Some Jewish Witnesses For Christ. Bernstein Aaron

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СКАЧАТЬ or bishop.

      His friends, and those who worked under him at Jerusalem, loved him for his kind nature – for he had an ear, heart, and purse open to all – and for his simple-hearted piety. He was an Israelite indeed in whom there was no guile. He had a ripeness of Christian experience, and unaffected earnestness of purpose. His was a strikingly interesting personality, rendered doubly so in that he was a Hebrew of the Hebrews, and in his episcopal dignity a link with the primitive Hebrew Christian Church in the Mother City of Christendom.

      The Bishop published: "The Hope of Israel," 1831; The "Glory of Mount Zion," 1839; "The Flower that Fadeth," "Memoir of Sarah Alexander," 1841.

      Alexanderson, Daniel, was baptized in Holland in 1621. He published in the Syriac (rabbinic) language a confession of faith, to which he appended an epistle to the dispersed Jews, asking them to accept Jesus as their Saviour. This was translated into Dutch, German, and French by Petrus Jacobi, (Amsterdam, 1642).

      Alman, Rev. S., a minister of the Gospel in New York.

      Althausen, Dr., son of a well-known rabbi in Russia. After studying medicine at Lemberg he was appointed as military doctor in Russia. At the age of 35 he was converted and baptized by Pastor Landesen, in Charkow, in 1855, and his wife and children followed his example a year or two afterwards. He then devoted himself to missionary work in St. Petersburg and in other cities, and did good work, notably in spreading the New Testament which was plentifully supplied to him by the late Rev. John Wilkinson, of the Mildmay Mission.

      Altmann, J., a convert of the L.J.S., baptized by the Rev. F. G. Kleinhenn, at Bucharest, now labouring for many years as an evangelist in Transsylvania, Hungary.

      Altschiller, L., son of the Rabbi of Morcompol, had received the tract "Life of Augusti," which made a great impression upon him. He was instructed by Goldinger of the L.J.S., and was baptized in Poland in 1848.

      Amsden, of Vermont, a convert and missionary to the Jews in the United States about 1850.

      Angel, Rev. B., convert and missionary to the Jews in New York.

      Anton, Carl (Moses Gershon Cohen), a descendant of Bartenora Hayim Vital, born in Mitau (Curland), in 1722, of a family called "the Golden Chains." After studying for seven years at Prague, under Jonathan Eibenschütz, he travelled in the East and became very ill at Constantinople. It was there when reading Dan. ix. that he began to think seriously as to the state of his soul. On his return to Germany he was baptized at Wolfenbuttel by Pastor Meyers in 1748. The Duke of Brunswick appointed him Professor of Hebrew at Helmstadt. He wrote a Latin tract, "The Wandering Jew," entitled "Commentatio Historica de Judæo Immortali in qua haec Fabula examinatur et confutatur," Helmstadt, 1756; translated Abraham Jaegel's Catechism, "Lekah Tob" (Good Instruction), Brunswick, 1756; and gave a description of a rare copy of "Shulhan Aruk Eben haezer," to be found in manuscript in the City Library, Hamburg. He also wrote "Fabulae Antiquitatum Ebraicum Veterum," &c., Brunswick, 1756. Also "Sammlung Einiger Rabbinischer Oden Nebst Einer Frayen Uebersetzung, Kurzer entworf Jüdescher Gebräuche Akademischer Vorlesungen entworfen," three parts, Brunswick, 1752-1754.

      In the preface to his book, "Wahre Gründe, welche Einen Juden Zur wahren Bekehrung, oder zum Heilande der welt Jesu Christo führen Können," he utters the following fervent prayer:

      "At the conclusion of my work, I humbly invoke the righteous and merciful Father, that He may enlighten all Israel with the light from on high, that they may with a pure heart acknowledge Jesus as the only means of their future life. O that they might see in the stem of Jesse the tree of life, and be inflamed with love to Him by the Omnipotent Spirit! O that they might at last acknowledge the Son of Mary as the fountain of salvation out of which they can draw grace for grace! O that they might seek a refuge in the long ago appeared Lion out of the tribe of Judah, who has destroyed the dominion of Satan and restored eternal peace! O that they might kiss with lips and heart the glorified Son whom their fathers so carelessly rejected, but who has become the precious Cornerstone, who after achieving His triumph ascended to sit at the right hand of the Father and praised by the whole host of heaven. O triune God, open thou their eyes, that they may see." ("A Fürst. Christen und Juden," 163).

