'ONE SOLITARY LIFE' AUTHORSHIP
"One Solitary Life" is a story, first told by Dr. James Allen Francis at the First Baptist Church of Los Angeles in a sermon, "Arise, Sir Knight." It was delivered on July 11, 1926 to the National Baptist Young Peoples' Union(1). Later, Dr. Francis included it as the last sermon in his book, The Real Jesus And Other Sermonspublished by Judson Press in 1926. This is apparently the first print version (scroll down to 'Version 1' below). The familiar passage, known as "One Solitary Life," is fairly close to the beginning of this sermon. The phrase, "one solitary life" is at the end of a sentence in the middle of the second paragraph. The rest of the paragraph continues with an emphasis upon "great adventures," concluding, "No man has ever done a great thing until he has first believed a great thing."(2) None of the editions of the story that we have found, other than that in his 1926 book, continue beyond "one solitary life."
Before Rev. Francis died at age 64 on June 30, 1928, he apparently rewrote the story in past tense with several minor changes. (This second version was on a single page, published by The American Baptist Publication Society, entitled: "JESUS * A BRIEF LIFE."
At some time after these two versions were written, publishers and admirers of the story lost track of its author. However, at times the author has been known and credit has been properly attributed. As early as April, 1970, Dan L. Thrapp, in his "Southland Parish" column in the April 11, 1970 issue of the Los Angeles Times wrote,
"At last! The famous passage, 'One Solitary Life,' a summary of the life and career of Jesus, was reprinted in the "Tower Tidings" of Hollywood First Methodist this week, and properly attributed.
"Invariably, in its many past appearances, it has been credited to the ubiquitous 'Anonymous.' Yet, as this column has several times in the past pointed out, it was not written by 'Anon.' but by Dr. James A. Francis, former pastor of First Baptist Church here.
"Tower Tidings this week properly credits it to him."
This article by Thrapp caught the eye of Mr. Palmer G. Brown, the history-travel evaluation specialist for the Los Angeles County library. He had first heard of "One Solitary Life" in 1958 and then again in 1961. Both times the writer of the passage was thought to be unknown. After Mr. Brown read Thrapp's column, he visited the First Baptist Church where Francis had preached his "Arise, Sir Knight" sermon and talked with someone who had actually heard it. You can read about Brown's search in a Los Angeles Times article, Saturday, Dec. 1, 1973 (Part I, pg. 32). The Times article also contains a short biography of Dr. Francis.
When Palmer Brown discovered the author of this passage in 1970, he tried to spread the news of its proper authorship the best way that he could at the time. He recorded the passage on cassette, attributed it to Dr. Francis, and had one hundred copies sent to radio stations throughout the country.
These efforts did not resolve the problem of the story being anonymous. In the July, 1972 issue of THE READER'S DIGEST, The Rev. Billy Graham included the "One Solitary Life" story as a side bar to "The Man Called Jesus" and said that the authorship was uncertain. (Version D)
In December, 1972, THE FIRST BAPTIST NEWS, published by the Los Angeles First Baptist Church, printed two versions of "One Solitary Life." They were placed in parallel columns. The one on the right was almost identical with the first version and credited Dr. Francis with authorship. (We discuss it as Version 3, below.) Printed in the left column was an example of a version that had not been attributed to an author. (It is mentioned as Version E below.) The newsletter also contained a "Minister's Message" on the same page in a center column. It was written by John H. Townsend and contained information about the "One Solitary Life" story, including Palmer Brown's interest in it. The Newsletter said that Brown had written an article about his search for the correct author that "appears in the December issue of 'Biblical Research Monthly.' "Actually, Brown's article was published in the June/July 1973 issue, p.13-14. This article also included a brief commentary on the uses of the passage and the life and ministry of Dr. Francis.
In 1973 Brown wrote a pamphlet with his own version of "One Solitary Life" printed on the cover. The information in the pamphlet about Dr. Francis was almost identical with Brown's BIBLICAL RESEARCH MONTHLY article, but was not cited as such. Brown's version of "One Solitary Life" differs somewhat from both of Dr. Francis' versions. The pamphlet was published by the Karen Brown Agency of Glendale. This reading of "One Solitary Life" is Version 4 below.
As late as 1980, Ralph L. Woods, in the GOLDEN TREASURY OF THE FAMILIAR, said that it was anonymous.
As web users are well aware, about half of the web sites that include one or another version of "One Solitary Life" still attribute it to an unknown or anonymous author.
