Some Jewish Witnesses For Christ
translate the writings of Moses into so many tongues. Yet this does not
in any way belittle Moses. What if the pupil is greater than the master!
Surely Moses would not envy Jesus if he accomplished more. Moses, the
most unselfish man that ever lived, would be only too glad to see a
brother the Saviour of the world. Did he not wish that all Israel were
prophets? What right has the Jew to reject Jesus? Has he not made Israel
the most known people? What if his followers did persecute Israel?
Persecution is contrary to the spirit of Jesus.
"Jesus has proved Himself to be the greater Moses. He has been a light
to the nations, guiding them to Moses, to the prophets, and unto God.
Wherever Jesus is proclaimed, there the Monotheism of Moses is
established, and the ethic, 'Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself,'
is given a wider interpretation."
The article "The Ghetto and Its Relation to Jewish Missions." The
substance of this work was delivered at the "First International Hebrew
Christian Conference," held in Mountain Lake Park, Md., July 28-30,
1903.
The article, "Hebrew Christian Literature," was written at the request
of the editor.
As he came in contact with both cultured and uncultured Christians, and
discovered how little they appreciated the work of Israel, he was led to
write the two articles, "Salvation is of the Jews--Jesus," and "Let
There Be Peace." We quote from the first one:
"I am anxiously awaiting the hour when there will be a new nation--'a
nation born in a day'--when the martyr nation, the suffering nation of
Isaiah, will awake from its cruel slumber and perceive that for the last
nineteen hundred years a fountain of life has been flowing for it from
the heart of one of its own sons--the best son of Israel--Jesus Christ.
What a spiritual revolution will then take place in the world! Heaven
and earth shall resound with joy! For Israel, the Prince of God, shall
clothe himself in robes of righteousness and go forth in the might of
Jehovah to conquer the earth for the Lord--to set up everywhere the
banner of social, political and spiritual freedom. Then, and not till
then--when every one shall serve his brother faithfully; when all
barriers now separating Jew and Gentile shall be no more; when every man
shall dwell unmolested under his fig-tree; when God shall be worshipped
in the Spirit of Jesus; when the old order of things shall pass away and
the whole earth shall be known as the temple of God,--then shall
Israel's mission end. For then there will be no more Jew, but all shall
be called children of God and brothers of Jesus."
DWORKOWITZ, Rev. Paul, a native of Russia, baptized by the L.J.S.
missionary Dr. Klee, in Berlin, about 1864 or 1865. He then studied at
Basle, and laboured as a missionary of the British Society, and Pastor
in Warsaw, the Baltic Provinces, Breslau, Munich and Hamburg, with much
blessing upon his labours. He is a gifted man, and above all, an
"Israelite indeed."
EBERS, George Moritz, born in Berlin, 1837. He became first Professor on
Egyptology in Jena in 1868, and then in Leipzig in 1870. He travelled
for eighteen months in Spain, North Africa, Egypt, Nubia, Arabia Petrea.
The result of his Archæological and scientific investigations he
published in several works--1. "Eine ägyptische Königstochter"
(Stuttgart, 1864), which describes Egyptian life at the time of the
Persian conquest. This was translated into English by Gore (London,
1870). 2. "Disquisitiones de Dynastia xxvi. regum Æg." (Berlin, 1855).
3. "Aegypten und die Bucher Mosis, ein Sachlicher Commentar zu Genesis
und Exodus" (Leipzig, 1868). 4. "Durch Gosen zum Sinai aus dem
Wanderbuche und der Bibliothek" (Leipzig, 1872). 5. "Ueber das alt
aegyptische Schrift System" (1875). 6. "Papyrus Ebers," his chief work,
which is in the University of Leipzig. 7. "Ein hieratisches Handbuch
Altaegyptischer Arznei Kunde," 2 vols. (Leipzig, 1875). 8. "Giarda,"
"Homo Sum," "Josua," "Aegypten in Wort und Bild" (Stuttgart, 1878).
