Charles Henry Carter (29 October 1828 – 6 July 1914) was a
Baptist
Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only ( believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul com ...
missionary to
Ceylon
Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
. Son of Thomas Carter, a stonemason, and his wife Anne (née Thomson), Charles Carter was raised near
Leicester, UK. While working as a miller for an uncle, Carter was converted to Christianity. He was baptised at
Arnesby
Arnesby is a village and civil parish in the Harborough district of Leicestershire, England. Arnesby contains approximately 142 households with a population of about 357 (2011 census). The village is situated south-east of Leicester, on the W ...
by the Rev M. Davis. He began preaching and immediately gaining acceptance amongst the Baptists of
Leicestershire.
Studies and aptitude
He enrolled himself at
Horton College
thumbnail, 1937 sketch of the school
Horton College was a 19th-century independent Wesleyan methodist boys' boarding school, at Mona Vale near , Tasmania, Australia. Founded by Captain Samuel Horton in 1855, the College closed in 1894; and durin ...
in 1849 and applied himself with zeal to the study of
Hebrew
Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...
,
Greek and logic. Such was his academic prowess that he remained without peer during his studies.
He volunteered for service in India but his destination was altered to Ceylon. The change in plans was considered providential. His replacement for India perished in
Delhi during the
Great Mutiny. (
New Zealand Baptist 1914).
In addition to his Hebrew and Greek, Carter would become fluent in
Sanskrit,
Bengali
Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to:
*something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia
* Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region
* Bengali language, the language they speak
** Bengali alphabet, the w ...
,
Tamil
Tamil may refer to:
* Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia
** Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils
**Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia
* Tamil language, na ...
and
Pali
Pali () is a Middle Indo-Aryan liturgical language native to the Indian subcontinent. It is widely studied because it is the language of the Buddhist ''Pāli Canon'' or '' Tipiṭaka'' as well as the sacred language of ''Theravāda'' Buddhi ...
. His passion however, would always be Sinhalese.
Upon his arrival at
Point de Galle on 23 September that year, Carter set about learning
Sinhalese
Sinhala may refer to:
* Something of or related to the Sinhalese people of Sri Lanka
* Sinhalese people
* Sinhala language, one of the three official languages used in Sri Lanka
* Sinhala script, a writing system for the Sinhala language
** Sinhal ...
from a 12-year-old native boy. Such was his command of the language Carter was preaching to the natives in Singalese in four months.
Bishop Coppelstone,
Anglican
Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of the ...
Primate of India is said to have described Carter as the "foremost
Sinhalese
Sinhala may refer to:
* Something of or related to the Sinhalese people of Sri Lanka
* Sinhalese people
* Sinhala language, one of the three official languages used in Sri Lanka
* Sinhala script, a writing system for the Sinhala language
** Sinhal ...
scholar of this age". (
New Zealand Baptist 1914).
Missionary work
In 1855 Carter entered upon his work in
Kandy acting as Pastor of the Kandy Church. He also took upon missioning to the surrounding villages and coffee estates. While in service there Carter began work on a Sinhalese New Testament. In 1862 Carter was forced to New Zealand to recuperate from a throat condition. By this time his New Testament had been completed and by 1869 he had returned to Ceylon and had turned his attention to the Old Testament. By 1881 his health deteriorated again and he was forced to return to New Zealand.
Literary works
Extraordinarily Carter translated from the Greek and Hebrew texts, not the English. The Sinhalese work was done in vernacular language, that it could embody the divine message in a dialect that was understood by the people everywhere (
Lapham 1903). His works include:
*Sinhalese
New Testament 1855
*Sinhalese
Book of Psalms
The Book of Psalms ( or ; he, תְּהִלִּים, , lit. "praises"), also known as the Psalms, or the Psalter, is the first book of the ("Writings"), the third section of the Tanakh, and a book of the Old Testament. The title is derived f ...
1863
*Sinhalese
Old Testament 1869
*English – Sinhalese
Dictionary 1881
*Sinhalese – English Dictionary 1889
Later years
Upon his retirement from missionary life, Carter became Pastor of the
Ponsonby Baptist Church in New Zealand. He was the first president of the
Baptist Union of New Zealand
The Baptist Churches of New Zealand is a Baptist Christian denomination in New Zealand. It is affiliated with the Baptist World Alliance. The headquarters is in Auckland.
History
Several Baptists settled in New Zealand in the 1840s, but the firs ...
. While in retirement he compiled a Sinhalese – English dictionary and made the third revision of his Sinhalese
bible, alleged by some to be one of the finest biblical translations of the day (
New Zealand Baptist 1914). He also became a student of
hymnology.
Family
Carter married Hannah Morton on 16 June 1853. They had six children and a numerous grandchildren. A dedicated family man, Carter delighted in his grandchildren, and instilled in them a sense of Christian duty.
Books
* Charles Carter
A Sinhalese-English dictionary.Colombo: The "Ceylon Observer" Printing Works; London: Probsthain & Co., 1924.
Carter C, A Sinhalese-English Bible.
References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Carter, Charles Henry
1828 births
1914 deaths
English Baptist missionaries
Baptist missionaries in Sri Lanka
Translators of the Bible into Sinhalese
Translators from Greek
Translators from Hebrew
19th-century British translators
People from British Ceylon
Missionary linguists
New Zealand Baptists
19th-century Baptists