Some Jewish Witnesses For Christ
Mansion House (followed by a large number of Jews) to appear before the
Lord Mayor of London. The whole judgment hall was filled with Jews. My
chief accuser swore that I had robbed him, and three others gave their
evidence on oath against me. The Lord Mayor asked me, through an
interpreter (for I could not then speak English), what I had to say in
my defence, and whether I had any witnesses to prove my innocence. I
replied, 'I stand here in this position on account of my faith in the
Lord Jesus Christ. I am not only not guilty of the crime which is
imputed to me, but I have left all my valuable things at the house where
I lodged. It is only because I wish to become a Christian that I am
accused.' The Lord Mayor then ordered my chief accuser again into the
witness box, and asked him whether he knew that it was my intention to
become a Christian. The expression which flashed across his angry
countenance and was reflected by the face of the other Jews present,
sufficiently answered the question before he could speak a word.
"On cross-examination they so contradicted each other that they
themselves proved my innocence, and I was at once set at liberty. (I
wish it to be clearly understood that this persecution was not in enmity
to myself personally, but rather in friendship and mistaken zeal. They
wished to save me at any cost from becoming a Christian).
"On leaving the Mansion House I returned to Dr. Ewald, and after being
thoroughly instructed in the Scriptures, I was admitted into the visible
Church of Christ on the 7th of June, 1868, by the rite of baptism.
"After my baptism I was admitted into the Operative Jewish Converts'
Institution, where I stayed nearly two years. In May, 1870, I was
accepted as an agent of the London City Mission, to work among my poor
benighted people in the East of London. During the first few years of my
mission work I had naturally to undergo much persecution, and the work
was most arduous, but by the blessing of God this is in a great measure
changed.
"It is now fully thirty-one years since I became a follower of the Lord
Jesus Christ, and I can look back upon all these years and say that not
one good thing hath failed of all His gracious promises."
BERNAL, Jacob Israel, an English Jew, in the first half of the 19th
century, had his children baptized, only one son, Ralph, remained in
Judaism.
BERNAL, Osborn, M.P., the son of Ralph, embraced Christianity, and his
daughter married the Duke of St. Albans.
BERNARD, D., baptized in Wilna with his wife and daughter in 1818, by
Pastor Nichlous, of the Lutheran Church, is recorded as having lived an
exemplary Christian life. He was first baptized in the Roman Church,
came then in contact with Luther, who had won him for the Evangelical
Truth, and wrote to him a letter with a view to strengthen him in the
faith, and that he should make it known to his brethren.
BERNARD, Herman, born in Southern Russia in 1785, baptized in his youth,
settled in Cambridge as a private teacher in 1830, and was appointed
"Preceptor Linguæ Sacræ" in the University, October 18, 1837. Bernard
published the following works--"The Creed and Ethics of the Jews" in
selections from the "Yad Hahazakah" of Maimonides (1832), and
"Hamenahel" (the Guide of the Hebrew Student), 1839. The "Me Menichoth"
(Still Waters), an easy, practical Hebrew grammar, in two volumes,
appeared during his blindness. His lectures on the book of Job appeared
in one volume in 1864.
BERNARD, Rudolf, a Swiss Jewish convert, published an Epistle to the
Jews in 1705, under the title "Lekah Tob" (good doctrine), in which he
tried to influence them in favour of Christianity.
BERNAYS, Michael, was baptized in the 19th century, date not known. In
1872 and 1873 he taught at the University of Leipzig, and in 1874 he was
appointed extraordinary Professor of Modern German, English and French
Literature, at the University of Munich. He wrote on the poetry of
Goethe, under the title, "Der junge Goethe," Leipzig, 1875.
BERNHARD, a Polish Rabbi, who was baptized by Pastor Storr, in the 18th
century, in Heilbronn, assumed the name of Christoph. David Bernhard. He
was afterwards Reader of Hebrew at Jena, and later at Tübingen. (Wolf,
B. ii. 3, 4.)
BERNHARDY, Dr. Gottfried, born in Landsburg, 1860, died 1875, embraced
Christianity when studying in Berlin. He was a great classical scholar,
and wrote as Professor, "Syntax of the Greek Language," Berlin, 1829.
"Grundriss der Romischen Literatur," 1830. "Grundlinien der Encyclopædia
der Philologie," 1832, &c.
BERNHEIM. We have only his memorial preserved as having been an
associate of Rev. J. Neander, and of another proselyte, Bonhome, in the
evangelization of the Jews in New York, about 1845.
BERNSTEIN, Rev. Aaron, born in Skalat, Galicia, in 1841, received, as an
only son, a good and pious early education, and was when quite young
brought under the influence of the wonder Rabbi of the town, with whose
grandson he learned Talmud at school. At the age of 17 he was assistant
teacher in a town in Moldavia, when the Rev. W. Mayer, L.J.S. missionary
at Jassy, appeared one day in the Synagogue and had a discussion with
the Jews, on which occasion he received a German tract, entitled "The
Righteous shall live by his Faith." This made some impression upon him,
but it passed away, as he was too young to understand it all. A few
years later he went to Jassy, when he met Mr. Mayer again, who gave him
a Hebrew New Testament and the "Old Paths." These were the means under
God of leading him eventually to acknowledge the Saviour. He was
baptized by Dr. Ewald, together with nine other Jews, on November 22,
1863. After being for a short time in the Operative Jewish Converts'
Institution, he went to the United States, and after a year or so of
teaching in a school and privately, he entered a missionary college
which was established by a German missionary, known later as Bishop Auer
of Cape Palmas. He then studied Theology in the General Seminary, New
York, was ordained Deacon in Philadelphia in July 1870, and appointed by
Bishop Stevens as Rector of St. Paul's, Manheim, Pa. In June, 1871, the
L.J.S. sent him as missionary to Jerusalem, where he laboured only
about a year and a-half, as he could not stand the climate. Subsequently
he laboured in Bucharest, Paris, Liverpool, and Frankfort, but the
greater part of his missionary career was in London, with the exception
of an interval of three years, in which he was curate in Hertfordshire.