EBERTY, Georg Friedrich Felix, born in Berlin in 1812, studied law, and
in 1851 become Professor at the University of Breslau. He wrote "Die
Gestirne und die Weltgeschichte, Gedanken und Raum, Zeit und Ewigkeit"
(Breslau, 1846-47). This work was translated into English. "Walter
Scott," 1860, also translated into English. "A Biography of Byron"
(Leipzig 1862). "Geschichte des Preussischen Staates," 7 vols. (Breslau,
1866-73).
EDELSTEIN, Rev. S., after finishing his theological course at Leipzig,
went to Canada, and was ordained by Bishop Hellmuth in 1880 and
appointed to a church at Eagle, Ontario.
EDERSHEIM, Rev. Dr. Alfred, born at Vienna, March 7, 1825, died at
Mentone, March 16, 1889. We give the following extract about him from
the Memoir of Dr. Saphir, by Rev. G. Carlyle: "In 1847 young Edersheim
became a student at the University of Buda-Pest. He had been brought up
luxuriously in Vienna, and was one of the leaders of fashion. He was
highly educated, spoke Latin fluently, knew Greek, German, French,
Hebrew, Hungarian and Italian. When Cremieux, the head of the French
bar, paid a visit to Vienna, the synagogue presented him with an
address, and deputed young Edersheim to deliver it. Cremieux was so
pleased with his eloquence that he offered his father to take his son to
Paris, and provide for him for life, but his parents would not give him
up.... Before the winter was over, Edersheim was under the teaching of
the Holy Spirit, and had glorious views of the Deity of Christ. Trusting
in His One Sacrifice, and filled with the peace of God, he gave himself
up to be His servant in any way it might please God to direct him. He
opened a class to teach the students English on the condition that the
Bible should be their only lesson book. Baptized, and now full of life
and vigour, it was resolved that he should go to Edinburgh, to the Rev.
Professor Duncan, to complete his theological studies. Edersheim, after
his ordination, was missionary first in Jassy, Roumania, and then
minister for many years at the Free College Church, Old Aberdeen, and
then at Torquay.... He then joined the Church of England and became
Vicar of Loders in Dorset."
He resigned his living in 1883, and settled at Oxford, where he held the
position of Grinfield Lecturer of the University. He was also Warburton
Lecturer of Lincoln's Inn, and "Select Preacher" of the University of
Oxford.
Dr. Edersheim was a voluminous author, and his works are extremely
valuable from the fact that he was able to deal with his subject both
from the standpoint of a learned Jew and a learned Christian. It may be
as well to state here his total output, from which it will be seen how
wide and extensive was his range of study and scholarship. He was
Translator and Editor of the "History of Speculative Philosophy from
Kant to Hegel, from the German of Dr. Chalybäus, with introduction by
Sir Wm. Hamilton" (Edinburgh); "Kurtz, History of the Old Covenant (vol.
1) with condensed abstract of Kurtz's Bible and Astronomy"; "Lange,
Bible Commentary on St. Matthew" (2 vols.); "Kurtz, History of the
Christian Church, with emendations and additions" (Edinburgh, 1860);
Author of "History of the Jewish Nation from the Destruction of
Jerusalem to the Establishment of Christianity in the Roman Empire" (T.