"One Solitary Life" Versions in which the author is known:
Following are transcriptions of four print versions of "One Solitary Life" in which the author is identified as James Allen Francis and in which the source of the quotation is identified.
Version 1
THE REAL JESUS AND OTHER SERMONS by James Allan Francis. Philadelphia: The Judson Press. © 1926. "Arise, Sir Knight!" p. 123-24. (This is apparently the version as it was given at the First Baptist Church in Los Angeles, California to the National Baptist Young Peoples' Union convention on July 11, 1926.)(3)
"Let us turn now to the story. A child is born in an obscure village. He is brought up in another obscure village. He works in a carpenter shop until he is thirty, and then for three brief years is an itinerant preacher, proclaiming a message and living a life. He never writes a book. He never holds an office. He never raises an army. He never has a family of his own. He never owns a home. He never goes to college. He never travels two hundred miles from the place where he was born. He gathers a little group of friends about him and teaches them his way of life. While still a young man the tide of popular feeling turns against him. The band of followers forsakes him. One denies him; another betrays him. He is turned over to his enemies. He goes through the mockery of a trial; he is nailed on a cross between two thieves, and when dead is laid in a borrowed grave by the kindness of a friend. Those are the facts of his human life. He rises from the dead. Today we look back across nineteen hundred years and ask, What kind of a trail has he left across the centuries? When we try to sum up his influence, all the armies that ever marched, all the parliaments that ever sat, all the kings that ever reigned are absolutely picayune in their influence on mankind compared with that of this one solitary life. [Continuing in the same paragraph, Rev. Francis said:] He has changed the moral climate of the world, and he is changing it now, and will continue to do so until the kingdoms of this world shall become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ. I ask you to pause a moment and think of this thing which Christians believe. We are talking about great adventures. I remind you that there must be a great adventure in faith before there can be a great adventure in action. No man has ever done a great thing until he has first believed a great thing."
Version 2
JESUS - A BRIEF LIFE [by] Dr. James A. Francis. The American Baptist Publication Society, 313 West Third Street Los Angeles, California. A note added on this single sheet reads: "Published circa 1930." This document was sent to SJVIS from Palmer Gordon Brown, L. A. County Public Library System. It was received on May 10 1977. (Note that the "Published circa 1930" date is after Dr. Francis' death, June 30, 1928. No evidence had been found to indicate whether Francis actually wrote this version or whether it is from another hand.)
"Jesus- A Brief Life
by Dr. James A. Francis"
"Here is a man who was born in an obscure village, child of a peasant woman.. [Sic] He grew up in another obscure village. He worked in a carpenter shop until He was thirty, and then for three years was an itinerant preacher.
"He never wrote a book. He never held an office. He never owned a home He never had a family. He never went to college. He never put his foot inside a big city. He never traveled two hundred miles from the place where He was born. He never did one of the things that usually accompany greatness. He had no credentials but himself. He had nothing to do with this world except the naked power of His divine manhood." [Note that: "He had no credentials but himself" was not in the 1926 version.]
"While still a young man the tide of popular opinion turned against Him. His friends ran away. One of them denied Him. Another betrayed Him. He was turned over to His enemies. He went through the mockery of a trial. He was nailed upon the cross between two thieves. His executioners gambled for the only piece of property He had on earth while He was dying, and that was His coat. When He was dead, He was taken down and laid in a borrowed grave through the pity of a friend.
"Nineteen wide centuries have come and gone and today He is the center of the human race and the leader of the column of progress
"I am far within the mark when I say that all the armies that ever marched, and all the navies that were ever built, and all the parliaments that ever sat and all the kings that ever reigned, put together, have not affected the life of man upon the earth as powerfully as has this one solitary life."
Version 3
THE FIRST BAPTIST NEWS published by The First Baptist Church of Los Angeles, December 10, 1972 includes two versions along with a brief history of "One Solitary Life." The versions of OSL and the brief history are printed in 3 parallel columns
We have designated the right hand version as Version 3. It is preceded by a note that says: (The original text (4) by Dr. James Allan Francis from his sermon, "Arise, Sir Knight," preached at the First Baptist Church of Los Angeles, July, 11, 1926). Actually, it is the same as Version 1 except that it omits: "He never owns a home." and "The band of followers forsakes him. One denies him." Predictably, this version also stops after the phrase, "one solitary life."
