Some Jewish Witnesses For Christ
shillings in order to buy the pearl of great price. Others who are even
too poor to follow their example, made an agreement to pay a few pence
every week. Doors have been opened for the circulation of the Scriptures
along the coast and in some places in the interior."
In 1835 Ewald visited the Jews along the northern coast of
Africa--Solimon, Nabal, Hammamet, Susa, Monastir, Medea, El-Djem, Sfax,
Gabes, Menzel, Shara, the Island of Gerba, and Tripoli were visited, and
the Gospel preached to many thousands and thousands of copies of the
Bible were placed in their hands, and tens of thousands of tracts
circulated. Most interesting records of this visit remain, to one of
which we cannot refrain from referring. Ewald was preaching on the wild
shores of Gabes, where the Jews had never so much as heard of Christ,
but where the general cry was, "Give me a Bible; give me a Bible; here
is the money for it!" so that he had none left for other places, at
which the poor Jews cried out for the Word of God, like children
perishing with hunger.
In 1836 Ewald made a visit to England for ordination, but was soon back
at his work again. We cannot follow this devoted and faithful missionary
in his untiring efforts for the lost sheep of Israel in Africa, and must
be content with giving his own summary of his labours. On the last day
of the year 1838, he wrote:--
"I have now been since 1832 on the coast of Africa. It has been my
privilege to proclaim the Gospel of salvation to many thousands of the
sons of Abraham during that period. To thousands I have been permitted
to present the oracles of God, and tens of thousands of tracts have been
put into circulation among the great mass of the Jewish population of
this country. The effect produced by these various means of grace may be
thus described: The greater part of the Jews know now that Christianity
is not a system of idolatry, but a revelation of God built upon the
Scriptures; that the precepts of the Gospel are very good and beneficial
to mankind. They acknowledge, for the most part, that the only
difference which exists between the Christians and the Jews is, that the
former maintain the Messiah is come, and Jesus Christ is the Messiah,
whilst the latter deny both, which may, however, fairly be decided by
the Word of God. They perceive that true Christians are not the enemies
of the Jews, but, on the contrary, their well-wishers, who provide them
with the Scriptures, and pray for their real welfare. The greater part
of them are now acquainted with the written Word of God, and we are able
to appeal with more effect to the testimony of Scripture without being
constantly told, 'These passages do not occur in our Bibles, but are a
fabrication of yours, in order to make us believe that Jesus is the
Messiah.'"
For three years more Ewald carried on the work, and then, owing to
repeated attacks of ophthalmia, he had to return to England in 1841,
after a residence of some eight years in the Barbary States.
He did not, however, long remain idle, for he was within a few months
appointed to assist in the Society's Mission in Jerusalem, and he and
his wife were members of the party which accompanied Dr. Alexander, the
first Anglican Bishop, to the Holy City. They sailed from Portsmouth on
December 7th, 1841, and reached Jerusalem on January 21st--being six
weeks on the journey, which is now accomplished in nine or ten days.
For ten years Ewald laboured earnestly in the work of the conversion of
the Jewish inhabitants of Jerusalem, being also chaplain to Bishop
Alexander during that prelate's occupation of the see.
One of the most interesting incidents connected with Ewald's labours in
the Holy City was the instruction and baptism of certain rabbis. Three,
named respectively, Abraham, Benjamin, and Eliezer, had placed
themselves under Christian instruction. A deputation from the Jews of
Tiberias arrived to enquire whether the report was true, that fourteen
rabbis of Jerusalem had embraced Christianity. The Jews of Jerusalem,
very much exasperated on that account, did all in their power to avoid
coming in contact with the missionaries, and removed all the books which
they had previously received through the mission, in order that they
might not be suspected.
Shortly afterwards two of the rabbis, Eliezer and Benjamin, known
henceforth as Christian Lazarus Lauria and John Benjamin Goldberg, were
baptized with two other enquirers, Isaac Paul Hirsch and Simon Peter
Fränkel. The Rev. John Nicolayson, the head of the Society's mission,
referring to the event, wrote: "It is not a small thing, that the
apparently impenetrable phalanx of rabbinism at Jerusalem has thus
actually been broken into; and two Jerusalem rabbis been incorporated
into the restored Hebrew Christian Church on Mount Zion. How sore the
Jews felt on this occasion you can easily conceive. They were, in fact,
after all, taken by surprise, and felt sadly disappointed in having to
yield up at last any lingering hope they might have had of their
return."
Of the third rabbi, Abraham, Mr. Ewald said: "There was, indeed,
something which marred my joy on that occasion, which was the absence of
rabbi Abraham. For years had he been the faithful companion of rabbi
Eliezer and rabbi Benjamin; he had the same convictions, but he could
not leave his wife; the struggles between natural affection and
spiritual blessings were too hard for him, and he returned." Ewald
witnessed other interesting missionary events at Jerusalem, which had a
great bearing upon the subsequent history of the Society; namely, the
baptism of John Moses Eppstein, and the ordination of Messrs.
Tartakover, A. J. Behrens, Sternchuss, Murray Vicars, and Henry Aaron
Stern.
