Some Jewish Witnesses For Christ
BLEIBTREU, Philip Johann, born at Frankfort-on-the-Main, in the middle
of the seventeenth century, died in 1702. He published a work in German,
entitled "Meir Naor" (the enlightened Meir from his Jewish name Meir),
Frankfort, 1787, giving an account of his conversion, notes on the
Jewish festivals, and on some Jewish prayers. The last words he uttered
when dying were, "Ich bleibe treu" ("I remain faithful"), in allusion to
his name, which is equivalent to the English name "Faithful."
BLOCH, Edward, born in 1810. While holding the office of first master in
a Jewish school, was convinced of the truth of the Gospel, and then
baptized by Pastor Kunze, in Breslau, in 1836.
BLOCH, Julius Paul, was born April 16th, 1816 at Jutroschin, in Prussia.
His parents, Simon and Zipporah, brought him up to be, like themselves,
strictly orthodox. Being clever, before he was 13 years old, when he
became "Bar Mitzvah," he had gained a thorough Talmudical education. He
grew up a very strict pious Jew, never missing synagogue either morning
or evening. In his fourteenth year he was apprenticed to a furrier.
Whilst thus earning his living, two missionaries came to Jutroschin.
Their advent caused a great commotion, as the city was then renowned as
one of the strongholds of Judaism. The Jews determined to oppose their
work, and Julius Bloch was one of the foremost to stone them. A year or
two later he had to travel as a journeyman in his trade. This eventually
brought him to Greifswalde, where he found employment with a Mr. Albert,
who, at last, made him foreman in his factory. This man and his wife
were true Christians, and often talked to him about Christ. He noticed,
too, the peace they enjoyed in hours of the greatest adversity, and his
faith in Judaism, as a religion of comfort, was shaken. At last he tried
to turn a deaf ear to all they said, but the seeds of eternal life had
been sown in his heart. He began to feel lonely and unhappy; he could no
longer say the Hebrew prayers, Jewish ceremonies began to lose their
hold, as having no solace for his disturbed mind. Of this time he says:
"I got a Bible, and began to read it. My conscience was awakened, and I
became my accuser. I put the Bible away and determined to remain a good
Jew, but the wounds of my conscience and heart became putrifying sores.
I tried to comfort myself that I had always lived a moral and blameless
life; but it was all in vain." At last his despair nearly drove him to
suicide, from which he was only saved by throwing himself on his knees
in prayer. That night he was "born again," and the next day, May 16,
1839, he openly confessed his newly found faith. The change became known
to the Jews. Arguments and threats, and even the offer from a brother to
establish him in business--all was in vain. The next year he went to
Berlin, and after preparation was received into the Church of Christ, by
Pastor Kuntze, on June 6, 1841. Further trials from his family awaited
him, until he fled to Amsterdam, where Mr. Pauli, the Society's
missionary, asked him to assist in the mission. From that time, 1843,
until May, 1900, when he died, his work was signally blessed, many Jews
through his influence being baptized. He thus passed away "as a shock of
corn cometh in in his season."
BLOCH, Moritz (in Hungarian, Ballage Mór), born in Timova, 1816,
received a Talmudic education, then studied at the University of Pesth,
then Orientalia at Paris. In 1841 he sent a petition to the Hungarian
Parliament, asking for the emancipation of the Jews. He translated the
Pentateuch and Joshua into Hungarian, adding exegetical notes. In 1843
he was baptized in Germany in a Lutheran Church. The next year he was
appointed Professor at the Lyceum in Syarvas, Hungary. He was an author
of several works on educational and theological topics, and edited, in
1840, the "Protestantische Kirchen und Schulbatt."
BOCK, Wilhelm Isaac, a Jewish rabbi, after embracing Christianity,
taught Hebrew in Frankfort on the Oder, and published "Abraham Jugels
Lekah Tob, or Catechism for Jews in German," Leipzig, 1694.
BONAVENTURA, Meyer, a Jewish convert, wrote "Das Judenthum in seinen
Gebeten, Gebrauchen, Gesetzen und Ceremonien," Regensburg, 1843.
BONN, first master in a school, baptized at Königsberg in 19th century,
is recorded to have been very zealous in the work of the German Home
Mission, and preached the Gospel.
BORG, Ernest Maximilian, a Jew who held a similar position to Bock, was
baptized much earlier in Breslau (de le Roi, I. 212).
BÖRLING, Pastor J. Jacob, born in 1802, in Slavito, Russia, five times
experienced as a child God's mercy when he was in danger of being
drowned. He devoted himself diligently to the study of rabbinic and
Kabbalistic lore, until this whole system surfeited him with disgust
when he found that its votaries were far from being the saints they
pretended to be. In 1821, the missionaries Saltet and Betzner visited
Berditscheff, where the family then resided. Börling received a tract
from them, but his mother tore it in pieces. Later the missionary Moritz
arrived there, and as a born Jew he made a great impression upon
Börling, so that he began to search the Scriptures, and at length was
baptized by Saltet, his first missionary acquaintance, in 1823. In 1825
he accompanied Joseph Wolff to Schuster on the Persian border. In 1828
he went alone to Persia, to rescue German subjects who were sold into
slavery, in which self-denying mission he eventually succeeded. He then
studied in the mission house at Basel, and in 1834 he was appointed by
the Berlin Society as their missionary in that city. There he worked
zealously till 1840, when he accepted the call to become pastor of a
Church in Bellowesch, in the government of Tschernigoff. Börling was the
son-in-law of the missionary Goldberg, the brother-in-law of
Hausmeister. The latter wrote, "Leben und Wirken des Pastors J. J.