The version that is printed in the left column of The First Baptist News we have designated as Version E. It is titled: "ONE SOLITARY LIFE..." It is uncited, but was taken from a source that says "-ANON "AUTHOR UNKNOWN" ETC. The first five and last sentences are quoted below with other anonymous versions.
In the center column of this one page newsletter is a "MINISTER'S MESSAGE" by John H. Townsend. He mentions Dr. James Allan Francis as the author and cites: The Real Jesus (Phila. The Judson Press, 1962 [sic] 1926, p.123). Also, he mentions Mrs. Carl Munson as having heard Dr. Francis preach the sermon that included OSL. Palmer Gordon Brown, research librarian of the Los Angeles County library is credited with corroborating Dr. Francis' authorship.
Version 4
One Solitary Life by James Allan Francis, a booklet put together by Palmer G. Brown, published by Karen Brown Agency, P. O. Box 6606, Glendale, CA 91205. © 1973. The booklet includes a sketch of Francis and small amount of biographical information about him. Palmer was disturbed by the fact that invariably "Anonymous," "Anon," "author Unknown" or no authorship at all was being given when the passage was reprinted on Christmas cards, paintings and magazine pages. (Brown does not include any explanation about why his version is somewhat different from either of those by Francis himself, although he must have been at least aware of the original version.) [SJVIS has a copy of this booklet and also a copy of the reprint of the Los Angeles Times article about Palmer G. Brown.]
"One Solitary Life"
"HERE IS A MAN who was born in an obscure village, the Child of a peasant woman. He worked in a carpenter shop until He was thirty, and then for three years He was an itinerant preacher. He never wrote a book... He never held an office. He never owned a home. He never had a family. He never went to college. He never put his foot inside a big city. He never traveled two hundred miles from the place where He was born. He never did one of the things that usually accompany greatness. He had no credentials but Himself. He had nothing to do with this world except the naked power of His Divine manhood. While still a young man, the tide of popular opinion turned against Him. He was turned over to His enemies. He went through the mockery of a trial. He was nailed to a Cross between two thieves. His executioners gambled for the only piece of property He had on earth while he was dying- and that His Coat. When He was dead He was taken down and laid in a borrowed grave through the pity of a friend. Such was His human life- He rises from the dead. Nineteen wide centuries have come and gone and today He is the Centerpiece of the human race and the Leader of the column of progress. I am within the mark when I say that all the armies that ever marched, and all the navies that ever were built, and all the parliaments that ever sat, and all the kings that ever reigned, put together, have not affected the life of man upon this earth as powerfully as that One Solitary Life."
JAMES ALLAN FRANCIS, DD., LL.D.
"One Solitary Life," Versions where the author is not known to be the Rev. James Allen, but where the source of the quotation is identified.
The first five sentences and the last sentence of each of these versions has been transcribed below:
Version A
CHRIST AND THE FINE ARTS: AN ANTHOLOGY OF PICTURES, POETRY, MUSIC, AND STORIES CENTERING IN THE LIFE OF CHRIST by Cynthia Pearl Maus. © 1938.
The story is found in the "Introduction," p.2, with a lead in sentence: "Recently some unknown writer speaking of the influence of Jesus through nineteen hundred years of Christian history said 'Here is a man who was born in an obscure village, the child of a peasant woman. He grew up in another village, and that a despised one. He worked in a carpenter shop for thirty years, and then for three years He was an itinerant preacher. He never wrote a book. He never held an office.'" This version includes a closing paragraph that starts, "All time dates from His birth,...". It is not found in any other version. The last sentence in the common quotation is: "I am well within the mark when I say that all the armies that ever marched, all the navies that were ever built, all the parliaments that have ever sat, and all the kings that have ever ruled put together have not affected the life of man upon this earth like this one solitary personality."
Version B
A THIRD TREASURY OF THE FAMILIAR edited by Ralph L. Woods. © 1970. "One Solitary Life" Anonymous. p. 440.
The first five sentences of this version are: "Here is a man who was born in an obscure village, the child of a peasant woman. He grew up in another obscure village. He worked in a carpenter shop until he was thirty, and then for three years he was an itinerant preacher. He never wrote a book. He never held an office." The last sentence is: "I am far within the mark when I say that all the armies that ever marched, and all the navies that ever were built, and all the parliaments that ever sat, and all the kings that ever reigned, put together, have not affected the life of man upon this earth as powerfully as has that one solitary life."
