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Griffith John (December 14, 1831 – July 25, 1912) was a Welsh Christian Congregationalist missionary to China and a pioneer evangelist with the London Missionary Society (LMS). Early life Son of James Morrison a Scottish farm laborer and Hannah Nicholson an English woman who were both active members of the Scottish Presbyterian Church. Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings Protestantism refers to the forms of Christian faith and practice that originated in the 16th century Protestant Reformation. The following is a Timeline of the History of China. Between the changing of the dynasties, most dates overlap as ruling periods do not transfer immediately This timeline of Christian missions chronicles the global expansion of Christianity through a sampling of missionary outreach events Christianity in China is a growing minority religion that comprises Protestants (called 基督教 Jī dū jiào or Christ Religion) Catholics See also Christianity in China First Centuries Some Christian tradition suggests that St See also Christianity in China The second major thrust of Christianity into China occurred during the Thirteenth century. The history of the missions of the Jesuits in China in the early modern era stands as one of the notable events in the early history of relations between China and See also Protestantism in China China and the West were virtually unaware of each other’s civilizations until the nineteenth century Life Born at Pyritz, Pomerania, he was apprenticed to a Saddler in Stettin, but was able to secure admission to Padagogium in Youth and early work Taylor was born in Barnsley, Yorkshire, England, the son of a chemist ( Pharmacist) and Methodist The Lammermuir Party of 1866 May 26, 1866 &ndash September 30, 1866) !-->was a British Protestant Christian Virginia plantation roots Moon was born to affluent parents who were staunch Baptists Anna Maria Barclay and Edward Harris Moon The Cambridge Seven were seven students from Cambridge University, who in 1885 decided to become missionaries in China; the seven were Charles Eric Henry Liddell ( January 16, 1902 – February 21, 1945) was a Scottish athlete and Rugby Union international Beginning in 1807 with the arrival of Robert Morrison of the London Missionary Society and ending in 1953 with the departure of Arthur and Wilda Mathews of the OMF International (formerly Overseas Missionary Fellowship and before that the China Inland Mission before 1964 is an interdenominational The London Missionary Society was a non-denominational Missionary society formed in England in 1795 by evangelical Anglicans and The American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions (ABCFM was the first American Christian foreign mission agency The Church Mission Society, known as the Church Missionary Society in Australia and New Zealand is a group of evangelistic societies working with the Anglican Church American Presbyterian Mission was an American Presbyterian missionary society operated by the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America, Main article List of Protestant missionary societies Protestant missionary societies in China 1807-1953 See also Bible translations (Taiwanese The creation of Chinese Bible Translations began in the nineteenth century but availability only became widespread in the early Medical missions in China by Protestant Christian Physicians and Surgeons of the 19th and early 20th centuries laid many foundations for modern The Manchurian revival of 1908 was a period of spiritual renewal in the life of the Protestant Christians at churches and mission stations in Manchuria The following colleges and universities were originally founded by Christian organizations Colleges and universities Anglo-Chinese College Xiamen A List of Chinese Christian Hymn Books published between 1807-1912 The Romanization of Chinese is the use of the Latin alphabet to write Chinese Standard Cantonese is the standard variant of the Cantonese (Yuet language Opium is a Narcotic formed from the Latex (ie sap released by lacerating (or "scoring" the immature seed pods of opium poppies ( The Taiping Rebellion or Rebellion of Great Peace was a large-scale Revolt against the authority and forces of the Qing Government in China The Opium Wars ( also known as the Anglo-Chinese Wars, lasted from 1839 to 1842 and 1856 to 1860 the climax of a trade dispute between China under the Qing Unequal Treaties is a term used in reference to the type of Treaties signed by several East Asian states including Qing Dynasty China, late The Yangzhou riot of August 22 - 23, 1868 was a brief crisis in Anglo-Chinese relations during the late Qing Dynasty. The Tianjin Massacre ( Chinese: 天津教案 Pinyin: Tiānjīn Jiào'àn occurred in Tianjin in 1870 The Boxer Rebellion, or Boxer Movement, was an uprising by members of the Chinese Society of Right and Harmonious Fists against foreign influence The Xinhai Revolution or Shinhai Revolution ( also known as the 1911 Revolution or the Chinese Revolution, began with the Wuchang Uprising The Second Sino-Japanese War ( July 7, 1937 to September 9, 1945) was a major war fought between the Republic of China and the Talk People's Republic of China) PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA ARTICLE GUIDELINES Liang Fa (梁發 Pinyin: Liang2 Fa1 (梁發 1789 - 1855 was the first Chinese Protestant minister and evangelist. Keuh Agong or Kew Ah Gung, Kew A-Gang, Wat Ngong, Wat Angong or simply Agong (1785 &ndash 1867 was a Chinese Protestant Sun Yat-sen ( November 12, 1866 &ndash March 12, 1925) was a Chinese Revolutionary and political leader often Feng Yuxiang ( (1882&ndash1948 was a Warlord during Republican China. John Sung Shang Chieh ( aka John Sung ( 29 September 1901 – 18 