      Pastor de le Roi mentions a rumour that Anton at last relapsed into Judaism, but this must have arisen because he defended Jacob Emden and his former teacher Eibenschutz in their dispute with Waggenseil. Dr. S. A. Hirsch, Professor in Jews' College, London, who wrote the article in the "Jewish Encyclopædia" and referred to Grätz, does not give a syllable about Anton's relapse.

      Argawi, M., convert and leading missionary of the L.J.S. in Abyssinia. He has laboured there for many years amidst great hardships and even amidst martyrdoms of his believing brethren. (See the little tract, "Martyrs of Jesus.")

      Arias, E. P., missionary of the L.J.S. at Rome for many years.

      Arnhold, Siegfried Heinrich, D.Ph., embraced Christianity at Berlin in 1854. He was Professor of the Polytechnic in that city, and died as such in 1884.

      Assing, David Assur, born at Königsberg, 1787, died 1842, was baptized in 1815. He was physician and poet; served first in the Russian and then in the Prussian army. He wrote a treatise entitled, "Materiae Alimentariae Leneamenta ad leges Chemico-Dynamicas Adumbrata" ("Food and their Relation to Chemical-Dynamical Laws.") This was published at Göttingen in 1809.

      Asser, M. E., a convert, councillor at the Ministry of Justice in Holland.

      Augsburger, Emmanuel, baptized by Gottheil at Stuttgart in 1852, a first-fruit of the mission there. Though only a working weaver by trade, he accomplished much good by his voluntary testimony and by his exemplary life. (See Jewish Herald, 1853 and 1886).

      August, Jacob Michael, baptized with his wife and children in Greifswald, Germany, about 1723. He became Lector (reader) of Oriental languages at the University of Leipzig.

      Augusti, Friedrich Albert (Joshua), was born at Frankfort-on-the-Oder, 1691. He was the son of Joshua ben Abraham Eschel and Rebecca Pinto, descendants of a Venetian family. When he was only seven years old he shewed already great talents for learning, and delivered a sermonette at a wedding, so that a savant present remarked: "This boy will be a teacher in Israel." But as a precocious child he had to be guarded against mischief. Once he nearly lost his life while bathing. After the death of his father, Augusti, having read a book which described the glory of Jerusalem, felt a great desire to go there, and it soon so happened that a Jerusalem delegate, Aron Bar Jekutiel, arrived at Frankfort, and offered to take him with him. The mother, after some resistance to the boy's entreaties, finally gave her consent and parted with him in sorrow. The two travellers went first to Russia, intending to go by the Black Sea to Constantinople and then to Jerusalem. In the Crimea a band of robbers overtook them at a lonely spot, and Augusti was taken captive, while his companion managed to escape. The robbers brought him to a town and sold him as a slave for three and a-half dollars. After severe trials on board a ship, where he was tempted to embrace Mohammedanism, the slave dealer sold him to a Mohammedan Jew by the name of Ismael Bathmag, who brought him to Smyrna. Here the Jewish community purchased his freedom from slavery for 100 dollars, and after six months sent him home. On his homeward journey he stopped at Kaminice, where he was dangerously ill with cholera. After his recovery he eventually came to Cracow, where he remained four years studying languages. From thence he went to Prague and devoted himself to the study of Jewish theology under Rabbi Gabriel, who conferred upon him the title of Morenu, D.D. He then interpreted the famous grammarian, Binyan Shelomo. Returning to Frankfort, he saw his mother, who desired him to get married and settle down, but he felt impelled to go to Italy in order to study Kabbalistic lore there. While living in Sonderhasen, in 1720, he was maltreated by a gang of robbers, who broke into the house in which he resided, and robbed him and his landlord to the amount of 20,000 dollars. It then so happened that a member of the princely family of Schwarzburg died, when the Court Jew Wallich, in expressing his condolence with the reigning СКАЧАТЬ