Some Jewish Witnesses For Christ
furnished the abbreviations to Professor Dalman's Chaldaic Dictionary,
revised Biesenthal's rabbinic "Commentar der Romans," wrote several
tracts, and revised the Judæo-German translation of the Bible for the
Trinitarian Bible Society.
HARZUGE, Johannes, brought out a German translation of the New Testament
in Hebrew characters in 1550. Some Hebrew words were retained in this
translation for the purpose of making it more intelligible to the Jewish
readers at that time. A specimen of this translation will be found in
Wolff, (Bibliotheca Hebraica iv. 205).
HAUSMEISTER, Rev. Jacob August, was born in Stuttgart, 1806. His father
was a quiet man, and his mother was rather inclined towards
Christianity, and often ejaculated, "O that my son Jacob might become a
Christian. We Jews cannot keep the commandments and are therefore
without consolation, whilst Christians are saved by grace." Hausmeister
was left an orphan when still young. Left without a guardian, he was
inclined to live a worldly life. Meeting a Christian companion, he
followed him to Church, and listened to the fervent preacher Hofacker.
His uncle, a watchmaker, to whom he was apprenticed, heard of it and was
very angry with him, but he persevered in going to Church. Hausmeister
was baptized by Dekan Heswig in Esslingen in 1825. He then studied at
Basel, and afterwards in the Hebrew College, Palestine Place. In 1832 he
was appointed missionary by the L.J.S., at Strasburg, where he laboured
zealously till the end. Three scores of converts were the fruit of his
labours. Hausmeister did also much literary work. He wrote the tract (1)
"Wörte der Liebe an meine Brüder nach dem Fleisch"; (2) "Gespräch zweier
jüdischen Freunde über das Wort Gottes"; (3) "Winke und Mittheilungen
über die Mission unter Israel"; (4) "Ueber den Unterricht der
Proselyten, Evangelische Mission unter Israel"; also biographies of
Börling and of Goldberg, his near relatives.
HEFTER, Rev. Albert David, born in Dombrowa, Galicia, in 1819. His
father was a well-to-do jeweller. His mother had made a vow that he
should become a rabbi. When he was only four years of age he was
instructed by a Zadik, or wonder working rabbi. Among the books of his
father he found a New Testament, and questioned him as to its contents,
but it was snatched away. Whilst he was in the Yeshiva, his parents
died, and he went to Tarnopol, to live with a married sister, where he
pursued his studies, but took offence at the philosophical opinions
which some of his fellow students entertained. One of them offered to
teach him Science, and he consented with a view of bringing his friend
back to Talmudism. After a time he came to Cracow, where he got
acquainted with the L.J.S. missionary Hoff, who gave him to read "The
Confession of a Proselyte," by Fränkel, and also the New Testament. This
brought him to a knowledge of the Saviour. But it was not thought safe
to baptize him in Galicia, so he was sent to Bellson, in Berlin, who
baptized him in 1846. Hefter was one of a band of noble and most learned
missionaries of the L.J.S. in the nineteenth century. He was stationed
eight years in Jerusalem, then a short time in Pesth, and then in Memel
and Posen, and, lastly, for many years in Frankfort. One of his converts
there is the very able and successful missionary, Rev. M. Kameras, of
the British Society, at Vienna. A blind Jew who was baptized by Hefter,
died on Christmas Day, 1881, and his last words were, "I shall see Him."
HEILBRONNER, Johannes Christlieb (Moses Prager), was baptized in
Heilbronn in 1709, his wife in Pirma in 1716. He taught Hebrew and
Talmud in various universities. He published a tract on Isaiah liii.,
Tübingen, 1710; "Klare Beweisthümer über Jesum Christum, dass Er der
wahre Messias und Sohn Gottes ist, aus dem Alten Testamente, der
Rabbinen und Kabbalisten Schriften, nachgewiesen mit einem Anhang, was
für einen Messias die Juden erwarten," Dresden, 1715; "Eine Widerlegung
der Einwürfe der Juden gegen die Geschlechtsregister Christi, besonders
wider die Schrift Chizzuk Emunah gerichtet," Hamburg, 1718.
HEINERSDORF, Julius Christian, born in Breslau in 1805. When a little
boy at school he had to suffer much persecution from the Christian boys,
and he became a bitter enemy of Christianity, but in riper age he got to
know and esteem true Christians, who read the Old and New Testaments
with him, and through their influence he was baptized in 1826. He then
studied theology, and became a pastor, and later superintendent (equal
to a Bishop or Moderator) near Königsberg. He was a gifted and pious
man, and his ministry was blessed.
HELIC, Lucas, was a member of the Moravian brethren in 1570, when, owing
to his excellent Hebrew scholarship, he was elected as co-translator of
the Kalitzir Bible. He received Moravian ordination, and preached the
Gospel till 1858; also printed his sermons for circulation.
HELLMUTH, Isaac. The fact that the subject of this sketch was one of the
three Hebrew Christian Bishops of the last century--Bishops Alexander
and Schereschewsky being the other two--invests his life and memory with
a special interest for all workers for Israel.
Whilst Alexander spent his life in actively seeking "the lost sheep of
the house of Israel" in various lands of their dispersion, and
Schereschewsky the "other sheep" of the Redeemer's fold in the heathen
Empire of China, Bishop Hellmuth's career was mainly associated with the
promotion of the spiritual and intellectual interests of the sons and
daughters of the Greater Britain beyond the seas.