It should be noted that A SECOND TREASURY OF THE FAMILIAR edited by Ralph L. Woods © 1950 did not include "One Solitary Life."
Version C
GOLDEN TREASURY OF THE FAMILIAR, edited by Ralph L. Woods © 1980 "One Solitary Life" Anonymous. p. 585.
Identical with the version in A THIRD TREASURY OF THE FAMILIAR. It was apparently printed from the same plates.
Version D
THE READER'S DIGEST, July, 1972, "The Man Called Jesus" by The Rev. Billy Graham. Included with this article is an inset box on p. 92 that contains an introductory statement: "Of Jesus' accomplishments, I know no better lines than these (the authorship of which is uncertain):"
The first five sentences are: He was born in an obscure village, the child of a peasant woman. He worked in a carpenter shop until he was 30. Then for three years he was an itinerant preacher. He never wrote a book. He never held an office." The last sentence is: "I am far within the mark when I say that all the armies that ever marched, all the navies that ever sailed, all the parliaments that ever sat, all the kings that ever reigned, put together, have not affected the life of man on earth as has that One Solitary Life."
Version E
Described with Version 3 above. The first five sentences are: "He was born in an obscure village. He worked in a carpenter shop until he was thirty. He then became an itinerant preacher. He never held an office. He never had a family or owned a house." The last sentence is: "All the armies that ever marched, all the navies that ever sailed, all the parliaments that ever sat, and all the kings that ever reigned have not affected the life of man on this earth as much as that one solitary life."
Common phrases found in all of the versions mentioned above:
Of the phrases selected for comparison within the first five and last sentences, only, "born in an obscure village" and "itinerant preacher" were common to all. "He rises from the dead." was not in the first five or last sentences, but it is interesting that it was omitted from all but Versions 1 & 3. A full analysis of all of the internal sentences and phrases has not been attempted at this time.
Version 3 is identical with version 1 and version C is identical with version B, so neither 3 nor C are listed.
"Here is a man" Versions 2, 4, A, & B
"born in an obscure village" Versions 1, 2, 4, A, B, D & E
"Child of a peasant woman" Versions 2, 4, A, B, & D
"works in a carpenter shop" Version 1
"worked in a carpenter shop" Versions 2, 4, A, B, D E
"itinerant preacher" 1, 2, 4, A, B, D & E
"I am well within the mark" Version A
"I am far within the mark" Versions 2, B & D
"When we try to sum up his influence" Version 1
"are absolutely picayune" Version 1
"one solitary life" Versions 1, 2, 4, B, D, F
"one solitary personality" Version A
World Wide Web Versions
A search of the World Wide Web using the phrase "One Solitary Life" as a search phrase will reveal how familiar and well-loved this passage is. There are well over 1000 "hits" in some search engines. Looking at the sites will show how commonly it is still attributed to an anonymous author and how many different variations there are. In Google in July 2001 it was found that of the first 20 entries, (omitting Ben's File #007, which is this entry,) six credit Francis with authorship, six say anonymous or unknown, four had no attribution, two failed to open, and two were not related to Francis' "One Solitary Life." So, of the 16 valid hits, only six gave Francis credit and 10 did not.
Footnotes:
(1) Los Angeles Times [no byline] Sat. Dec. 1, 1973, Part 1 p.32.
(2) Ibid. p. 124.
(3) Palmer G. Brown. As described in "Historian Tracks Down Description of Christ" Los Angeles Times, Part I- Sat., Dec. 1, 1973 p. 32 and THE FIRST BAPTIST NEWS, December 10, 1972, published by The First Baptist Church, Los Angeles, California 90005. [Ben's has copies of both items]
(4) In the Introduction to THE REAL JESUS AND OTHER SERMONS, Francis says: "These sermons, preached amid the pressing duties of a busy pastorate, and taken down in shorthand by a friend," indicate that there was an oral version prior to the published version in The Real Jesus... Palmer G. Brown, in a letter to Alan Carlson at SJVIS in 1977 says, "I have now talked with twelve persons who heard its first delivery, July; 11, 1926." The implication of the "original text" note above is that this version is a transcription of the sermon version.
The preceding information was derived from the backfiles of the San Joaquin Valley Information Service.
We hope you will find it useful, both as an introduction and as a guide for further study.
SJVIS would be interested in knowing about any other print versions, especially prior to 1970
Please consult with your local public library about obtaining copies of the works cited.
Revised 10/2001
Last updated on March 17, 2010 © San Joaquin Valley Library System