- Alfred Edersheim
Alfred Edersheim (
March 7 ,1825 –March 16 ,1889 ) was aJew ish convert toChristianity and a Biblical scholar known especially for his book "The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah" (1883).Early life and education
Edersheim was born in
Vienna of Jewish parents of culture and wealth. English was spoken in their home, and he became fluent at an early age. He was educated at a local gymnasium and also in theTalmud andTorah at aHebrew school , and in 1841 he entered theUniversity of Vienna . His father suffered illness and financial reversals before Alfred could complete his university education, and he had to support himself.Conversion and Christian Ministry
Edersheim emigrated to
Hungary and became a teacher of languages. He converted toChristianity in Pesth when he came under the influence of John Duncan, aChurch of Scotland chaplain to workmen engaged in constructing a bridge over theDanube . Edersheim accompanied Duncan on his return toScotland and studied theology atNew College, Edinburgh and at theUniversity of Berlin . In 1846 he was ordained to the ministry of thePresbyterian Church . He was amissionary to the Jews atIaşi , Romania for a year. On his return to Scotland, after preaching for a time inAberdeen , Edersheim was appointed in 1849 to minister at theFree Church, Old Aberdeen . In 1861 health problems forced him to resign and the Church of St. Andrew was built for him atTorquay (which in the late twentieth century was converted into The Monastery nightclub). In 1872 Edersheim's health again obliged him to retire, and for four years he lived quietly atBournemouth . In 1875 he was ordained in theChurch of England , and wasCurate of the Abbey Church,Christchurch, Hants , for a year, and from 1876 to 1882Vicar ofLoders,Bridport, Dorsetshire . He was appointed to the post of Warburtonian Lecturer atLincoln's Inn 1880-84. In 1882 he resigned and relocated toOxford . He wasSelect Preacher to the University 1884-85 and Grinfield Lecturer on theSeptuagint 1886-88 and 1888-89. Edersheim died atMerton, France , March 16, 1889.Works
* "History of the Jewish Nation after the Destruction of Jerusalem by Titus" (Edinburgh, 1856)
* " [http://www.ccel.org/ccel/edersheim/temple.html The Temple and Its Ministry and Services at the Time of Jesus Christ] " (London, 1874)
* "Bible History" (7 vols., 1876-87)
* " [http://www.ccel.org/ccel/edersheim/sketches.html Sketches of Jewish Social Life in the Days of Christ] " (1876)
* " [http://www.ccel.org/ccel/edersheim/lifetimes.html The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah] " (2 vols.,1883; condensation in one volume, 1890)
* "Prophecy and History in Relation to the Messiah" (Warburton Lectures for 1880-1884, 1885)
* "Tohu va Bohu, "Without form and Void." A Collection of fragmentary Thoughts and Criticisms. Ed. with a Memoir, by Ella Edersheim" (1890)References
" This article borrows heavily from the New Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge, put forth in the public domain by [http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/encyc04/Page_75.html CCEL.org]
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