Bernstein had the honorary degree of M.A. conferred upon him by Columbia
College, New York, in 1873, owing to his taking the Greek Prize at the
Seminary in 1870, and later the Faculty of the Seminary gave him B.D. He
wrote "Sefer Roshey Hatayvoth," "Anglo-Israel Theory," translated
Professor Cassel's "Commentary on the Book of Esther" into English,
together with the "Targum Sheni" from the Original and Appendices (T. &
T. Clark, Edinburgh, 1888). He published "The City of David," "The Book
and the People," and contributed articles to the "Hebrew Christian
Witness," "The Scattered Nation," "The Everlasting Nation," "Jews and
Christians," "The Jewish Missionary Intelligence," and wrote about a
dozen tracts in English, Hebrew and Yiddish, and revised a new edition
of the Hebrew Bible in 1895. Editor of the "Kol M'Bhasser" since 1907.
_Non nobis, Domine, non nobis, sed nomini Tuo da honorem._
BERNSTEIN, Rev. ----, a congregational minister in North London.
BERNSTEIN, Theodor. Though brief, the information of this convert is
very interesting. He was baptized by the Rev. H. Stewart, in Liverpool,
on the same day that his spiritual teacher, the missionary H. J.
Joseph, was ordained to the ministry of the Church of England, in 1836.
BIESENTHAL, Dr. Joiachim Heinrich--or, to give him his birth-name,
Raphael Hirsch--was born at Lobsens, in the Grand Duchy of Posen, on
December 24th, 1804, of pious and strict Jewish parents. His early
education was chiefly confined to the study of the national law and
tradition; and through much self-denial and sacrifice on the part of his
parents, who intended him for the rabbinate, he was able to have lessons
from the best teachers and most learned Talmudist scholars of the day.
He was what is called a _Bachur_ (_lit_. "young man"), a student of the
Beth Hamidrash, who is intended for the study of the law. The Talmudical
principle, "Know well what to answer an infidel," particularly moved his
father to insist that he should join with the study of Talmud that of
the Holy Scriptures and Jewish poetry. He soon found, however, that as
regards his study of the Bible he was left to his own diligence and
perseverance, for his teachers knew nothing at all about it; and, being
imbued with the Talmudical warning--"Keep your children from the study
of Holy Scripture," they were of opinion that it was not only a useless
study and waste of time, but also a danger to one's piety.
In 1819, when Raphael was fifteen years of age, the town of Lobsens was
destroyed by fire, by which his parents were ruined. His education,
however, had to be completed, and so he entered the famous Jewish school
of Rawitsch, where he received instruction from rabbis, and principally
from Rabbi Herzfeld, of European renown. Deprived of every assistance
from home, young Raphael had to struggle hard during his four year's
residence there. On leaving Rawitsch he went to Mainz, where he received
most kind care and support from the Rabbi of that city, Löb Ellinger,
brother of the renowned Nathan Ellinger, or Nathan Bar Yospa, rabbi of
Bingen, several of whose manuscripts are in the Bodleian.
The celebrated Heidenheim (Wolf Ben Samson) of Rödelheim, the greatest
Jewish critic and grammarian after Ibn-Ezra and David Kimchi, helped him
to the treasures of Jewish literature, lending him the best grammars in
the Hebrew language, so that he was able to acquire, with great
application on his part, a complete mastery of grammatical Hebrew. He
next gave himself up to the study of German history, and Latin and
Greek. His studies threw him into contact with the Rev. Dr. Klee, Roman
Catholic Professor at Bonn, who gave him lessons in Hebrew, and
introduced him to the Duchess of Coburg, the wife of General de
Mensdorff, Governor of the fortress of Mainz. From her, and all the
family, Raphael received many substantial proofs of kindness, and when
he was about to leave Mainz, which he did in 1828, she gave him a
considerable sum of money, and a letter written by herself to Baron de
Rothschild, of Frankfort-on-the-Main, and graciously intimated that she
would be glad to hear how he was getting on in life. Raphael found the
Baron not inclined to assist him when he heard that he meant to finish
his studies at Berlin, because he considered that a dangerous city,
where _all young Jewish students were being converted to Christianity_.
That there was great truth in this statement will appear lower down.
"Keep away from a city where thousands become apostates!" were his
parting words. Baron de Rothschild, however, sent him a letter of
recommendation to Baron de Hägemann, the Chancellor. When Raphael
delivered the letter, the not unnatural remark was, "What is the use of
a recommendation for assistance from Rothschild! Why did he not help you
himself?" So he was obliged to shift for himself at Berlin, and to earn
his living by giving lessons. He employed his leisure time in study. In
the year 1830 he resided for four weeks with a Christian family at
Havelberg, where he learnt for the first time what true Christianity
was, and he determined, as he said, to "search for Christian truth." In
this purpose his intercourse with Christian divines greatly helped him.
He studied theology and philology in the University of Berlin from 1828,