Some Jewish Witnesses For Christ

"In 1814, he was called one evening, very late, to quiet an uproar that had arisen among the Russian soldiers. This accomplished, he returned home late in the night, and in the darkness he did not observe a waggon that stood in the way, and fell over the shaft and broke his leg; and, consequently, was laid up for several weeks.

"In November, 1815, a daughter was born to him; another, four years of age, suddenly died on the same day. His wife, likewise, fell into a dangerous illness, which lasted twenty-four weeks, and from continued watching by her bedside, he became exhausted and extremely dejected. He described his experience of that time thus: – 'Placed in a condition of tedious misery and all kinds of sorrow, and not having a single sympathetic soul to comfort me, I became utterly dejected. I could not think of God with a feeling heart, and, therefore, suffered indescribable pangs in body and soul. When once I lay down at midnight, and placed my miserable condition vividly before me, a feeling of despair seized me, and I cried out: "Lord, how long?" But immediately God set me up by instilling a beam of hope within my soul, that He would soon deliver me out of my trouble. This new hope revived me, and I felt peace; my wife, also, became better that very night and felt a refreshing influence. Then I went in a corner, wept and prayed for the help of God in the sense of Ps. xxxii. and xxxviii., and vowed to the Lord to read again His Word with reverence, and to place myself entirely under His guidance, and to be no longer so distrustful. From this moment another Spirit had the rule over me. Injurious books which had led me to unbelief were laid aside, and the Bible had a new attraction for me. Now also a longing after the promised Redeemer revived in me. In this manner, He who searches the hearts, and is near to them who seek Him in sincerity, prepared me gradually for the time when He, as the good Shepherd, would completely open the door to His fold for me, and translate me out of the darkness into His marvellous light.' So Goldberg could speak after he had already come to the knowledge of Jesus; but the way in which this was brought about was, in its beginning, obscure. He, himself, tells of the first occasion thereto:

"'In August, 1817, a learned Jew, who had recently come from London, where he was teacher for a long time, sent for me, and told me, in a cautioning tone, that a certain gentleman had visited him on that day and put the astonishing question to him whether there were not some Jews there who would be inclined to read the New Testament in the Hebrew language; in which case he could supply them with it gratis. Then, he added, that there is in London a Society for Promoting Christianity amongst the Jews, having agents abroad of whom this gentleman must be one, and, therefore, I should beware of coming in contact with him. But this communication effected a different impression upon me to that which was intended. The gentleman against whom I was warned was neither a preacher nor a missionary, but a universally respected merchant, by the name of Keetman. I had a great desire of becoming acquainted with this dangerous man, who took so much trouble to visit the Jews and to talk to them on religious matters, and as I was not in the habit of visiting people without any occasion, this desire increased the more. At last I ventured, one Saturday, to go to Mr. Keetman, and say to him that I had heard that he had Hebrew books, and if he wished me to copy them I should be ready to do so.' In this manner Goldberg became acquainted with an earnest and warm friend of Israel, and this acquaintanceship formed a new chapter in his life, which I cannot better designate than his awakening."

Goldenberg, D., was born in Piatka, Volhynia, in 1805. His father, Hayim Baruch, was a learned rabbi, and consulted by others on difficult rabbinic questions. His grandfather was a Zadik or wonder rabbi, and used to talk to him about the speedy coming of the Messiah. At the age of 10 his parents found him a bride, and at the age of 17 he was married, and went to live with his father-in-law in Tschidoroff. Passing through a severe illness, he began to think earnestly about the state of his soul before God. He felt the burden of his sins and frequently prayed for the advent of the Redeemer. His friends advised him to divert his mind by more diligent study of the Talmud, but he remained restless. At this time, in 1821, cholera visited the place, and he dreaded to die. Passing by just then a Christian school, he heard the children pronounce the ineffable name of Jehovah, which attracted his attention, so he bought a catechism to see what the Christian doctrine was, but he laid it aside. Then he received a packet of tracts and a New Testament from Myerson, who got them from the L.J.S. missionary Moritz when he visited Berditscheff. He was not long after convinced of the truth of the Gospel, visited Moritz, and with his friend went to Berlin, where he was instructed and baptized by Pastor Schultz ("Jewish Intelligence," 1824). His father came to Berlin and tried to win him back to Judaism, but when he found that he was thoroughly in earnest and happy in his faith, he left him in peace in a friendly manner. Goldenberg went then to London, and was thence sent to Poland, to witness for Christ among his brethren.