and T. Clark, 1856. Revised by Rev. H. A. White. Longmans, 1896); "The
Golden Diary of Heart-Converse with Jesus in the Book of Psalms"
(R.T.S.); "Elisha the Prophet, his History and Times" (R.T.S.); "The
Jubilee Rhythm of St. Bernard," and other Hymns, chiefly from the Latin
(J. Nisbet and Co., 1866); "The Temple, its Ministry and Services as
they were at the time of Jesus Christ" (R.T.S., 1874); "Sketches of
Jewish Social Life in the days of Christ" (London, 1876); "Bible
History," 7 vols. (R.T.S.); "The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah," 2
vols. (Longmans, 1884; eighth edition, 1894); "Jesus the Messiah," an
abridged edition of the foregoing; "Prophecy and History in relation to
the Messiah, being the Warburton Lectures for 1880-84" (8 vols.,
Longmans, 1885); "Commentary on Ecclesiasticus," in "The Speaker's
Commentary on the Apocrypha" (J. Murray, 1888); "Tohu-va-Vohu (Without
form and void)," a collection of Fragmentary Thoughts and Criticisms,
edited by his daughter (Longmans, 1890), and various articles from time
to time in the "Edinburgh Review." He was also editor of "Israel's
Watchman" in 1877.
EDUARD, Julius Anton, born in Lissa (Posen), in 1785. When still a young
boy he felt drawn towards Christianity. In order to prevent this
tendency developing further, his mother and stepfather, then living at
Breslau, sent him away to relatives at Lissa. But in due time he
embraced Christianity, and friends helped him to study theology at
Berlin, and he was ordained in 1816, and laboured for many years as a
faithful and beloved Pastor at Breslau. His name occurs often in the
reports of the L.J.S. as one who took a great interest in the mission to
the Jews, and as having also accompanied the missionaries on their
journey to Poland.
EGSIABHER, Debtera Gebra, a very learned Falasha convert, labouring
among his brethren in Abyssinia in 1874, when Mr. J. M. Flad met some of
the converts at Kassala.
EHRLICH, Herman, born at Cracow in 1837, of a family locally designated
as Anshey Emeth (men of truth). He was baptized in London by Dr. Ewald
in 1856. After working as a lay-helper for three years, he was appointed
missionary by the London City Mission, under whom he has laboured
faithfully ever since. He was one of the first organisers of Sunday
services in theatres, and he founded the Hebrew Conference Hall, Old
Montague Street, Whitechapel, where he is [1909] doing evangelistic
work.
EISENSTEIN, Ferd. Gotthald Maxim, born in Berlin, 1832, died there 1852.
Though only twenty years old at his death, yet he was a Ph.D. teacher in
the Academy and a notable mathematician.
ELIYAHU, Rabbi Mullah, of Bushire, is recorded, together with Eliyahu of
Bagdad, as having been baptized at Bagdad in 1852. The father of the
latter had lost his occupation among the Jewish community on account of
that, and this Eliyahu afterwards accompanied Stern on his journey to
Mosul and Kurdistan.
ELKANA, Rabbi Paulus, of Prague. Superintendent Olarius, who wrote a
preface to a Hebrew translation of the Augsburg confession prepared by
Philipp Gallus in 1888, reports of the above rabbi who had been his
teacher, that he was converted to the Christian faith through reading a
Hebrew translation of the Gospel by St. Matthew and of the Epistle to
the Romans.
ELVIN, Johannes, carried on missionary work among the Jews in Hamburg in
1850, under great political difficulties.
EMIN, Pasha (Edward Carl Oscar Theodor Schnitzer), born at Oppeln,
Prussian Silesia, in 1840; killed at Kinena Station, Congo Free State,
October 23, 1892. When he was only six years old his parents had him
baptized in the Protestant Church at Neisse. Whether this famous
explorer remained a Christian or not is uncertain, but his parents must
have either embraced Christianity before or at the time of his baptism.
EPPSTEIN, Rev. John Moses (Levi, such was his name at first), was born
at Memel, in Prussia, Feb. 24, 1827, being the son of Elijah Levi and
Rose, his wife (_née_ Eppstein). Soon after his birth his father died,
and he was brought up by his grandfather, Rabbi Benjamin Eppstein, who
retired to Jerusalem when his grandson was nine years old, adopting him
as his son, and making him take the name of Eppstein. Until he was
sixteen years old Moses was taught little else than Hebrew and the
Talmud. About this time several friends of his became Christians. At
first the only effect on him of their conversion was to make him more