Karl Gottlieb Pfander
Encyclopedia
Karl Gottlieb Pfander was born in Württemberg
in southern Germany
. His background lay in the Pietist wing of the Lutheran state church, with its strong tradition of disciplined Christian
living popular with evangelical craftsmen, tradesmen, and shopkeepers.
. At the age of sixteen he had already decided to become a Protestant Christian missionary
. In due course he was accepted for training at the newly established Evangelical Institute at Basel
in Switzerland. His studies there included the Arabic language
and the Qur’an, and during his first appointment with the Church Missionary Society, at Shusha
in Karabakh Khanate
, he quickly learned Armenian
, Persian
and Azerbaijani
. His wife died in Shusha a year after their marriage.
Pfander's genial, extroverted self-confidence equipped him well for the life of an itinerant evangelist, and his days were spent in the distribution of Christian literature and controversial discussion with Muslims
. In 1830 he joined Anthony Norris Groves
on his way to Baghdad, and for a year assisted Groves' efforts to establish a mission base and school there.
In 1837, the CMS appointed Pfander to Agra in northern India, and here, in 1854, he engaged in a famous public debate with leading Islamic scholars. The debate itself went badly for Pfander, and he decided to withdraw from it. The Muslim side was headed by Rahmatullah Kairanawi
and Muhammad Wazîr Khân
. The interest the debate aroused led a number of Muslims to read his literature and consider the questions that had been discussed. Some, such as the leading Sufi scholars and
theologians Imad ud-din Lahiz
and Safdar Ali
, professed conversion to Christianity.
In 1837 the CMS relocated Pfander to Peshawar
on the north-west frontier of India, where he continued his distribution of literature and his controversial discussions. At the outbreak of the Indian Rebellion of 1857
, he "went on preaching in the streets right through the most anxious time, when plots to murder all the Europeans were revealed by intercepted letters." That same year he received the degree of Doctor of Divinity from Cambridge University in recognition of his scholarship.
is the inspired word of God, neither corrupted nor superseded, and argued that the Qur’an itself testifies to the reliability of the Christian scriptures and the supremacy of Christ. He attempted to prove from the Qur’an and other Islamic writings some alleged fallibilities in Islam and its prophet, noting a historic contrast between the violence of Islamic expansion and the peaceable spread of the early church. The Mizan ul-Haqq stimulated a number of carefully argued refutations from Islamic scholars, followed by further writings from Pfander himself. It marked an important new phase in Muslim-Christian relations, when profound theological issues were addressed for the first time by recognised scholars.
In his history of the CMS, Eugene Stock described Pfander as "the greatest of all missionaries to Mohammedans." Temple Gairdner remarked that Pfander possessed the three great requisites for public controversy: absolute command of his subject, absolute command of the language, thought and manner of the people, and absolute command of himself. Samuel Zwemer defended his dogmatic and controversial methods, pointing out that Christ and his apostles engaged in similar public debate with individuals and crowds.
Württemberg
Württemberg , formerly known as Wirtemberg or Wurtemberg, is an area and a former state in southwestern Germany, including parts of the regions Swabia and Franconia....
in southern Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. His background lay in the Pietist wing of the Lutheran state church, with its strong tradition of disciplined Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
living popular with evangelical craftsmen, tradesmen, and shopkeepers.
Biography
One of nine children, the son of a village baker, Pfander attended a local school, and then grammar school in StuttgartStuttgart
Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
. At the age of sixteen he had already decided to become a Protestant Christian missionary
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
. In due course he was accepted for training at the newly established Evangelical Institute at Basel
Basel
Basel or Basle In the national languages of Switzerland the city is also known as Bâle , Basilea and Basilea is Switzerland's third most populous city with about 166,000 inhabitants. Located where the Swiss, French and German borders meet, Basel also has suburbs in France and Germany...
in Switzerland. His studies there included the Arabic language
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
and the Qur’an, and during his first appointment with the Church Missionary Society, at Shusha
Shusha
Shusha , also known as Shushi is a town in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh in the South Caucasus. It has been under the control of the self-proclaimed Nagorno-Karabakh Republic since its capture in 1992 during the Nagorno-Karabakh War...
in Karabakh Khanate
Karabakh khanate
The Karabakh khanate was a semi-independent khanate on the territories of modern Azerbaijan and Armenia established in about 1750 under Persian suzerainty in Karabakh and adjacent areas. The Karabakh khanate existed until 1805, when the Russian Empire gained control over it from Persia...
