Ferdinand Christian Ewald (14 September 1802 – 9 August 1874) was a Bavarian-born English clergyman and

missionary A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group who is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thoma ...

. Ewald was born to

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

parents in

Maroldsweisach Maroldsweisach is a municipality in the district of Haßberge in Bavaria in Germany. Culture and sights * Alte Burg (Altenstein), the "Old Castle" * Altenstein Castle * Ditterswind Palace * Hafenpreppach Palace * Maroldsweisach Palace * ...

Bavaria Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...

, and baptized at

Basel Basel ( ; ), also known as Basle ( ), ; ; ; . is a city in northwestern Switzerland on the river Rhine (at the transition from the High Rhine, High to the Upper Rhine). Basel is Switzerland's List of cities in Switzerland, third-most-populo ...

when about 23 years of age. In 1829 he entered the service of the London Society for Propagating the Gospel Among the Jews, by which he was sent to

Tunis Tunis (, ') is the capital city, capital and largest city of Tunisia. The greater metropolitan area of Tunis, often referred to as "Grand Tunis", has about 2,700,000 inhabitants. , it is the third-largest city in the Maghreb region (after Casabl ...

in 1831. He proselytised assiduously among the Jews in

Algiers Algiers is the capital city of Algeria as well as the capital of the Algiers Province; it extends over many Communes of Algeria, communes without having its own separate governing body. With 2,988,145 residents in 2008Census 14 April 2008: Offi ...

, Tunis,

Tripoli Tripoli or Tripolis (from , meaning "three cities") may refer to: Places Greece *Tripolis (region of Arcadia), a district in ancient Arcadia, Greece * Tripolis (Larisaia), an ancient Greek city in the Pelasgiotis district, Thessaly, near Larissa ...

, and other large towns in North Africa until 1841 or 1842, when he accompanied as chaplain Bishop Alexander to Jerusalem. Here he remained till 1849, when ill health compelled him to return to London. He was largely instrumental in founding in 1853 the Wanderers' Home in London, an asylum for "doubting Jews and needy proselytes." In addition to reports on his missionary labors in North Africa and Jerusalem, he published a German translation of ''

Avodah Zarah ''Avodah Zarah'' (Hebrew: , or "foreign worship", meaning " idolatry" or "strange service") is the name of a tractate of the Talmud, located in '' Nezikin'', the fourth Order of the Talmud dealing with damages. The main topic of the tractate ...

'' (1856). The

University of Erlangen A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Univ ...

, of which Ewald was a graduate, on the publication of this work, conferred upon him the diploma of a

Doctor of Philosophy A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of Postgraduate education, graduate study and original resear ...

, and

Archbishop Tait Archibald Campbell Tait (21 December 18113 December 1882) is an Archbishop of Canterbury in the Church of England and theologian. He was the first Scottish Archbishop of Canterbury and thus, head of the Church of England. Life Tait was born ...

conferred upon him, in 1872, the degree of

Bachelor of Divinity In Western universities, a Bachelor of Divinity or Baccalaureate in Divinity (BD, DB, or BDiv; ) is an academic degree awarded for a course taken in the study of divinity or related disciplines, such as theology or, rarely, religious studies. ...

in consideration "of his uprightness of life, sound doctrine, and purity of morals; of his proficiency in the study of divinity, of Hebrew and Oriental languages and literature; and also of his missionary labors and eminent services in the promotion of Christianity among the Jews."

Publications

* * *

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ewald, Ferdinand Christian 1802 births 1874 deaths 19th-century Anglican clergy 19th-century German Lutheran clergy Anglican missionaries in Palestine (region) Anglican writers Christian missionaries in Tunisia Converts to Protestantism from Judaism English Anglican missionaries German Lutheran missionaries University of Erlangen–Nuremberg alumni