August 1944) was a renowned Chinese Christian Wang Mingdao ( (1900-1991 was a Chinese Christian Protestant leader Allen Yuan Xiangchen (1914 &ndash August 16, 2005) was a Chinese Protestant Christian pastor Samuel Lamb or Lin Xiangao ( b October 4, 1924) is a Christian Pastor in Guangzhou, China. Swansea ( Abertawe "mouth of the Tawe " is a city and county in Wales. South Wales (De Cymru is an area of Wales bordered by England and the Bristol Channel to the east and south and Mid Wales and West Wales Events 1287 - St Lucia's flood: The Zuider Zee sea wall in the Netherlands collapses killing over 50000 people Year 1831 ( MDCCCXXXI) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Events 285 - Diocletian appoints Maximian as Caesar, co-ruler Year 1912 ( MCMXII) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year starting The Welsh people ( Welsh: Cymro ("Welshman" Cymraes ("Welsh woman" Cymry ("Welshmen/women" Cymry A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth Congregational churches are Protestant Christian churches practicing Congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently A missionary is a member of a Religion who works to convert those who do not share the missionary's faith someone who proselytizes. China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National Evangelism is the Christian practice of proselytisation. The intention of most evangelism is to effect Eternal salvation to those who do not follow the The London Missionary Society was a non-denominational Missionary society formed in England in 1795 by evangelical Anglicans and He was also a writer and a translator of the Bible into Chinese. Etymology According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, the word bible is from Latin biblia, traced from the same word through Medieval Latin and Late Latin
Missionary career
John was born at Swansea, South Wales. Swansea ( Abertawe "mouth of the Tawe " is a city and county in Wales. South Wales (De Cymru is an area of Wales bordered by England and the Bristol Channel to the east and south and Mid Wales and West Wales He studied for the Congregational ministry at Brecon College, Wales and Bedford Academy, England and was ordained in 1855. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Year 1855 ( MDCCCLV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common year That same year he married his first wife, Jane Griffith, a missionary's daughter. After ordination he offered himself for service in Madagascar. Madagascar, or Republic of Madagascar (older name Malagasy Republic) is an Island nation in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern But he was persuaded by the LMS to accept appointment to China and the newly wed couple made the voyage to Shanghai arriving in September of 1855. Shanghai ( 上[[wikt 海|海]] is the largest city in China in terms of population and one of the largest urban areas in the world with over 20 million Griffith John served in China for 55 years. Jane died in 1873. Year 1873 ( MDCCCLXXIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common
He was brought up a Congregationalist, and at the age of eight was admitted to full membership of his chapel. When only fourteen he delivered his first sermon at a prayer meeting; at sixteen he became a regular preacher, and was subsequently trained at the Brecon Congregational College for the ministry. In 1853 he offered his services to the London Missionary Society, and after two years' training sailed for Shanghai in 1855. An inveterate itinerator, he became well known for his extensive missionary journeys into the Chinese interior - journeys that sometimes stretched to 5,000 km or more. He was among the first to begin Protestant missionary work in Hupeh, Hunan, and Szechwan. Protestantism refers to the forms of Christian faith and practice that originated in the 16th century Protestant Reformation. ( Postal map spelling: Hupeh) is a central province of the People's Republic of China. ( is a province of China, located in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River and south of Lake Dongting (hence the name Hunan, meaning ( Postal map spelling: Szechwan and Szechuan) is a province in western China with its capital in Chengdu. John set up schools, hospitals and training colleges with a permanent base at Hankou. Hankou ( Wade-Giles: Hankow is one of the three towns together with Wuchang and Hanyang, which are included in modern day Wuhan, the capital
In 1861 he went from Shanghai through the provinces of central China, which he was the first Christian missionary to penetrate, and he claimed that with his colleagues he had established over 100 mission stations in Hupeh and Hunan. Shanghai ( 上[[wikt 海|海]] is the largest city in China in terms of population and one of the largest urban areas in the world with over 20 million In July of that year he had moved to Hankou, which remained his base until his final departure from China in 1912 although in 1863 he was in Wuchang; and in 1867 Hanyang. Year 1863 ( MDCCCLXIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Wuchang District ( is one of the three towns together with Hankou and Hanyang, which are included in modern day Wuhan, the capital of the Hubei Year 1867 ( MDCCCLXVII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting John, fluent in both spoken and written Chinese, made a major contribution to the Chinese church as author, translator, and preacher. A powerful and eloquent speaker, he was popular with the Chinese, who would gather in great numbers to hear him preach. He was notably successful in training and mentoring numerous Chinese evangelists. He was also a prolific pamphleteer, authoring numerous popular tracts and serving for many years as chairman of the Central China Tract Society.
