The faithful and wise servant

In 1879, Russell's Watch Tower described its purpose as supplying spiritual food to the household of faith, and in 1880 it expressed the desire to be a faithful servant. In 1881 the faithful and wise servant was identified as the entire body of consecrated Christians, individually and collectively, an understanding reflected in 1895. In 1897 the explanation shifted toward one selected channel for dispensing spiritual food, assisted by fellow servants. In 1906 Russell reported that he had resisted applying the title personally to himself and had suggested the Watch Tower rather than its editor as a possible identification. Following Russell's death, publications in 1916 identified him personally as the faithful and wise servant. Under Rutherford this identification continued during 1917-1923, but in February 1927 the servant was reidentified as a collective class of faithful Christians, with its appointment connected to Christ's inspection in 1918. Publications in 1933 and 1939 rejected the single-individual interpretation, and in 1940 distinguished the anointed servant organization from the Watch Tower legal corporation. Under Knorr, the 1943 explanation reaffirmed the collective servant and specified that Christ, rather than an earthly servant class, was responsible for interpreting prophecy, while the class published interpretations after their disclosure. In 1944 the anointed remnant was again identified as the approved servant. In 1950 the role of the Watch Tower Society in administering Kingdom interests was emphasized, and publications from 1952 through 1969 maintained the collective interpretation and organizational channel. In 1971 the Governing Body was more clearly distinguished from the Society's elected corporate directors. In 1975 the distinction between the collective slave and its individual domestics was explicitly explained. Under Franz, publications from 1977 through 1990 continued to identify the slave with anointed Christians collectively, while emphasizing spiritual instruction, the role of the domestics, and oversight by the Governing Body. Publications under the governing-body period from 1992 through 2000 maintained the collective identity, acknowledged the earlier Russell interpretation, explained that the slave was not infallible, distinguished the spiritual servant from the legal corporation, and emphasized the distribution of spiritual food through publications and meetings.