Isaac Hellmuth was born at Warsaw, Poland, on December 14th, 1820, and
was from early childhood instructed and trained "according to the
perfect manner of the law of his fathers," in Rabbinical schools of high
repute, where he acquired great proficiency in Biblical and Talmudical
learning. His parents gave him a thorough religious and secular
education. He was sent at the age of sixteen to the University of
Breslau, where he continued with success his studies in classical and
Oriental literature. At that time Dr. S. Neumann, a Hebrew Christian,
and a missionary of the London Society for Promoting Christianity
amongst the Jews, was stationed at Breslau. Being also a professor at
that University, he was more especially brought into contact with
learned Jews and students, over whom he exercised great influence. It
was through him that young Hellmuth had his attention drawn to
Christianity. In 1841 he came to England, and was baptized in All
Saints' Church, Liverpool, by the Rev. H. S. Joseph, a missionary of
the same Society. Isaac had two brothers. When he was baptized his
father cut him out of his will altogether. But, on his father's death,
his two brothers, although they themselves remained Jews, generously
restored to their Christian brother his share of their father's
property.
After remaining some three years in England, studying English theology
under Hugh McNeile, Haldane Stewart and others, Hellmuth left for Canada
in 1844, taking with him commendatory letters from many eminent
clergymen, including one from Dr. Sumner, afterwards Archbishop of
Canterbury. Hellmuth's ministerial life was principally spent in Canada,
where he had a distinguished career, for many particulars of which we
are indebted to "Bishops of the Day," which particulars were most likely
furnished by himself. Hellmuth was ordained both deacon and priest in
1846 by Dr. Mountain, Bishop of Quebec. He received the Lambeth degree
of D.D. in 1853, and the honorary degrees of D.C.L. from Trinity
College, Toronto, and D.D. from the University of Lennoxville in 1854.
He spent eight years as rector of Sherbrooke, Quebec, and as professor
of Hebrew and Rabbinical Literature at Bishop's College, Lennoxville, of
which institution he was also vice-principal. His views were strongly
Evangelical. He resigned his posts in Quebec on being made general
superintendent of the Colonial and Continental Church Society in British
North America. The Bishop of Huron, Dr. Cronyn, had been much troubled
about Provost Whitaker, of Trinity College, Toronto, whose teaching he
considered unsound, although the other Bishops of the province, on being
referred to, upheld it. The Bishop, not satisfied, decided to establish
at London, Ontario, a college more under his own control. This resulted
in the formation and partial endowment of Huron College, which was
opened in 1863 under the presidency of Dr. Hellmuth, who was also made
archdeacon of Huron. His educational enthusiasm led him to start a
college for boys, called Hellmuth Boys' College. Recalling his efforts
in its behalf, he said: "Twice I visited England to plead its cause, and
through the liberal gifts of friends in the mother land, the grounds and
buildings for the Divinity College were secured. Amongst the benefactors
of this College, one valued friend, the Rev. Alfred Peache, endowed the
Divinity chair with the munificent sum of £5,000 sterling.
"Huron College faithfully fulfilled its trust and served its designed
end. Over one hundred devoted ministers of Christ's Gospel have been
trained within its walls, the majority of whom are labouring with
success in our own Diocese, while the remainder have been called to
occupy prominent positions in various other parts of our Dominion."
In 1867 Dr. Hellmuth was made rector of St. Paul's Cathedral and Dean of
Huron. He used his large private means unsparingly in advancing the
cause of higher education. In 1869 he launched the Hellmuth Ladies'
College.
The venerable Canon Christopher, rector of St. Aldate's Church, Oxford,
thus alludes to this institution:--"He found that Canadian Protestants
were sending their daughters to convent schools, because they did not
know of any good Protestant ladies' school. He established an excellent
school for young ladies near his own house. I addressed nearly a hundred
young ladies in this school in 1872. Some of these had to travel twelve
days and nights from their homes to their school, in the absence of a
railway from British Columbia."
Dr. Hellmuth was chosen on July 19, 1871, by a large majority of the
diocesan synod to be Bishop Coadjutor of Huron, with the title of Bishop
of Norfolk and the right of succession. Dr. Cronyn died in the following
September, and Dr. Hellmuth became Bishop of Huron. He had been
consecrated in St. Paul's Cathedral, London, Ontario, on August 24,
1871. In 1877 the Bishop formed a scheme for a Western University in
connexion with Huron College, subscribing no less than 10,000 dollars
towards it. In the following year he attended the Lambeth Conference,
and took confirmations for the Bishop of London in Norway, Sweden, and
Denmark. He came to England again, in 1880, to obtain funds for the
Western University, which was opened on October 5, 1881, with a medical
faculty in connexion with it. By 1881 the Bishop's exertions had proved
so successful that the S.P.G. aid was no longer required, and the
diocese could rely on its own resources.
During the Bishop's episcopate, which lasted from 1871 to 1883, great
progress was made in every department of diocesan work. The number of
livings increased from 34 to 65; the number of churches from 149 to 207;
and the clergy from 92 to 135. The Sunday schools rose from 110 to 166;
and the communicants from 4,390 to 8,910. Dr. Langtrey, in his "Colonial
Church Histories,"[14] says that the Bishop "devoted himself with great
earnestness to his work, and soon became very popular throughout the
country." The Rev. Dr. Hurst, a resident of twenty years in Huron, thus
referred to the Bishop's labours:--"I can speak from personal knowledge
of his liberality, zeal, and self-denying efforts to make his diocese an
active mission field, and a model for higher Christian education--much