Griffith John
Encyclopedia
Griffith John (14 December 1831 – 25 July 1912) was a British Christian missionary and translator in China. A member of the Congregational church
, he was a pioneer evangelist
with the London Missionary Society
(LMS), a writer and a translator of the Holy Bible
into the Chinese language
.
, in south Wales
. He was brought up a Christian in the Congregational tradition, and in 1840 at the age of eight was admitted to full membership of Ebenezer Congregational church, Swansea. When only fourteen he delivered his first sermon at a prayer meeting; at sixteen he became a regular preacher. He was subsequently trained at the Brecon Congregational Memorial College for the ministry, and then at the Bedford Academy.
In 1853 he offered his services to the London Missionary Society
and after two years' training was ordained in 1855 at Ebenezer, Swansea. That same year he married his first wife, Margaret Jane, a daughter of the Christian missionary, David Griffiths
. After ordination he offered himself for service in Madagascar
. But he was persuaded by the London Missionary Society to accept appointment to China, and the newly wed couple made the voyage to Shanghai
arriving in September 1855. Griffith John would serve in China for 55 years, chiefly in Hubei and Hunan.
An inveterate itinerator, John 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 Christian missionary work in Hupeh, Hunan
, and Szechwan. He set up schools, hospitals and training colleges, with a permanent base at Hankou
. In 1861 he went from Shanghai
through the provinces of central China, and he later claimed that with his colleagues he had established over 100 mission stations in Hubei (Hupeh) and Hunan. 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, Hubei and in 1867 Hanyang
.
John, fluent in both spoken and written Chinese, made a major contribution to the Church in China 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.
Mrs John suffered from ill health. In 1870 she and her husband left China for a rare visit to Britain; but In 1873 she died at Singapore during the return voyage.
In 1874 he met and married Mrs Jenkins, a missionary's widow.
In 1885 his second wife died.
In 1890 he became a founding member of the Permanent Committee for the Promotion of Anti-Opium
Societies. 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. 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.
Having acquired an intimate knowledge of the Chinese language and literature, John translated the New Testament and a great part of the Old Testament into more than one Chinese dialect. He made a Mandarin Chinese translation of the New Testament
, Psalms
, and Proverbs
, as well as a Wen-li New Testament, published in 1885.
In 1888 or 1889 he was elected chairman of the Congregational Union of England and Wales, but declined the honor and remained in Hankou among the Chinese whom he loved. In the Yangtze valley he founded a theological college for Chinese preachers, which bears his name. The University of Edinburgh
conferred on him the degree of D.D. (1889) in recognition of his service to the Chinese.
In 1905 John celebrated his missionary jubilee at Hankou. For health reasons he left China for a short time but returned in 1907. During a career spanning 60 years John left China only three times. He finally returned to Britain in January 1912, and died in London on 25 July that year. He was buried at Sketty in Swansea.
Congregational church
Congregational churches are Protestant Christian churches practicing Congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its own affairs....
, he was a pioneer evangelist
Evangelism
Evangelism refers to the practice of relaying information about a particular set of beliefs to others who do not hold those beliefs. The term is often used in reference to Christianity....
with the London Missionary Society
London Missionary Society
The London Missionary Society was a non-denominational missionary society formed in England in 1795 by evangelical Anglicans and Nonconformists, largely Congregationalist in outlook, with missions in the islands of the South Pacific and Africa...
(LMS), a writer and a translator of the Holy Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
into the Chinese language
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
.
Biography
Griffith John was born on 14 December 1831 at SwanseaSwansea
Swansea is a coastal city and county in Wales. Swansea is in the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan. Situated on the sandy South West Wales coast, the county area includes the Gower Peninsula and the Lliw uplands...
, in south Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. He was brought up a Christian in the Congregational tradition, and in 1840 at the age of eight was admitted to full membership of Ebenezer Congregational church, Swansea. When only fourteen he delivered his first sermon at a prayer meeting; at sixteen he became a regular preacher. He was subsequently trained at the Brecon Congregational Memorial College for the ministry, and then at the Bedford Academy.
In 1853 he offered his services to the London Missionary Society
London Missionary Society
The London Missionary Society was a non-denominational missionary society formed in England in 1795 by evangelical Anglicans and Nonconformists, largely Congregationalist in outlook, with missions in the islands of the South Pacific and Africa...
and after two years' training was ordained in 1855 at Ebenezer, Swansea. That same year he married his first wife, Margaret Jane, a daughter of the Christian missionary, David Griffiths
David Griffiths (missionary)
David Griffiths , was a British Christian missionary and translator in Madagascar. He translated the Bible and other books into the Malagasy language...
. After ordination he offered himself for service in Madagascar
Madagascar
The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...
. But he was persuaded by the London Missionary Society to accept appointment to China, and the newly wed couple made the voyage to Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
arriving in September 1855. Griffith John would serve in China for 55 years, chiefly in Hubei and Hunan.