Goldinger, Tobias W., was a L.J.S. missionary in Poland in the forties of the nineteenth century, where he laboured successfully. He was, under God, the means of the conversion of a number of Jews, one of whom may be named here. Goldinger had once given the "Life of Friedrich Augusti" to the son of Rabbi L. Altschiller, of Marronopol, and this led to his eventual conversion. The case attracted at the time much public attention, as the young man passed through a great struggle with his family, but came out triumphant. Goldinger laboured latterly at Breslau, where the writer had the privilege of making his acquaintance at the end of 1872, and was very much impressed by his gentle Christian spirit. It is a pity that Pastor de le Roi, who was at that time his colleague, did not give us more information about him. It is probably because Goldinger, like many other Jewish converts, out of modesty was reluctant to publish to the world his personal history.

Goldsmid, Frederick, is known to have laboured as a successful missionary in India.

Goldstern, Israel, a native of Lemberg, Galicia, educated in strict orthodoxy. Already in his early manhood he became President of a Talmud Union. Failing in health, he journeyed to the Bath Heines, and on his way met a Christian merchant who, in a conversation, convinced him that the Talmud has no Divine authority. This shook his faith in modern Judaism. For two years he had no peace of mind. His widowed mother, in order to divert his attention, got him married. But it did not last long before he came into collision with his family on account of his religious views, so he left for Constantinople, whither his wife followed him. Eventually he was baptized by Pastor Bonnet, in Cologne, in 1875, while his wife still hesitated to take the decisive step. His father-in-law, when he found out the place of their residence, brought a suit against him for embezzling his property, because before he left Lemberg he had pawned his wife's ornaments, which he himself had given her. However, his friends at Cologne, paid the whole sum. He afterwards studied theology at Barmen, and became missionary of the Westphalian Rhenish (now called West German) Society, under which he has been labouring with much blessing upon his efforts ever since. He succeeded the writer at Frankfort-on-the-Maine.

Gottfried, Johann Adam (Nathan), born at Altona in 1726, died in 1773. After losing his father in his youth, his mother sent him to an uncle, who was a diamond cutter in London, to learn the trade. There he somehow heard the name of Jesus and got to love it. He soon returned, and his mother went with him to another relation, Rabbi Koppel Fränkel, at Fürth, under whose auspices he made rapid progress in Jewish learning, so that at the age of 17 he was asked to take charge of a school in the country. Two years before, two rabbis predicted that he would yet become a Meshummad. The Jews in former days used sometimes to call a sharp boy Meshummad or ganov (thief). At the age of 21 he passed by an evangelical church at Sulzberg, and listened to the worship there, and was solemnly moved. Henceforth he studied the Scriptures, especially Isaiah liii., as he had heard that Christians refer to it. The result was that he made a public confession of his faith, and was baptized by Pastor Pfeiffer, at Erlangen, in 1750. He studied theology, but was too humble and timid to ascend the pulpit. So he maintained himself by teaching Hebrew, Latin, Greek, and French, and by writing. One of his works is entitled: "Der troslose Jude in der letzten Todesstunde." Another is, "Der bussfertige Sünder Schriftgemässe Vorstellung und freundliche ermahnung an sämmtliche proselyten der jetzigen Zeit. Vernünftiger Unterricht über die natürliche Religion und desen Vornehmste Streitigkeiten und über die Christliche Religion."

