My Collection of Christian Biographies

BIOGRAPHY OF WILLIAM CAREY

2008-11-13T00:36:00.000-08:00

Official Name:
William Carey
Date of Birth:
Aug 17, 1761
Date of Demise:
June 9, 1834
Place of Birth: Paulerspury, Northamptonshire, England

Is 54:2-3 “Enlarge the place of thy tent…and thy seed shall inherit the Gentiles, and make the desolate cities to be inhabited.”

Carey was born to English parents - weavers by profession, as the eldest of their five children. He was a bright student and had a natural gift for language. The science of Botany also interested him. At the age of 12, he became the apprentice of a shoemaker. Meanwhile, his passion for language was kindled and he taught himself, Latin and Greek.

He married Dorothy Plackett in 1781, and he took over the shoemaking business from his brother-in-law, following his demise. His passion for language kept burning and he learned Hebrew, Italian, Dutch and French, during work, often reading while his hands were busy with the shoes.

Meanwhile, he became associated with the Baptist mission and was soon baptized into their congregation. During this time, he happened to read through literature that gave him a deep concern for spreading the Gospel around the world. It was a belief then that all were not responsible for spreading Christianity and when Carey questioned this at a minister’s meeting, he was given an elusive answer. During one of his sermons, he said, “Expect great things from God, and Attempt great things for God”. He bent his mind on practicing this and almost seven years later, he published his most profound missionary manifesto “An Enquiry into the Obligations of Christians to use Means for the Conversion of the Heathens”, as an answer to his own question. The book was a complete guide to the theological, historical, sociological and practical aspects of a missionary effort.

Following this, in 1972, he, along with his friends Andrew Fuller, John Ryland and John Sutcliffe instituted the Particular Baptist Society for Propagating the Gospel among the Heathen, as a move to overcome the resistance to Christian missionary effort. One of their initial actions was to support Dr. John Thomas, missionary in Calcutta, India. Soon, Carey decided to accompany him to India.

Carey, and his eldest son Felix sailed from London in April 1793, along with Thomas and his family. His wife, Dorothy, refused to support him in his decision to leave England, being pregnant with their fourth son. En route they were confronted with a number of delays, allowing Dorothy to join them mid-way. They landed at Calcutta in November.

Carey soon sought to learn Bengali, the native language. Six year later, he completed the first revision of his Bengali New Testament. His son, Peter died of dysentery at the age of 5, bringing Dorothy to a nervous breakdown which shook her mental stability.

The number of fellow missionaries to India grew. All of them settled in the Danish colony at Serampore. John Fountain, William Ward, a printer, Joshua Marshman, a schoolteacher; David Brunsdon; and William Grant, who died three weeks after his arrival, were the pioneers. In 1800, Carey joined them.

At Serampore, the mission set up a school and bought a house to accommodate their families. Ward set up a print shop and began printing the Bible in Bengali. By the end of that year, the mission had their first convert, a Hindu named Krishna Pal.
In 1801, the Governor-General founded Fort William, a college and offered Carey the position of professor of Bengali. He contributed to the Bengali and Sanskrit languages, by writing grammars for them. He began work on the Sanskrit translation of the Bible and the Bible was soon translated into Bengali, Sanskrit, and other major languages and dialects. Many of these languages had never been printed before. Ward took great pains in this effort as every punch for the type had to be done by hand.

Carey was also involved in social reforms such as eradicating rituals such as human sacrifices and sati, although it was not abolished by law, until later.
Carey’s family life suffered. Yet he stood by his insane wife, while working on his books. She died in 1807 and Carey re-married Charlotte Rhumohr, who unlike Dorothy was his intellectual equal.

Carey then began translating sacred Sanskrit writings to English to make them available to the native English speakers. It drained his intellectual and physical energy, yet he kept on it. On March 11, 1812, the print shop caught fire and Carey lost many irreplaceable manuscripts, including translations of Sanskrit literature and a polyglot dictionary of related languages. Had it been completed it would have been a profound and scholarly philological masterpiece. Fortunately, the press itself and the punches were saved. Carey was instrumental in having the Bible printed and distributed in whole or part in 44 languages and dialects.

