 First edition | |
| Author | Anonymous |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Urantia Foundation (original), others (since becoming public domain in 2001) |
Publication date | 12 October 1955 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| Pages | 2,097 (1st edition) |
| ISBN | 0-911560-02-5 |
| OCLC | 49687706 |
The Urantia Book (sometimes called The Urantia Papers or The Fifth Epochal Revelation) is a spiritual, philosophical, and religious book that originated in Chicago, Illinois, United States sometime between 1924 and 1955. When first published, it claimed to have been written by celestial beings. The actual authorship remains a matter of debate, though it has been noted that it appears to have plagiarized multiple sources, without attribution. It received various degrees of interest ranging from praise to criticism for its religious and science-related content, its unusual length, and the unusual names and origins of the authors named within the book.
The text introduces the word "Urantia" as the name of the planet Earth and states that its intent is to "present enlarged concepts and advanced truth."[1][2] The book aims to unite religion, science, and philosophy.[3] Its large amount of content on topics of interest to science is unique among documents said to have been received from celestial beings.[4] Among other topics, the book discusses the origin and meaning of life, mankind's place in the universe, the history of the planet, the relationship between God and people, and the life of Jesus.
The Urantia Foundation, a U.S.-based non-profit group, first published The Urantia Book in 1955. In 2001, a jury found that the English-language book's copyright was no longer valid in the United States after 1983.[5] Therefore, the English text of the book became a public domain work in the United States,[6] and in 2006 the international copyright expired.[a]
- ^ Lewis 2003, p. 138.
- ^ The Urantia Book 1955, p. 1.
- ^ Lewis 2003, p. 129.
- ^ Gardner 1995, p. 181.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
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- ^ Cite error: The named reference
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