Mission and Revolution in Central Asia - Svenska Missionskyrkan
Mission and Revolution in Central Asia - Svenska Missionskyrkan
Mission and Revolution in Central Asia - Svenska Missionskyrkan
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The short <strong>Mission</strong> history <strong>in</strong> Eastern Turkestan will show how suitable this place was for<br />
mission work among Muslims. Of course results were never overwhelm<strong>in</strong>g, compared to<br />
mission work among other peoples, but <strong>in</strong> terms of mission to Muslims, it came to be<br />
successful. 41<br />
2. Pioneers<br />
When, on his explor<strong>in</strong>g trip, Höijer came to Kashgar he had <strong>in</strong> his company, among others,<br />
Johannes Avetaranian, who has already been mentioned above. He was a Turkish Muslim<br />
converted to Christianity. “Johannes the Evangelist”, as the missionaries used to call him, was<br />
born <strong>in</strong> Turkey. His father had been a dervish, i.e. a member of a Muslim mendicant order.<br />
His mother who was deaf, dumb <strong>and</strong> bl<strong>in</strong>d died when Johannes was two years old. At the age<br />
of 18 he also lost his father. By then he could however support himself as a school teacher <strong>and</strong><br />
Imam. As an Imam he had the right to lead the prayers <strong>in</strong> the mosque <strong>and</strong> to announce the<br />
hours of prayer from the m<strong>in</strong>aret. At that time he began to have serious doubts about his faith.<br />
By chance he then came <strong>in</strong>to contact with a prisoner of war, return<strong>in</strong>g home from Russia who<br />
had received a New Testament <strong>in</strong> Turkish, while <strong>in</strong> Russia. Johannes borrowed the book <strong>and</strong><br />
started study<strong>in</strong>g it with grow<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>terest. After some time it became clear to him that here had<br />
found the salvation he was look<strong>in</strong>g for. The change he underwent soon became visible for the<br />
Muslims around him <strong>and</strong> he had to leave his post as a teacher. He now devoted a whole year<br />
to the study of the Bible <strong>and</strong> he also started to preach his new faith. He was persecuted <strong>and</strong><br />
had to flee from place to place. F<strong>in</strong>ally he ended up <strong>in</strong> Tiblis where he came <strong>in</strong>to contact with<br />
the Swedish <strong>Mission</strong> <strong>and</strong> was baptized. Shortly afterwards he met with Höijer who took him<br />
along with him on preach<strong>in</strong>g tour <strong>in</strong> Armenia <strong>and</strong> later on to Sweden. In Sweden, he attended<br />
a <strong>Mission</strong> Course at the <strong>Mission</strong> School of Krist<strong>in</strong>ehamn. After that he returned to <strong>Asia</strong>. In<br />
Caucasus he met missionary E. John Larson, <strong>and</strong> the two of them started on a six months’<br />
mission trip. 42<br />
In the beg<strong>in</strong>n<strong>in</strong>g of 1892 he arrived <strong>in</strong> Kashgar, together with Höijer. When Höijer left,<br />
after only one week, Avetaranian stayed on alone. He spoke the language of the country <strong>and</strong><br />
his looks did not attract attention. Höijer was conv<strong>in</strong>ced he would be a good missionary <strong>in</strong> the<br />
new field. 43<br />
Shortly after Höijer’s departure the representative from the British <strong>and</strong> Foreign Bible<br />
Society for Southern Russia, Dr. Morrison came to Kashgar for a visit. He was both<br />
astonished <strong>and</strong> happy to f<strong>in</strong>d a Swedish missionary there. 44 In collaboration with the MCCS,<br />
Avetaranian was now employed by the Bible Society as an agent for sell<strong>in</strong>g Bibles. 45<br />
Morrison gave Avetaranian his best recommendation add<strong>in</strong>g that he “is an unusually zealous,<br />
amiable <strong>and</strong> competent worker <strong>in</strong> the service of the Gospel”. 46<br />
Avetaranian now employed a couple of poor boys. After some time one of them became a<br />
Christian <strong>and</strong> was baptized. Apart from that, Avetaranian led a life of solitude <strong>and</strong> isolation.<br />
Höijer writes about him <strong>in</strong> 1893 say<strong>in</strong>g “that he was nearly forced to leave Kashgar, but he is<br />
still there, rema<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g faithfully on his post”. 47 Sven Hed<strong>in</strong> got to know him <strong>and</strong> writes about<br />
41 Björk, 1965, p. 110. Et aliter.<br />
42 Palmaer, 1938, p. 109. Lundahl, 1917, p. 286 ff. Larson, 1919, p. 46, 54.<br />
43 Palmaer, 1938, p 109. Höijer counted on another one of his followers from the beg<strong>in</strong>n<strong>in</strong>g, Mnatsakan, to stay<br />
on <strong>in</strong> Kashgar. The Russian Consul advised him not to. Mnatsakan’s looks made people th<strong>in</strong>k he was a Jew, <strong>and</strong><br />
antipathy aga<strong>in</strong>st the Jews of the town was great. (Larson, 1905, p. 337 f.).<br />
44 Larson, 1905, p. 347 f.<br />
45 Canton Vol V, 1910, p. 46.<br />
46 Larson, 1905, p. 437.<br />
47 MCCS Annual Report, 1893, p. 77.<br />
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