The need for training native ministers arose, as they now had a growing church. In 1818, the Serampore College was established. Apart from training native ministers, it also helped provide arts and sciences education, regardless of caste or country. It became the first degree-granting institution in Asia after The King of Denmark granted it a royal charter in 1827.

His childhood interest for botany did not die. In 1820, he founded The Agri Horticultural Society of India at Alipore, Calcutta.

Carey's second wife, Charlotte, died in 1821, followed by his eldest son Felix. After few years, Carey severed ties with the missionary society he had founded, because of internal dissent with new missionaries who failed to envisage his mission and dream. He moved onto the college grounds and led a life, revising his Bengali Bible, preaching, and teaching, until he was called home, by the Master, for whom he had toiled so much.

BIOGRAPHY OF V. NAGEL

2008-11-12T00:15:00.001-08:00

Official Name:
Vollbrecht Nagel
Date of Birth :
Nov 3, 1867
Date of Demise :
May 21, 1921
Place of birth :
Stammheim, Germany

Hebrews 11:8 "By faith, ... he went out..".

V. Nagel was a German pioneer, who carried out his evangelical and humanitarian ministry in Kerala, a state in India and is fondly remembered as "Nagel Saipu" by the locals.

Nagel was born to godly parents in Germany, who were saddlers by profession. His education was limited to self-study, since he could attend school only briefly. One day at the age of 18, he happened to hear the gospel from a cobbler, and was born again, by accepting the Lord Jesus as his Savior.

Fuelled by inner passion, he went to the Switzerland Bible College. On returning after the completion of studies, he joined Basel Mission, Germany in 1886.

In 1893, he reached Kerala as an ordained Basel Missionary. He first ministered in Kannur. He then moved to Vaniyamkulam. While living in Vaniyamkulam, he gave up his membership with the Basel Mission, which meant he would be giving up all sources of funds from his homeland. He lived a life of Christian faith, the faith that believes in God, even when the future looks bleak.

While in Kerala, he mastered the native language, Malayalam and also penned numerous Malayalam hymns that still refreshes the soul of many a Christian believer today. He also found his family and friends in Kerala. He married Harriet Mitchell, who was an Anglo-Indian school teacher. They were blessed with 7 children. He also befriended Sathyarthy, a native, who accompanied him for all his ministries. He soon left Vaniyamkulam and relocated to Kunnamkulam.

As a missionary, he ministered to the jailed convicts at Paravoor and also took up the task of church planting. From Kunnamkulam, he later moved to Nellikunnu, Thrissur and established an orphanage for girls there. This symbol of care and Christian love still survives today to nurture hundreds of unfortunate lives and homes established as the Rehoboth Girls Home, Thrissur.

When he was 47, he planned to visit Germany, and hoped to return to Kerala after a while. But then, when he decided to do so, the First World War broke out and he had to abandon all hopes of returning to his family, his beloved brethren and his mission place. As the war progressed, he was forced to go to Switzerland. There paralysis struck him and he was bedridden. At the age of 54, this man of God, left his earthly abode and went on to be with his heavenly Master.

Personally, his songs have touched and inspired me. My personal favorites are "En needhiyum, vishudhiyum", "Yehovah ethra nalavan", "En Yeshu, En Sangeetham", "Njan Karthavinayi paadum", "Neethimaanmarin koodarangalil", "Yeshuve ninte roopam e ente kannukalku", "Yeshuvepole aakuvan" "Yeshu en swantham, hallelujah", and "Rakshaka nin aadukallin".

BIOGRAPHY OF JOSEPH SCRIVEN

2008-05-30T10:29:00.000-07:00

Official Name: Joseph Medlicott Scriven
Year of Birth: 1820
Year of Demise: 1886

John 15:13: Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

“What a friend we have in Jesus!” Millions around the world have derived the peace that passeth all understanding from the song sung over and over again. This song evolved from endless hours spent before the throne.

