Some Jewish Witnesses For Christ
the following works: "Socialism, its Nature, its Dangers, and its
Remedies Considered," 1874; "Utopias, or Schemes for Social Improvement
from Sir Thomas More to Karl Marx," 1879; "Christian Socialism," 1888;
"Charles Kingsley, Christian Socialist and Reformer," 1892; "Socialism
and Modern Thought," 1895.
KAUTZ, Christian Friedrich, baptized in Berlin, 1702, published in 1703
"Des 12 jährigen Jesu vom Nazareth Verstand im Fragen und antworten,
darüber sich die juden verwundern," also "Erkannte Göttliche Wahrheit
aus der Schrift Alten und Neuen Testamentes," Waldenburg, 1716, and a
"Catechismus für Juden," 1720.
KEYPER, a native of Prague, was Rabbi in Schleusinger, where he was
converted and baptized by Superintendent Friedrich Ernest Weis in 1715.
He afterwards was lecturer on Jewish antiquities in Altorf and in
Regensburg. Later he gave lessons in Talmud and Rabbinics at Bremen.
Wolff in Bib. Heb. 3, 4, N. 1356 b. speaks of him as a learned, upright
and sincere man.
KIEL, a physician from Roumania, made, as a pious Jew a pilgrimage to
Jerusalem, thinking that in the Holy City he would find spiritual
satisfaction and peace, but he did not find it in the Judaism that he
found there, but in the Gospel which was preached by the missionaries.
He and his wife were baptized by Bishop Alexander in 1844, and he
laboured afterwards as a medical missionary in Safed.
KLEIN, Julius Leopold, a native of Hungary, born at Nocskolez, 1810,
died in Berlin, 1810. He was a physician, poet and writer. His works
appeared in seven volumes, under the title "Dramatische werke," Leipsic,
1871-2.
KÖBNER, Pastor Julius, was born in Denmark in 1806. Was by profession an
optician like Spinoza, but God vouchsafed to him greater spiritual sight
than to the philosopher. He embraced Christian faith in the Lutheran
Church of which he became a minister, but afterwards joined the
Baptists. Endowed with spiritual and mental gifts, he henceforth
laboured with great zeal in Copenhagen, where he built the Christian
Chapel, and also in many other parts. Later he laboured in Berlin, where
he died 1884. His notable writings are, "Das Lied von Gott," an epic
poem from the creation to the redemption of the world. "Die Waldenser,"
a dramatic poem with notes, "Die Neue Erde." On his hundredth birthday,
1906, appeared a hundred of his choicest sermons in the press, under the
title "Lebens Wasser."
KOFLER, Carl, born in Lemberg, 1820, was baptized with his parents at
Breslau in 1822, graduated at the University there, and was appointed
Vicar in Bad Lardeck in Silesia in 1851. He is recorded to have been a
gifted preacher of the Gospel and a conscientious pastor. He died in
1877.
KOPPEL, Dr. J., born in the Archduchy of Posen in 1830. He began to
learn Hebrew when he was three years old. Afterwards he attended a Roman
Catholic school, where he was badly treated, and he imbibed strong
prejudices against Christianity. In 1846 he entered a Jewish seminary
for teachers at Bromberg, and when he finished his studies, he was
appointed teacher by the Government in a town near the Russian border,
and also interpreter. At that time he realised that there was a great
contrast between the Bible and the Talmud, but he had no inclination
towards Christianity whatever. Coming to Berlin, he made the
acquaintance of Dr. Jaffe, whose brother was a missionary of the British
Society, and he advised him to go to him for Christian instruction. The
result was that he was baptized by Jaffe. In 1860, Koppel entered the
service of the British Society, and laboured at first in England. In
Bristol he became acquainted with George Müller and with his
institution, which served him to good purpose in his future activity.
Returning the same year to Bromberg, it happened that one day a pair of
boots were stolen from him, and a poor beggar boy was suspected of the
theft. This incident awakened in Koppel's heart deep compassion towards
the poor neglected boys, and he applied to the municipal authorities for
permission to found a Home or Ragged School for them where they might
receive Christian training. This permission was, after some hesitation,
granted, and the Home was opened in 1864, which served at the same time
as a refuge for gutter children, orphans, Jewish enquirers and converts.
Koppel then displayed great activity together with Dr. Ben Zion, Dr.
Mossa and other friends whom he gathered around him. They instructed the
children, visited the prisons, preached to the Jews, of whom thirty-five
were converted there. Koppel laboured in faith, and the means of support
were not wanting. A waiter sent him 200 thaler and rich people helped
him liberally. In 1866 there were seventy inmates in the "Home" at
Salem. In 1869 Koppel, not feeling strong enough to carry on the work,
delivered it to others and went to London, where he did similar work and
was well known at the Mildmay Conference Hall. Subsequently he went to
Texas to found a colony there.
KRONHEIM, Joseph Nathaniel, a native of Magdeburg and son of wealthy
parents. In his youth he led a restless life, served as a soldier under
Napoleon I. in his Russian campaign, and then was schoolmaster in
Magdeburg, where he bought a New Testament, to teach moral principles
from it. The rabbi, on hearing of this, dissolved the school. He then
came to England and made the acquaintance of Bishop Alexander, who
preached the Gospel to him. He then took more time to investigate the
question at issue between Judaism and Christianity, travelling in the
country to sell optical instruments, till he came to the Rev. Wyndham
Madden, of Woodhouse Parsonage, near Huddersfield, by whom he was
further instructed and baptized in 1832. In 1835 he settled as optician
in Belfast. A year later the friends of the Jews there, observing his
Christian character, ability, and great Biblical knowledge, asked him to
give up his business and become an agent of the Belfast Auxiliary
Society, which he did, though he was then sixty years old. Through him a
lively interest was awakened in Ireland for the cause of missions among
the Jews. He laboured there for seventeen years, and died in 1852.