Börling." (Basel, 1852).
BÖRNE, Karl Ludwig (Loeb Baruch), German political and literary writer,
born 1786 at Frankfort-on-the-Main, died in Paris, 1837. He was baptized
in the Lutheran Church at Rödelheim, by Pastor Bertuah, on June 5th,
1818. In 1819 he became editor of the "Zeitung der Freien Stadt
Frankfurt." Börne was a prolific writer. A complete edition of his
works, in 12 vols., was published at Hamburg in 1862.
BRAHAM, John (Abraham), born in 1774, died 1856, a well-known musician
in London, where he was as a Jew leader of the choir of the Great
Synagogue, and became afterwards, as a Christian, especially popular for
his song, entitled "The Death of Nelson." Of his children, a daughter
became Countess Waldegrave, and later she married Lord Carlingford.
BRANDON, a convert, educated at St. Chrischona, Basel, was sent by the
Scotch Church as missionary to Alexandria, in 1859. In 1862 he went to
Khartum, and after receiving permission from King Theodore, he entered
Abyssinia, and was partner with Flad and Stern in their labours and in
their captivity. After the release of the captives, he was actively
engaged in good work at Beyrout, Syria.
BRANIS, a daughter of Rabbi Kempner, was baptized in 1826, out of pure
conviction. Her old father was also inclined towards Christianity, but
died before he could come to a decision.
BRANISS, Christlieb Julius, born in Breslau, 1792, died 1873. He became
Professor of Philosophy at Breslau in 1833. He was the author of several
works on philosophy and metaphysics. One only requires mentioning here,
"De Notione Philosophiae Christianae."
BRENZ, Victorin Christophorus, was baptized in 1601, together with his
parents and the whole family. His father, Samuel Frederick Brenz, is
known as the author of the "Jüdischer Abgestreifter Schlangenbalg" ("The
Jewish Serpent's Skin Stripped") against which Solomon Zebi Hirsch, of
Aufhausen, wrote "Der Jüdische Theriak" ("The Jewish Theriak or
Antidote") Hanau, 1615. Brenz, junior, after finishing his theological
studies, quietly and patiently, served in 1624 as minister at
Untermichelbach, receiving a stipend of 150 thaler, with which he had to
support his wife and four children. Later he had the care of two
churches, and yet he had to work in the fields as a labourer to earn his
living. Then he had the care of seven parishes, in which he exhausted
his strength, and died at the age of 47, in 1642.
BRILLIANT, a convert, laboured as an Evangelist among the Jews in the
service of the Free Church of Scotland at Amsterdam, in 1866.
BROMET, M. S., a Dutch Jew, baptized in 1855, was very much persecuted
by his brethren. He wrote several tracts, amongst which were--"De
Wederkomst en de regeering van den Heere Jesus Christus," "Kort
Oversicht van eenige gelijkenissen des Heeren," "De erste opstonding in
verband met de Wederkomst des Heeren," "Het National herstel en de
bekeering van Israel," "Elischoa God is miyn heil," Amst. Doct.,
1874-76.
BRONKHORST, S. H. convert, student and missionary of the L.J.S., in
Abyssinia 1859-1862, when he and Flad laboured together in Djenda.
BRÜHL, John Henry, was born in 1823 at Schmiegel (Posen). He was sent to
school at a very early age, and, before he was five years old, was able
to translate the greater part of the Hebrew Pentateuch into German. A
short account of the life of Christ about this time influenced him
greatly. Later on he used, with his father, to visit a Christian family,
and through looking at the pictures in it he became interested in the
Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles, though he found the Epistles
beyond his youthful grasp. When about ten years old he was studying
Isaiah, and was struck by the 53rd chapter; that which hitherto had been
a lurking suspicion became an absolute certainty, and the more so as he
saw how the principal Jewish commentators laboured in vain to prove that
this prophecy could not apply to Jesus of Nazareth. His growing
convictions of the truth of Christianity prevented his becoming a rabbi,
which his parents earnestly desired, so he resolved to be a
schoolmaster. During his course at the seminary, owing to the words of
Dr. Zahn, the director, he was convinced of the truth. Through the
London Jews' Society's missionaries at Amsterdam, where he then went,
he decided to be a Christian. He came to London, where he entered the
Operative Jewish Converts' Institution, and eventually was baptized in
1846. Later on he passed through the Society's Missionary College, and
in 1851 went to Baghdad, where he laboured successfully. In 1853 he was
ordained in Jerusalem. On his way back to Baghdad he preached to Jews,
Mohammedans and fire-worshippers, many of whom had never heard the
Gospel before. Many missionary journeys were made by him between 1854
and 1864 through Persia and Kurdistan, leaving large numbers of
believers in almost every place. After visiting England in 1856, when he
received priest's orders and was married, he returned with the Rev. J.
M. Eppstein to Baghdad, where they remained until 1866, when the mission
was given up, but not until there were numerous converts from both Jews
and Mohammedans. The following year he was appointed to Lemberg, and in
1871 to Vienna, and in spite of immense difficulties gained many
faithful believers in both these cities. In 1875 he became Principal of
the Operative Jewish Converts' Institution, where he remained for twelve
years, when he retired from active work. During this time 160 Jews
passed through the Institution, 70 of whom he baptized. By his death, in
1893, the Church and the world lost a great linguist, a good historian
and mathematician, but, above all, a thorough and devoted Christian
missionary.
BRUNNER, W., born in Brody, Galicia, in 1822. His parents were in good
circumstances. After the death of his father at the age of 90, he came