George Nathaniel Henry Peters was born to Isaac Cyrus and Magdalene Miller Peters on November 30, 1825, in New Berlin, Pennsylvania. George moved to Springfield, Ohio with his family when he was ten years old. His eyes were injured sometime by an explosion of gunpowder. He remained in Springfield and enrolled in Wittenberg College in 1846. It was a fairly new school that had been established by the English Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Ohio. Difficulty with his eyes required Peters to take a break from school during his Junior year, but he returned to study theology under Dr. Sprecher, and graduated in 1850.

During his life, George Peters pastored churches in several cities in Ohio. While ministering in a church in Mansfield, Ohio, he met and married his wife, Caroline Hersheiser, and they had two sons, Edgar Edwards and Charles Cyrus. Their first son was born in 1854. Peters’ next church was in Plymouth, Ohio, where their second son, was born. Peters served in many towns in Ohio, including Woodbury, where he was required to preach some of the time in German. Studying for these sermons strained his eyes, and physicians warned him to stop or risk total blindness. Peters also spent a year in Omaha, Nebraska, where he had a general store and preached at times. He generously extended credit, especially to Indians, but many customers never paid, and he returned to Ohio broke and disappointed in mankind. While in Nebraska, he helped organize the Nebraska Synod and maintained membership in it for several years. His last pastorate was at the First Lutheran Church in Springfield, Ohio. Peters was talented in many fields, including carpentry, farming, preaching, and writing.

Peters’ premillennial views were in conflict with the majority of his denomination, who had postmillennial beliefs. Premillennialists believe that Christ’s second coming will initiate a peaceful thousand year reign and postmillennialists have faith that the church will be triumphant during the millennium, which will end with the return of Christ. Despite this difference of views, Peters served as treasurer of the Wittenberg Synod from 1853-1858 and was a member of the board of directors of Wittenberg College from 1855-1859. The theological differences prevented Peters from receiving much recognition from his colleagues and he lived in relative obscurity. Wittenberg College, however, awarded him an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree in 1907. As Peters aged, his failing health prevented him from speaking publicly, and he was eventually confined to his room the last two months of his life. He died October 7, 1909, at the age of 83. His wife and one son had preceded him in death.

George Peters is remembered primarily because of his three volume work The Theocratic Kingdom of Our Lord Jesus, the Christ, as Covenanted in the Old Testament and Presented in the New Testament. The title is often shortened to simply The Theocratic Kingdom. His references indicate he was well read in theology, history, science and literature. He spent years researching and compiling this study of eschatology, which includes over four thousand quotes from authors ranging from the second century to his own era. The work was first published in 1884 by Funk and Wagnalls. (Isaac Kauffman Funk had graduated from Wittenberg College in 1860 and from its seminary in 1861.) Kregel republished The Theocratic Kingdom in 1952 and 1972, and it was still in print in May 2006. In his preface to the 1952 edition, Wilbur M. Smith wrote “One does not need to agree with all of his [Peters’] statements, nor even with all of his interpretations, to recognize the greatness of this work that must have cost him a lifetime of research, prayer, investigation, and laborious writing – these were the days before typewriters.” Surviving manuscripts indicate Peters wrote many books, but The Theocratic Kingdom may have been the only one published, because that is the only title by Peters in bibliographic records in WorldCat. On the handwritten title page of an unpublished work, Peters described himself as an “evangelical Lutheran Minister.”

Note: This biography was taken from the Dallas Theological Seminary website here.

Study Resources on The Theocratic Kingdom

This site is dedicated to exploring Peters’ monumental work. To get started, we recommend these resources:

1. Introduction to The Theocratic Kingdom by G.N.H Peters

Read Peters’ Own Introduction
This is George N. H. Peters’ own introduction to his three-volume work, where he lays out the foundational principles and necessity of this study.

2. Introduction to the Study

Introducing a Study Through George N. H. Peters’ ‘The Theocratic Kingdom’
An overview of why Peters’ work matters, the “golden thread” of the Kingdom, and why we are undertaking this study.

3. Understanding the Structure

How to Read ‘The Theocratic Kingdom’: Understanding Peters’ Unique Structure
A guide to navigating the propositions, observations, and historical citations that make up the three volumes.

4. Discussing Peters’ Introduction

Rediscovering the Kingdom: Discussing Peters’ Introduction
A discussion on Peters’ own introduction to his work, highlighting the importance of the Kingdom doctrine and the stability of Scripture.