During the early part of his sojourn there, Ewald had the great
misfortune to lose his wife, who died on January 16th, 1844. He brought
his motherless children to London, but returned to Jerusalem in 1846,
just after his second marriage. In the same year he published a "Journal
of Missionary Labours in the City of Jerusalem, during the years
1842-4," which are exceedingly interesting reading, even after this
lapse of time.
It is striking to note that at that time the Jewish population of
Jerusalem was only 6,000, out of a total of 18,000; whereas the Jewish
population now [1909] numbers 60,000, out of a total of 80,000.
Ewald was compelled to leave the East, owing to ill-health, in 1851,
when he became the Society's senior missionary in London. He at once
made his way into the hearts and homes of many Jews, and founded, in
November, 1853, an institution for poor enquiring Jews, called "The
Wanderers' Home." Such was its success that within five years 303 Jews
and Jewesses had availed themselves of its benefits, no less than 150
being baptized; 76 entered the Operative Jewish Converts' Institution,
and six went to the Society's College. In 1858, owing to lack of
financial support, the Home was closed. It was, however, re-opened in
1860, and has, under Dr. Ewald's and successive management, been the
means of influencing large numbers of Jews in a Christian direction.
Ewald's reports of his work are full of encouraging missionary facts. He
was in labours "most abundant," both for the Society and the "Wanderers'
Home." For nineteen years he was at the head of affairs, and at least
forty Jewish families in London were brought through his means to faith
in Christ. He was one of the ablest missionaries who ever served the
Society.
In 1858 Ewald thus wrote of the work: "Certainly, mighty changes have
taken place amongst those Jews to whom the missionary has not been
debarred an access. If you go into their houses, you find on their table
the Bible, the Old and New Testament, just as you see it on the table of
Christians, and I have seen the authorized version of the Bible not only
in private houses, but in the synagogue. When you converse with
intelligent Jews, you soon observe that they have read the New
Testament, and other Christian books and that they know what the
fundamental doctrines of Christianity are, namely: the fall of man; the
redemption of mankind through the Lord Jesus Christ; the atonement; the
Deity of Christ; the doctrine of the Trinity, &c.; and they know also
that every true Christian believes these doctrines. Then, much of the
animosity towards converts has been gradually removed, by the number of
Jews who have embraced Christianity. You cannot meet with many Jewish
families who do not count among their relatives some converts. I have
myself heard Jews defending their friends, not for having embraced
Christianity, but from the alleged imputation of having embraced it
through impure motives. The more Christianity gains ground in the Jewish
community, the more will friendly feelings arise towards those of their
number who conscientiously look upon the Lord Jesus as the Christ.
Amongst fifty thousand Jews in England we reckon three thousand
converts. In London alone there are eleven ministers of the Lord Jesus
Christ who are converted Jews, preaching the Word of Life to perishing
sinners, whose ministry the Lord owns by granting them many souls for
their hire. These thousands of converts are as a salt in the earth, and
through their instrumentality a work is carried on silently and quietly
in this country. They have all acquaintances and friends, to whom they
speak occasionally of the Lord Jesus; and thus true religion is spread
among the Jews."
When, in 1870, Dr. Ewald, owing to increasing years, retired from the
mission, he could thankfully look back upon a successful career, whether
passed in North Africa, Palestine, or London. During his residence in
the metropolis hundreds of Jews were baptized, out of some thousands
instructed by him.
Dr. Ewald died at Gipsy Hill, London, on August 9th, 1874, at the age of
73 years.
Ewald published in 1856 a German translation of "Abodah Zarah"
(Idolatrous Worship), the name of one of the treatises of the Mishnah,
of the Tosefta, and of the Babylonian and the Palestinian Talmud, for
which his University conferred upon him the degree of Doctor of
Philosophy. A distinction which he valued still more highly was the
degree of Bachelor of Divinity, which honour was conferred upon him by
the Patron of the Society, the Archbishop of Canterbury, in
consideration of, as the diploma stated, his proficiency in the study of
divinity, of Hebrew and Oriental languages and literature; and also of
his missionary labours and eminent services in the promotion of
Christianity amongst the Jews.
The then Bishop of Carlisle (Dr. Montagu Villiers) described Dr. Ewald
as a "missionary genius," a description fully deserved for his ability
and devotion to the work to which he gave his life.
EWALD, Dr. Paulus, a brother of the preceding, also embraced
Christianity. He was lecturer at the University of Erlangen, and later
became Pastor of Pappenreuth, Bavaria. He published a translation of the
Talmud tract, "Pirke Aboth" (The Ethics of the Fathers), in 1825.
EZEKIEL, Hakim David, a physician and famous Talmudist at Bagdad, and
son of a rich Jew, was baptized there in 1850, and subsequently laboured
as a colporteur in the mission.
FALK, Max, Hungarian statesman and journalist, born at Budapest in 1828,
became a Christian as a student at the University. He displayed great
talent as a writer and politician. In 1866 he was appointed as
instructor of Hungarian to the Empress Elizabeth. The next year he
became editor-in-chief to the "Pester Lloyd," raising that paper to a
high level of excellence. In 1869 he was elected a member of the
Hungarian House of Representatives. The Emperor of Austria has decorated
him with the Komthur Cross of the Order of St. Stephen.
FANTA, Kendy, together with Beru and I. Jasu, were indefatigable in