Gottfried, Philip Selig, born in 1722 in a little town near Halle. When ten years old his mother died, and the Jewish authorities would not allow her to be buried there, because they had heard a rumour that "she had in her dying hour committed her soul into the hands of Jesus Christ the Saviour of the world." His father had to take her at night to Halle for burial. Philip was then sent to a school at Fürth, where he studied the Talmud diligently. He narrates in his autobiography, 3 volumes, Leipzig, 1755: "I can, without boasting, say that when I was 13 years old I could repeat by heart 500 pages of the Talmud without mistake, and deliver a Derashah (sermon) on a solemn occasion." His father then got a theological student to instruct him in Latin and German, but made it a condition that he should not mention the subject of religion to the boy. However, the teacher and his clever, inquisitive, pupil soon had disputations together. It happened one day that a Jewish girl passed by their house, dressed in black and accompanied by a number of Christians leading her to church to be baptized. A neighbour asked Gottfried whether he liked the procession, and his reply was that "it looks like leading a criminal to the place of execution." "Quite right," said the other, "the girl is led as a sinner to Jesus to have her sins washed away by the blood which He shed on the cross." Gottfried continued his disputes about Christianity with his teacher, who sometimes was perplexed in not knowing how to answer his objections. He brought a Hebrew scholar to him and they read Isaiah liii. together, Gottfried quoting the rabbinical interpretations of it, and the other refuting them. After the debate was over, Gottfried earnestly reflected upon the subject, and was convinced that the Christians are right. He then bought a New Testament for 12 groschen, and studied it critically. After a long inward struggle and earnest prayer, he by the aid of the Holy Spirit triumphed over his intense prejudices, and applied to a pastor for Christian instruction. Before his baptism, in 1738, he had to answer 400 questions in his examination. Two sisters followed his example. The father disinherited them all. The convert Friedrich Augusti was then very kind to him. In 1788 he published a Kabbalistic work entitled "Sepher Shimush Tehillim." His chief work was his weekly paper, "Der Jude," in 9 volumes, Leipzig, 1767-1771.

Gottheil, Rev. Paul Eduard, brother of Rabbi Gustav Gottheil, of the Temple Emmanuel, New York, born at Franstadt (Germany), April 5, 1818, died at Stuttgart in 1893. He was one of the most distinguished converts and missionaries in the nineteenth century. He studied theology at Basel and then entered the service of the British Society in 1848, in which he continued all his life. He was for many years minister of the English Church at Canstadt, and then minister of the Diakonessenhaus at Stuttgart. In both offices he was very successful. Some of those he baptized at Nuremberg, Canstadt and Stuttgart, have become ministers of the Gospel or missionaries to the Jews, like Bahri and Löwen, who both laboured at Vienna. He published "Blätter für die Evangelische Mission unter Israel," 1850-1858; "Der Messias Israel's Hoffnung und aller Völker Verlangen," 1863 (translated into English); "Mishan Lehem, Lebensbrot für Gottes Volk aus Gotteswort" (Hebrew and German), 1871, Yiddish and German 1873; "Die Arbeit an den Einzelnen," in "Nathaniel," 1891, No. 6; an extensive Memoir of Professor Franz Delitzsch in "The Everlasting Nation," 1890.

Gottlieb, K. J., was a native of Sadagora (Bukovina, Austria), a town which has been the residence of several generations of wonder-working rabbis for about a hundred years, and has become the Mecca of the Chassidim. Naturally he was brought up in strict orthodoxy. An elder brother of his, however, managed to learn German and to study medicine, and settle as a practitioner in Pesth. At the age of 16 Gottlieb visited his brother, in whose house he found a Hebrew Bible with a German translation, which he diligently read, and his brother explained to him difficult passages, directing his special attention to Messianic prophecies without at once disclosing his own views. This excited his interest, and he began to enquire into the subject. He then happened to meet with a Jewish tract, entitled "Source of Salvation," in which the year 1864 was assigned for the advent of the Messiah, but in which the Messiahship of Jesus was distinctly repudiated. This caused him to ask his brother if he could throw light on the subject, and to his surprise he found that his brother had long been a baptized Christian, and he resolved to become one likewise if he should by instruction be convinced. A place was then found for him as Hebrew teacher in the Scotch Mission school, and he received Christian instruction from Pastor König and Pastor Wagner. However, it was found advisable to send him to Prague, where, after receiving further instruction from Mr. Schönberger, he was baptized by him in 1876. Gottlieb studied afterwards at Basel, and for a time was a missionary of the Free Church of Scotland, but most of his missionary career was in the service of the Berlin Society, in Berlin, Jassy, Chernowitz, near his home, and lastly in Stanislau. In all these places he was much beloved for his excellent qualities and true Christian piety. He died comparatively young, and "the remembrance of his name is for a blessing."

Green, Rev. Samuel J., was baptized in 1859 by the Rev. John Wilkinson, the founder of the Mildmay Mission to the Jews. He went to Australia and preached the Gospel to the Jews at Bathurst, where he also built a church in 1879.

