About the author
Jacob Paul Twitchell (October 22, 1908, or 1909 – September 17, 1971) was an American writer and spiritual teacher who created and directed the development of the new religious movement known as Eckankar. Twitchell described himself as "The Mahanta, the Living ECK Master" from 1965 onward. These are terms without proven historical use before 1965 and his usage. He also ascribed to himself the name Peddar Zaskq in his writings. == Birth and early life == Paul Twitchell was born in Paducah, Kentucky, to Effie Dorothy and Jacob Noah Twitchell. His date of birth has been given variously between 1908 and 1922, with the Library of Congress' Name Authority File giving 1908 and a spring 1910 census suggesting 1909. Upon Twitchell's death in 1971, his second wife Gail told the medical examiner that Paul was born on October 22, 1922, the same date presented in their marriage certificate. However, his marriage certificate with his first wife, Camille Bellowe, gave his date of birth as October 22, 1912. Twitchell himself provided varying accounts of the circumstances of his birth.