Joseph M. Scriven was born in Dublin, Ireland. He graduated from Trinity College, Dublin, and went to Canada when he was 25.

As an Irish settler in the New World, he had to go through his own lot of struggles. He went through indescribable grief when he lost his fiancée on the eve of their marriage, as she accidentally drowned a few hours before their wedding. No human words or emotions would make up for his loss. He took refuge in heavenly realms and this is rightly reflected in the words, “In His arms He’ll take and shield thee; Thou wilt find a solace there.”

He was away from home for so long and he often thought of his mother, whom he had to leave behind. He composed this hymn for his mother, to comfort her in a time of special sorrow. He never intended that this song should be seen by anyone, save mother and son.

Scriven soon fell ill and while on his deathbed, one of his visitors found the manuscript and asked. “Are you the author of this lovely poem?" "The Lord and I did it together" was the reply. Such was the depth of his relationship with Christ.

His illness turned for the worse and there at Port Hope, on Lake Ontario, Scriven went to be with his Best Friend, in I886. This song was originally published anonymously, and did not see daylight for many year. Finally 30 years later, this song was fully credited to Scriven.

Biography of P.N. Treasure

2008-01-10T12:22:00.000-08:00

In the suburbs of Thrissur, a small town in Kerala, is a safe haven abounding with love and care from a wonderful “Mother”, for hundreds of girls to whom was denied the opportunity to grow up with their own biological family. Here is an individual, dedicated to the laborious task of bringing up a huge family, and ensuring that the little girls, born of different parents live together in the harmony of sisterhood, and lack nothing as they grow up to be pillars of a family of their own.

Fondly addressed as “Mommy”, by her daughters, Ms Phyllis Naomi Treasure of New Zealand, has spent most of her life in the Indian soil, in ‘silent service’, rearing up one generation after another, happily seeing them off as each girl sets about to start building her very own home.

The instituition, “Rehoboth” which literally means “Spacious” is home and family to her. Rehoboth is solid, living proof of the tides of changes that were brought to individual lives, the society and the entire nation, through tireless, dedicated efforts of Christian missionaries.

As a young girl, she heard of the plight of millions of abandoned and orphaned girls and decided to move to India. She then bent herself on being equipped for a life in India and taught herself various skills. In the 2nd decade of her life, the beautiful, talented and vibrant Ms. Treasure, found herself amidst the girls of whom she had only heard so much.

The Rehaboth Orphanage, is situtated at Nellikunnu, a few minutes drive from the heart of Thrissur. I have been privileged to visit this “home, sweet home” many times during my visits to India and I have always returned refreshed and inspired by the sights of children running about and also the humbling scenes of day-old babies swaddled in clean white clothes, cuddled fondly in the arm of Ms. Treasure.

Except among the people in Kerala, she has not acquired fame nor will she. But crowns of glory await her on the "Other Shore"

Biography of Jim Reeves

2008-01-07T07:01:00.000-08:00

Official Name : James Travis Reeves

Date of Birth : August 20, 1923

Date of Demise : July 31, 1964

Award : Jim Reeves Memorial Award

Jim Reeves accuired fame as an American Pop Singer. His baritone voice coupled with the simplicity of his songs, touched the heart of millions not only across the Americas, but also throughout Asia, Africa and other parts of the world. He is also widely accepted in the Christian circle, for his christmas and hymn renditions.

He was born in Galloway, Texas. He was very much into baseball during his early years and started off on his career as a DJ. He became an International legend after he signed a contract with Abbot Records. He also said to have embraced the Christian faith during a difficult period of his life.

"He'll have to go" was his greatest hit, which earned him a platinum record. "Distant Drums" also topped the UK pop charts, but He did not live to see it.

"Gentleman Jim" died in an aircrash in Nashville and is buried near his hometown at Panola County, survived by his wife Mary and his two sisters.

My personal favorites of his renderings are "Precious Lord, take my hand", "Mary's boy, Jesus Christ", "Mexican Joe", "My cathedral" and "Daddy, teach me how to pray"