(
This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923....)
This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. This book may have occasional imperfections
such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact,
or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections,
have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works
worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book.
++++
The below data was compiled from various identification fields in the bibliographic record of this title. This data is provided as an additional tool in helping to ensure edition identification:
++++
Miscellaneous Works
Jonas King
The Oriental Church: And the Latin (Classic Reprint)
(Excerpt from The Oriental Church: And the Latin
1. I bel...)
Excerpt from The Oriental Church: And the Latin
1. I believe, and do firmly main tain, that there is but one God, the Creator and Preserver of all things, and that he mysteriously exists in three persons, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost, to Whom be glory and honor and power for ever and ever. Amen.
About the Publisher
Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com
This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.
Jonas King was an American clergyman. He served as Professor of the oriental languages and literature at Amherst College from 1821 to 1828 and the United States consular agent in Athens from 1851 to 1857 and acting consular from 1857 to 1858.
Background
Jonas King was the son of Jonas and Abigail (Leonard) King. His grandfather, Thomas King, was an early settler and a leader in the political and religious life of Hawley, Massachusetts; his father lived a more retired life on his little farm near the town, carrying on the strict Puritan tradition in his home.
Education
Jonas acquired elementary education and later graduated from Williams College in 1816, and from Andover Theological Seminary in 1819. He spent six months in mission work among the Negroes and seamen in Charleston, South Carolna, where he was ordained as an evangelist by the South Carolina Congregational Association on December 17, 1819, and returned to Andover for a year of graduate work in 1820-1821. Precarious health, which more than once broke under the strain, and slender resources, replenished by intervals of teaching and preaching, only intensified his struggle for an education. He determined to study Arabic under the noted Orientalist De Sacy in Paris, with a view to future missionary work, and spent nearly a year there.
Career
In 1821 King was appointed professor of the oriental languages and literature at Amherst College and held the chair until 1828. About 1823 he received an appeal from his seminary mate, Pliny Fisk, to join him in the Palestine mission of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions, he accepted the call and himself raised the money for his support. After three active years in the mission he left behind him his famous Farewell Letter (1825), in which he set forth his reasons for not joining the Roman Catholic Church. This work, written originally in Arabic, was translated into several languages and exercised a wide influence. On his way home he lingered several months in Smyrna, in the home of a Greek family named Mengous, where he exchanged English lessons for lessons in modern Greek.
In 1828 he was persuaded by "The Ladies' Greek Committee of New York City, " a group of American Philhellenes, to take charge of a shipload of food and clothing collected for the relief of Greek sufferers in the war against Turkish rule, and to remain in Greece as a missionary. In 1830 he returned permanently to the service of the American Board. Moving to Athens while the city was still demoralized by wartime conditions, he purchased some land near the Acropolis, which he named "Philadelphia, " and began the construction of a home, school, and church. Part of this property was later seized for public use by the government, which denied compensation for many years. Puritan ancestry and home influence, an innate kindliness, a passion for learning, a flaming evangelistic spirit, a profound conviction of his calling, and an unshakable faith in his credo were factors which combined to make a life singularly consistent in its devotion to the missionary vocation.
His long service was crowded with activity. Besides translating a number of English works into modern Greek, he published in addition to the Farewell Letter already mentioned: Defence (1845), in Greek; Exposition of an Apostolic Church (1851); Speech before the Areopagus (1847), in Greek and other works. He planned with his pupil, Dr. Kalopothakes, a distinctively Greek Protestant Church, which was afterward realized in a permanent organization. Several times he acted as an unofficial agent between the United States and the Greek government, and on March 15, 1851, he was appointed United States consular agent at Athens, and served until August 18, 1857. Six weeks later he was appointed acting consul, his term lasting until the following March. In 1868 he served for a few weeks as vice-consul at Piraeus.
Among a people whose established religion was as dear to them as was the Greeks', it is not strange that his evangelical ardor, his positive and uncompromising theology, and his controversial books aroused opposition which at times amounted to persecution. He was the object of libelous articles in the press and was threatened with mob violence. He was tried in the Athens courts in 1852 on the charge of reviling the Greek Church, and sentenced to fifteen days' imprisonment followed by exile. Only one day of his prison sentence was served, and the sentence of exile was later reversed. An investigation of his case by George P. Marsh, United States minister at Constantinople, in 1852 and 1853, established the injustice of his trial and the justice of his land claims. The land claims were settled in 1855 through Roger A. Pryor. In 1863 King was anathematized by the Holy Synod of Athens and one of his books burned. Not long before his death, however, a reconciliation was effected between him and the Metropolitan Bishop of Athens.