KRÖNIG, Rev. Joshua Charles Solomon, heard the Gospel in Paris from the
L.J.S. missionary Markheim, and was baptized by him in 1857, in the
chapel of Lewis Way, when Lord Shaftesbury was one of the sponsors.
After doing good work in London as a city missionary, he studied
theology at King's College, was ordained by the Archbishop of York,
1871-1872, and was appointed by trustees to the Vicarage of St.
Barnabas, Hull, where he laboured for the rest of his life as a faithful
minister of the Gospel to his congregation and missionary to his own
people, esteemed and beloved by them both. In 1875 he opened a
reading-room for Jews, which he called a "Beth hamedrash," in which he
placed one of his own converts as house-father. In 1881 he bought a
house for this purpose, on which he placed the inscription, "The doors
of Zion, house for studying God's Word." In 1884, he told a pathetic
story of a Jew who was a blasphemer, but whom the power of the Gospel
converted and regenerated, so that he became his assistant in the work
of the mission. Krönig was much sought after as a deputation.
KROPVELD, Rev. E., Pastor at Ablasserdam in Holland and Secretary of the
Dutch Reformed Church Mission to the Jews. He was brought up in strict
Jewish orthodoxy. Starting in life in a merchant's office and living
carelessly, he one day had a conversation with a Christian peasant, who
assured him that he was certain of entering at last into the heavenly
Canaan. This made a deep impression upon him, and he began to live in
stricter conformity with Judaism. At the age of seventeen he heard the
L.J.S. missionary Pauli preach, and felt the power of the Gospel
message, which led to his being baptized. He then became a colporteur of
religious books, when he suffered much from his friends, yet lived so
economically that he managed to save sufficient money to enable him to
study for the ministry. He then became Pastor in Rundem, Minnertsga,
and at last in Ablasserdam. He wrote several books in relation to the
Jews.
KUH, Christian Daniel, a merchant in Breslau, having been convinced of
the truth of Christianity, was baptized in the Evangelical Church at
Breslau in 1805. The result was that his wife and three children, his
brother-in-law Hans August Fisher, and his fiancée followed his example.
KUNERT, Rev. Karl, was born on May 25th, 1870, at Krotoschin, in Posen,
one of the Prussian provinces. Of his history he says:--"My father was a
furrier, who, in the family of his grandfather, a rabbi at Breslau,
received not only the usual superficial knowledge of Judaism, but at the
same time a truly orthodox education, and, as a pious Jew, he took good
care that the laws of his people should be strictly kept by his whole
family.
"I was named Karl, after this great grandfather, and I was expected to
follow his profession likewise. As far as I can remember, I assisted at
Divine service every morning and evening from about the third year of my
life, and from the age of four I joined in the prayers whenever they
were offered. Nor were the other branches of my education in any way
neglected. Being able to read and write when quite a little boy of five,
I became well versed in the history of my people and country. When nine
years of age I was sent to the college of my native town, and later on,
when my parents removed to Breslau, I visited the Catholic college of
that town, but at the same time the Jewish school. It was at this
period of my life that I got a very strong antipathy to Christ and His
adherents. Is that to be wondered at? All I saw was the thoughtless
worship of Popish idols. And then, the greater evil to my young soul was
wrought by my fellow-pupils, who, though educated in the Catholic faith,
nevertheless found much pleasure in laughing at each new thought or
religious exercise, and spent much time in reading all kinds of immoral
books.
"I was very fond of reading, and in the memorable year 1885, the Lord
led me to purchase the New Testament. There was a certain sacristan at
Breslau who sold the books and tracts of the British and Foreign Bible
Society, and often on Sundays, about dinner time, I went to see him and
to buy books to read. In this way I came into possession of the New
Testament in Greek, German and French. But the sacristan never uttered a
word in favour of the Gospel, and I thought him a very greedy man who
sold Christian books for the only purpose of gaining money. Such
behaviour in a professing Christian, together with the sad experiences
in my school-time, made me an embittered enemy of Christ and His Church.
During my time at college I visited the University and the Rabbinic
Seminary, in order to prepare myself for the chosen profession of a
Rabbi. The bitter hatred of all who confessed Christ grew more and more
intense, and at last, I triumphantly delivered a public lecture at
Berlin against Christianity.
"But already, at the time of my visiting the Rabbinic Seminary, I felt
an inner restlessness, and even when I changed theological studies for
other pursuits, this uneasiness would not quit me. I used to perform the
Jewish law with a still greater zeal, notwithstanding that the inner
voice told me most distinctly that I was wrong and would never find true
happiness in this way. I could speak to no one about this conflict of my
soul. The Jews did not understand me, and Christian people I most
heartily despised.
"I then resolved to go to Paris, firmly believing that new surroundings
would restore my peace of mind, and I felt I must conquer the heartfelt
unrest at any rate. But on the very day of my arrival in Paris I took