies Urantia Foundation motion to stay effects of the copyright decision pending appeal
• Federal Appeals Court Decision in Michael Foundation Case
• Meredith Sprunger's Short Biography of Dr. William S. Sadler
• An Interview with Dr. William S. Sadler
  • Mark Roser
• Private letter from Meredith Sprunger evaluating the state of the Urantia movement, 1991
  • Dr. Meredith Sprunger
• Original Declaration of Trust creating Urantia Foundation Bylaws of Urantia Foundation
• Fellowship statement on Book Publication
• How The Urantia Book Came into Existence, Dr Sadler 1963

Index of Photographs: Early Readers and Leaders

• Dr. William S. Sadler, circa 1914; Image 1
• Dr. William S. Sadler, circa 1914; Image 2
• Dr. Lena C. Sadler, circa 1914; Image 1
• Dr. Lena C. Sadler, circa 1914; Image 2
• Dr. Lena C. Sadler with son Bill, circa 1914 Bill Sadler, circa 1914
• Emma Christensen as a young woman, circa 1915
• Emma Christensen at home in South Dakota
• Dr. Lena C. Sadler, circa 1932
• Bill Sadler and Emma Christensen Bill Sadler circa 1960
• Dr. William S. Sadler Teaching at 533 Diversey Parkway
• Emma Christensen, Dr. Lena Sadler, Dr. William S. Sadler, Bill Sadler
• Ruth Kellogg, Emma Christensen, Bill Sadler at 533 Diversey Parkway
• Group Photo
  • Emma Christensen, Thomas E. Wideroe, Leone Gill Sadler, Bill Sadler, Helen Carlson, Lee Miller Jones, Lucile Kulieke
• Alvin Kulieke Teaching at 533 Diversey Parkway
• 533 Diversey Parkway in the Early Days
• Typewriter on which the text was originally transferred from the hand-written originals
• Dr. William S. Sadler, circa 1950
• Bill Sadler, circa 1962
• Banner of the First Triennial Delegate Assembly Attendees, First Triennial Delegate Assembly
• Ruth Burton, 1964
• Bob Burton, 1964
• Alvin and Luciele Kulieke, 1964
• Jacques Weiss, 1967
  • Translator of the first French edition
• Berkeley Elliott, 1967
• Ruth Burton circa 1968
• Henry and Bauk Begemann, 1976
  • Henry Begemann created the Dutch translation and was a key figure in the early introduction of the book in Western Europe
• Jim Mills lecturing in Berkeley, California circa 1977
• Julia Fenderson circa 1978
• Emma Christensen with Martin Myers circa 1979
• Clyde Goodman and Berkeley Elliott, 1979
  • Key figures in the early development of the First Urantia Society of Oklahoma
• William and Mary Lou Hales, 1979
• Meredith Sprunger, John and William Hales, 1979
• Translation Team -- El Libro De Urantia
• Translation Team -- La Cosmogonie D'Urantia
• Julia Fenderson and Berkeley Elliott, 1989