An inveterate itinerator, John 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 Christian missionary work in Hupeh, Hunan
Hunan
' is a province of South-Central China, located to the south of the middle reaches of the Yangtze River and south of Lake Dongting...
, and Szechwan. He set up schools, hospitals and training colleges, with a permanent base at Hankou
Hankou
Hankou was one of the three cities whose merging formed modern-day Wuhan, the capital of the Hubei province, China. It stands north of the Han and Yangtze Rivers where the Han falls into the Yangtze...
. In 1861 he went from Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
through the provinces of central China, and he later claimed that with his colleagues he had established over 100 mission stations in Hubei (Hupeh) and Hunan. 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, Hubei and in 1867 Hanyang
Hanyang
Hanyang was one of the three cities that merged into modern-day Wuhan, the capital of the Hubei province, People's Republic of China. Currently, it is a district and stands between the Han River and the Yangtze River, where the former falls into the latter...
.
John, fluent in both spoken and written Chinese, made a major contribution to the Church in China 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 1874 he met and married Mrs Jenkins, a missionary's widow.
In 1885 his second wife died.
In 1890 he became a founding member of the Permanent Committee for the Promotion of Anti-Opium
Opium
Opium is the dried latex obtained from the opium poppy . Opium contains up to 12% morphine, an alkaloid, which is frequently processed chemically to produce heroin for the illegal drug trade. The latex also includes codeine and non-narcotic alkaloids such as papaverine, thebaine and noscapine...
Societies. Fellow committee members were prominent missionaries John Glasgow Kerr
John Glasgow Kerr
John Glasgow Kerr was a Presbyterian medical missionary to China with the American Presbyterian Mission.Born in Duncansville, Ohio, Kerr graduated from Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia. He went to China as a medical missionary and arrived at Guangzhou in 1854...
MD, American Presbyterian Mission in Canton; BC Atterbury MD, American Presbyterian Mission in Peking, Archdeacon Arthur Evans Moule
Arthur Evans Moule
Arthur Evans Moule was an English missionary to China. He was the son of Henry Moule, vicar at Fordington, Dorset, and was educated at Malta Protestant College and the Church Missionary Society, Islington College.-Missionary in China:...
, 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
Arthur Gostick Shorrock
Arthur Gostick Shorrock , a pioneer Baptist missionary in China for 40 years. Arthur was born in 1861 in Blackburn, Lancashire, England. He entered Spurgeon's College and as a student preacher took services at the Baptist Chapel in Wraysbury...
, English Baptist Mission in Taiyuan. 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.
Having acquired an intimate knowledge of the Chinese language and literature, John translated the New Testament and a great part of the Old Testament into more than one Chinese dialect. He made a Mandarin Chinese translation of the New Testament
New Testament
The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
, Psalms
Psalms
The Book of Psalms , commonly referred to simply as Psalms, is a book of the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Bible...
, and Proverbs
Book of Proverbs
The Book of Proverbs , commonly referred to simply as Proverbs, is a book of the Hebrew Bible.The original Hebrew title of the book of Proverbs is "Míshlê Shlomoh" . When translated into Greek and Latin, the title took on different forms. In the Greek Septuagint the title became "paroimai paroimiae"...
, as well as a Wen-li New Testament, published in 1885.
In 1888 or 1889 he was elected chairman of the Congregational Union of England and Wales, but declined the honor and remained in Hankou among the Chinese whom he loved. In the Yangtze valley he founded a theological college for Chinese preachers, which bears his name. The University of Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
conferred on him the degree of D.D. (1889) in recognition of his service to the Chinese.
In 1905 John celebrated his missionary jubilee at Hankou. For health reasons he left China for a short time but returned in 1907. During a career spanning 60 years John left China only three times. He finally returned to Britain in January 1912, and died in London on 25 July that year. He was buried at Sketty in Swansea.
Works
- John, Griffith (1907). A Voice from China London: James Clarke &Co. -University of Hong Kong Libraries, Digital Initiatives, China Through Western Eyes
Further reading
- W. Robson, Griffith John, founder of the Hankow Mission (5th ed., 1901?)
- R. Wardlaw Thompson, Griffith John: The story of fifty years in China (1906)
- G. John, A Voice from China (1907)
- H. M. Hughes, Dr Griffith John D.D. Arwr China (1914)
- Joyce ReasonJoyce ReasonJoyce Reason was a British author of missionary biographies and historical fiction for young readers.- Life and Works :Joyce Reason was born in Canning Town, London...
, Griffith John of China: A biography (Eagle Books, London, 1950) - Noel Gibbard, Griffith John: Apostle to Central China (Bridgend, 1998)
- Hudson Taylor & China’s Open Century Volume Six: Assault on the Nine; Alfred James BroomhallAlfred James BroomhallAlfred James Broomhall , a.k.a. A. J. Broomhall, was a British Protestant Christian medical missionary to China, and author and historian of the China Inland Mission .-Chinese roots:“Jim” Broomhall was born in Chefoo , Shandong, China, in 1911,...
; (Hodder and Stoughton and Overseas Missionary Fellowship, 1988)