Bowker Biography:
Mary Baker Eddy
(1821 - 1910)

Mary Baker Eddy was an influential American author, teacher, and religious leader, noted for her groundbreaking ideas about spirituality and health, which she named Christian Science. She articulated those ideas in her major work, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, first published in 1875.

Born on a farm in Bow, New Hampshire, she was the youngest of Mark and Abigail Baker's six children. In 1866, a severe fall on an icy sidewalk left her in bed in critical condition. She asked for her Bible and, while reading an account of Jesus' healing, found herself suddenly well. Eventually, she referred to this as the moment she discovered Christian Science. This led to nine years of intensive scriptural study, healing activity, and teaching, culminating in the publication of Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures. In this book she marked out what she understood to be the "science" behind Jesus' healing method. As she saw it, his works were divinely natural, and repeatable. Clara Barton, her contemporary, wrote in the New York American (1908) "Mrs. Eddy should have the respect, admiration and love of the whole nation, for she is its greatest woman."

Mary Baker Eddy passed away on December 3, 1910. Tributes appeared in newspapers around the world, including The Boston Globe, which wrote, "She did a wonderful—an extraordinary work in the world and there is no doubt that she was a powerful influence for good."

 

 

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