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A Wandering Jew in Brazil: An Autobiography
by Solomon L. Ginsburg
Solomon L. Ginsburg
A Wandering Jew in Brazil: An Autobiography
by Solomon L. Ginsburg
Solomon L. Ginsburg
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Overview
"One of the most widely known men in Brazil, he is called 'Pastor Solomon,' by multitudes." -T.B. Ray, 1921
In thinking of the missionary, most of us dwell upon the heroic self-denial he practices and the bravery with which he faces the gravest dangers. Certainly, the late 19th century Baptist missionary in Brazil is due a good share of such appreciation. He was called upon to endure shameful indignities, painful personal dangers and the enervating perils of a hostile climate. Baptist missionaries were beaten, stoned, thrown into streams, arrested and haled before courts, shot at and in many instances saved only by the most signal dispensations of Providence.
Such was the life of Baptist missionary Solomon Ginsburg, as detailed in his 1922 book "A Wandering Jew in Brazil."
Born in Poland, Solomon L. Ginsburg (1867-1927) was a Baptist missionary to Brazil for thirty-five years. With Erik Alfred Nelson, he founded the first Baptist church in the Amazon Valley. Gingsburg was born of wealthy Jewish parentage but when he converted to the Christian religion he was promptly rejected by his parents, who disinherited him. Being plucky and full of faith he found himself down in Brazil, and entered into service among the Baptists. Solomon fell in love with one of the missionaries and married her.
Gingsburg has written an autobiography of more than usual interest and has woven into it much about early Baptist missionary work in Brazil. The first two chapters describe the triumph of Christ in the author's Jewish heart and his thrilling experiences in London as a mission worker, while the remaining chapters cover his adventures in Brazil. The reader will not be disappointed. The remarkable fund of stories about his own missionary experiences and those of others give colorful vividness to the personal story. The human interest is intense. The testimony to the presence of Divine power is a most inspiring and uplifting message.
In relating an encounter with an angry mob, Gingsburg writes:
"Every time I would hold a meeting in the public square, this vile character and his drunken companions would come and howl in favor of the other religion. Of course, as long as he howled I could not preach, I had to keep quiet and would ask the believers to sing a hymn. Then he would come very close to my face and with a tobacco and alcoholic stench coming from his toothless mouth would begin to yell. Often I was tempted to try my knuckles on his face, but instead I asked the Lord to keep my fist quiet, for it was just that that they wanted. It would then give them the opportunity they were looking for to justify their attacks upon us."
Of his conversion of a gigantic former hitman named Hurculano, who invited him to his home to be robbed, Ginsburg writes:
"Little did I realize, being new in the field, the danger which I would encounter. I was soon informed that the place where this Brazilian was living was one of the most dangerous in Pernambuco—a veritable den of thieves and murderers and strangers that had ventured there were never heard from again.
"People who saw me pass watched with curiosity, and some with pity, imagining the speedy end. When we reached the small adobe hut, the home of Herculano, everybody inside seemed to disappear, his wife, his children, the dog and the cats—all seemed to fear his presence and fly for their lives. I could not help but notice the blood-shot eyes and murderous features of him whose home I had entered for the first time....He afterwards confessed to me that he was struggling with himself not to fall on me and strangle me—but that something, some invisible power, withheld him and would not let him move.
In thinking of the missionary, most of us dwell upon the heroic self-denial he practices and the bravery with which he faces the gravest dangers. Certainly, the late 19th century Baptist missionary in Brazil is due a good share of such appreciation. He was called upon to endure shameful indignities, painful personal dangers and the enervating perils of a hostile climate. Baptist missionaries were beaten, stoned, thrown into streams, arrested and haled before courts, shot at and in many instances saved only by the most signal dispensations of Providence.
Such was the life of Baptist missionary Solomon Ginsburg, as detailed in his 1922 book "A Wandering Jew in Brazil."
Born in Poland, Solomon L. Ginsburg (1867-1927) was a Baptist missionary to Brazil for thirty-five years. With Erik Alfred Nelson, he founded the first Baptist church in the Amazon Valley. Gingsburg was born of wealthy Jewish parentage but when he converted to the Christian religion he was promptly rejected by his parents, who disinherited him. Being plucky and full of faith he found himself down in Brazil, and entered into service among the Baptists. Solomon fell in love with one of the missionaries and married her.
Gingsburg has written an autobiography of more than usual interest and has woven into it much about early Baptist missionary work in Brazil. The first two chapters describe the triumph of Christ in the author's Jewish heart and his thrilling experiences in London as a mission worker, while the remaining chapters cover his adventures in Brazil. The reader will not be disappointed. The remarkable fund of stories about his own missionary experiences and those of others give colorful vividness to the personal story. The human interest is intense. The testimony to the presence of Divine power is a most inspiring and uplifting message.
In relating an encounter with an angry mob, Gingsburg writes:
"Every time I would hold a meeting in the public square, this vile character and his drunken companions would come and howl in favor of the other religion. Of course, as long as he howled I could not preach, I had to keep quiet and would ask the believers to sing a hymn. Then he would come very close to my face and with a tobacco and alcoholic stench coming from his toothless mouth would begin to yell. Often I was tempted to try my knuckles on his face, but instead I asked the Lord to keep my fist quiet, for it was just that that they wanted. It would then give them the opportunity they were looking for to justify their attacks upon us."
Of his conversion of a gigantic former hitman named Hurculano, who invited him to his home to be robbed, Ginsburg writes:
"Little did I realize, being new in the field, the danger which I would encounter. I was soon informed that the place where this Brazilian was living was one of the most dangerous in Pernambuco—a veritable den of thieves and murderers and strangers that had ventured there were never heard from again.
"People who saw me pass watched with curiosity, and some with pity, imagining the speedy end. When we reached the small adobe hut, the home of Herculano, everybody inside seemed to disappear, his wife, his children, the dog and the cats—all seemed to fear his presence and fly for their lives. I could not help but notice the blood-shot eyes and murderous features of him whose home I had entered for the first time....He afterwards confessed to me that he was struggling with himself not to fall on me and strangle me—but that something, some invisible power, withheld him and would not let him move.
Product Details
| BN ID: | 2940185745106 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Far West Travel Adventure |
| Publication date: | 08/18/2022 |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| File size: | 801 KB |
About the Author
Born in Poland, Solomon L. Ginsburg (1867-1927) was a Baptist missionary to Brazil for thirty-five years. With Erik Alfred Nelson, he founded the first Baptist church in the Amazon Valley. Gingsburg was born of wealthy Jewish parentage but when he converted to the Christian religion he was promptly rejected by his parents, who disinherited him. Being plucky and full of faith he found himself down in Brazil, and entered into service among the Baptists. Solomon fell in love with one of the missionaries and married her.
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