San Jacinto Capt was an influential figure in the formation of Christian Identity. He was a former klansman, pyramidologist, and an advocate of Anglo-Israelism.[1]
Capt was the father of archaeologist E. Raymond Capt.
Capt is responsible for converting William Potter Gale to Christian Identity and facilitated his initial training.[1][2] According to Gale's interviews with journalist Cheri Seymour, Capt began meeting with him in his home in 1953.[3] Gale and Capt began teaching groups together, Gale would teach the Constitution and the Bible, while Capt would teach pyramidology and Egyptology.[4]
Capt is also credited with introducing William Potter GaletoWesley Swift,[5] two of the most notable figures in the formation of Christian Identity from British Israelism.[6] Capt had formed a pyramid study group in Temple City, California.[7] Capt's role in the Southern California emergence of Christian Identity was to provide Swift with an audience that was receptive to the message.[7][a]
It is likely that Capt was responsible for the initial idea of the Christian Defense League.[8] According to Gale's recollections, it was Capt who conceived of the idea for the CDL.[9] This, according to Gale, occurred sometime between 1957 and 1962.[10]
Capt, along with Wesley Swift, is credited with bringing the two seedline theology into Christian Identity by Jeffrey Weakly in his book The Satanic Seedline, Its Doctrine and History.[11]