In 1890 he was a founding member of the Permanent Committee for the Promotion of Anti-Opium Societies. Opium is a Narcotic formed from the Latex (ie sap released by lacerating (or "scoring" the immature seed pods of opium poppies ( Fellow committee members were prominent missionaries John Glasgow Kerr MD, American Presbyterian Mission in Canton; BC Atterbury MD, American Presbyterian Mission in Peking, Archdeacon Arthur Evans Moule, Church Missionary Society in Shanghai, Henry Whitney MD, American Board of Commissioners for foreign Missions in Foochow, the Rev Samuel Clarke, China Inland Mission in Kweiyang and the Rev Arthur Gostick Shorrock, English Baptist Mission in Taiyuan. John Glasgow Kerr (1824 &ndash 1901 was a Presbyterian medical Missionary to China with the American Presbyterian Mission. Arthur Evans Moule (1836-1918 was an English missionary to China. Missionary work in China Arthur joined the Baptist Missionary Society and went to China, firstly to Shantung. [1] They resolved to continue their opposition to the opium traffic, urging Christians in China to arouse public opinion against it. The desire of the missionaries that their ideas be carried out caused them to form “continuation committees” that were assigned tasks to assure that action would be taken on whatever matters had been approved by the conferences.
He acquired an intimate knowledge of the Chinese language and literature, and translated the New Testament and a great part of the Old into more than one Chinese dialect. John wrote a Mandarin translation of the New Testament, Psalms, and Proverbs, as well as a Wen-li New Testament, published in 1885. Psalms ( Hebrew: Tehilim, תהילים, or "praises" is a book of the Hebrew Bible (the Christian Old Testament) included The Book of Proverbs is one of the books of the Ketuvim of the Tanakh, and thus also one of the books of the Old Testament. Elected chairman of the Congregational Union of England and Wales for 1889, he declined the honor, remaining instead in Hankou among the Chinese that he loved. An unrelated American church of similar name is the United Reformed Churches in North America. In the Yangtze valley he founded a theological college for native preachers, which bears his name. The University of Edinburgh conferred on him the degree of D. The University of Edinburgh (Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann founded in 1582 is a renowned centre for teaching and research in Edinburgh, Scotland, UK. D. (1889) in recognition of his service to the Chinese. During a career spanning 60 years, John left China only three times, returning finally to England in January of 1912.
References
- ^ Lodwick, Kathleen L. Crusaders Against Opium: Protestant Missionaries in China 1874-1917 (University Press of Kentucky) Online version at Google Books [ISBN 0813119243]
Further reading
- This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition article "Griffith John", a publication now in the public domain. The Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition (1910–1911 is a 29-volume reference work that marked the beginning of the Encyclopædia Britannica The public domain is a range of abstract materials &ndash commonly referred to as Intellectual property &ndash which are not owned or controlled by anyone
- R. Wardlaw Thompson, Griffith John: The story of fifty years in China, London, 1906
- Noel Gibbard, Griffith John: Apostle to Central China, Bridgend, 1998.
- Hudson Taylor & China’s Open Century Volume Six: Assault on the Nine; Alfred James Broomhall; Hodder and Stoughton and Overseas Missionary Fellowship, 1988
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | John, Griffith |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | Missionary in China |
| DATE OF BIRTH | December 14, 1831 – |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Swansea, South Wales |
| DATE OF DEATH | 1912 |
| PLACE OF DEATH | |
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