Gurland, Rev. Rudolf Hermann, born in Wilna, 1836, of a family which were Spanish Gentile Christians, who became Jews and had fled from the Inquisition at the beginning of the eighteenth century into Russia. The father was a strictly orthodox and bigoted Jew, and sent his son to various yeshivas (rabbinical colleges), so that in 1857 he received the title of Doctor, and was called to be the President of the Seminary at Berditscheff, where he remained till 1860. He tried at first to introduce reform in the Synagogue, and wrote a work under the title "Das Judenthum und die Reformversuche des 17 und 18 Jahrhundert" (only in M.S.), but won no sympathy for his attempt. Meeting a traveller in 1862, he received from him a Hebrew New Testament, and at the same time learned from him about Pastor Faltin's missionary activity at Kischineff. He went there and became rabbi of a congregation. One day he came to Faltin and asked him if he could get him pupils for caligraphy and drawing, and showed him some specimens of his work. Faltin tried to do so but failed, and then proposed that they should read the Hebrew Bible together. Gurland agreed, but made it a condition that the main issue between Judaism and Christianity should not be introduced. Some time passed in reading book after book of the Old Testament, and Gurland gave no sign of any change in him. They were reading Isaiah liii. for the second time. When Faltin finished, Gurland said, "Read it over again," but he could not wait till he had done so, because he was inwardly moved, and went home in silence. Faltin then fell on his knees and earnestly prayed that God might open the eyes of the rabbi to see Christ in all His glory. The next time Gurland came, he asked Faltin to read again the same chapter; and then he could no longer resist the striving of the spirit within his heart, and exclaimed, "I do not know what it is, I now find much in the Bible which I have not found before, although I know it by heart. The chapter must refer to your Jesus, and I must soon acknowledge that He is the promised Messiah." The result of this meeting was, that the rabbi became the pupil of the pastor, receiving frequent instruction from him in the doctrines of the Gospel. But this frequent intercourse between them could not fail to be observed by the Jews, yet they at first had not the slightest suspicion of the rabbi's intention, but on the contrary thought that Faltin was inclined to embrace Judaism. In fact, one of them told this to one of his congregation. This man came to the pastor and questioned him about it, and was assured by him that he would never deny his Saviour, but it was possible that Gurland might embrace Christianity. Several rabbis came now to Gurland and, like the Protestant, asked him whether Faltin wished to become a Ger (proselyte) to Judaism. This brought the matter to a climax, and he confessed before them all that Jesus was the Messiah and proved his convictions from the Bible. They cried, "You have a false Bible," but he answered, "Compare it with your own and see whether it is false." What he had to suffer afterwards, need not here be described. He and his wife were baptized on Easter Sunday, 1864, before a large congregation of Christians and Jews. He then studied theology in Berlin, returned to Kischineff and became assistant pastor to Faltin, when many Jewish converts were the result of their labours. Gurland was later chief pastor at Mitau, working at the same time among the Jews. His latter years were devoted to spreading the New Testament in Wilna, Odessa and the Baltic provinces, under the auspices of the Mildmay Mission to the Jews. Professor Delitzsch called him "A noble soul."

Gutenhauer, Gutschalk Eduard, after having been won for Christ and baptized by the Rev. W. Ayerst in Berlin in 1836, studied philosophy and became Professor at the University of Breslau in 1841. There he published a work about Leibnitz, and another about Lessing, 1842, 1852.

Halbmillion, Jacob, a convert of the L.J.S. at Jerusalem, was afterwards house-father of the Wanderers' Home in London, under Dr. Stern, and then one of the first missionaries of the Mildmay Mission, zealously labouring in London and then in North Africa. He died in Morocco in 1888.

Hamburger, a convert in Holland, died in 1872. Da Costa delivered an oration at his funeral.

Händler, Rev. H. G., born in Warsaw in the thirties of the nineteenth century. In his youth he became distinguished for his Talmudical learning, so that the epithet Harif or Nilley (expert) was applied to him at that time. Gifted with a good memory, he easily acquired a knowledge of German, Polish, Latin, and Greek, and he compiled a collection of noble sayings in the Greek Classics. When quite a young man he came to London, and was converted to Christianity under the ministry of Dr. McCaul, Reichardt, and others, in Palestine Place. After four years at the Operative Jewish Converts' Institution he studied in the L.J.S. Hebrew College, and then laboured as a missionary in Breslau, and in Tunis. In 1873 he opened a school for Jewish children (mostly girls) at Cracow, and carried it on successfully for about ten years. In 1883, he was transferred to Vienna, where he had many tokens of Divine blessing upon his efforts. One of his converts has for many years been a Chaplain in India, and is still there. Händler assisted Professor Delitzsch in his translation of the New Testament into Hebrew, and 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.