, he quickly learned Armenian
Armenian language
The Armenian language is an Indo-European language spoken by the Armenian people. It is the official language of the Republic of Armenia as well as in the region of Nagorno-Karabakh. The language is also widely spoken by Armenian communities in the Armenian diaspora...
, Persian
Persian language
Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
and Azerbaijani
Azerbaijani language
Azerbaijani or Azeri or Torki is a language belonging to the Turkic language family, spoken in southwestern Asia by the Azerbaijani people, primarily in Azerbaijan and northwestern Iran...
. His wife died in Shusha a year after their marriage.
Pfander's genial, extroverted self-confidence equipped him well for the life of an itinerant evangelist, and his days were spent in the distribution of Christian literature and controversial discussion with Muslims
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
. In 1830 he joined Anthony Norris Groves
Anthony Norris Groves
Anthony Norris Groves has been described as the "father of faith missions". He launched the first Protestant mission to Arabic-speaking Muslims, and settled in Baghdad, now the capital of Iraq, and later in southern India. His ideas influenced a circle of friends who became leaders in the Plymouth...
on his way to Baghdad, and for a year assisted Groves' efforts to establish a mission base and school there.
In 1837, the CMS appointed Pfander to Agra in northern India, and here, in 1854, he engaged in a famous public debate with leading Islamic scholars. The debate itself went badly for Pfander, and he decided to withdraw from it. The Muslim side was headed by Rahmatullah Kairanawi
Rahmatullah Kairanawi
Rahmat Allâh Kairânawî or Rahmatullah Kairanvi was a Muslim scholar and author. He is best known for his grand work, Izhar ul-Haqq.-Background:...
and Muhammad Wazîr Khân
Muhammad Wazir Khan
Muhammad Wazir Khan was the second ruler of the princely state of Tonk .He was the son of Muhammad Amir Khan whom he succeeded. During the Indian Rebellion of 1857 he allied himself with the British and repulsed rebels.-References:...
. The interest the debate aroused led a number of Muslims to read his literature and consider the questions that had been discussed. Some, such as the leading Sufi scholars and
theologians Imad ud-din Lahiz
Imad ud-din Lahiz
Rev. Mawlawi Dr. Imad ud-din Lahiz was a prolific Islamic writer, preacher and Quranic translator, who converted to Christianity. Imad-ud Din Lahiz wrote his autobiography in 1866....
and Safdar Ali
Safdar Ali
Safdar Ali, a convert from Islam to Christianity, was born in 1830 in the native state of Dholpur, and was the son of an orthodox Syud gentleman. Ali's father personally saw to his education which was deeply rooted in the religion of Islam but he also received instruction from other Islamic and...
, professed conversion to Christianity.
In 1837 the CMS relocated Pfander to Peshawar
Peshawar
Peshawar is the capital of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and the administrative center and central economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan....
on the north-west frontier of India, where he continued his distribution of literature and his controversial discussions. At the outbreak of the Indian Rebellion of 1857
Indian Rebellion of 1857
The Indian Rebellion of 1857 began as a mutiny of sepoys of the British East India Company's army on 10 May 1857, in the town of Meerut, and soon escalated into other mutinies and civilian rebellions largely in the upper Gangetic plain and central India, with the major hostilities confined to...
, he "went on preaching in the streets right through the most anxious time, when plots to murder all the Europeans were revealed by intercepted letters." That same year he received the degree of Doctor of Divinity from Cambridge University in recognition of his scholarship.
Legacy
Pfander's chief legacy to posterity is undoubtedly his book Mizan ul-Haqq (The Balance of Truth), modelled on the style of Islamic theological works, and attempting to present the Christian gospel in a form understandable to Muslims. He offered reasons to believe that the BibleBible
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...
is the inspired word of God, neither corrupted nor superseded, and argued that the Qur’an itself testifies to the reliability of the Christian scriptures and the supremacy of Christ. He attempted to prove from the Qur’an and other Islamic writings some alleged fallibilities in Islam and its prophet, noting a historic contrast between the violence of Islamic expansion and the peaceable spread of the early church. The Mizan ul-Haqq stimulated a number of carefully argued refutations from Islamic scholars, followed by further writings from Pfander himself. It marked an important new phase in Muslim-Christian relations, when profound theological issues were addressed for the first time by recognised scholars.
In his history of the CMS, Eugene Stock described Pfander as "the greatest of all missionaries to Mohammedans." Temple Gairdner remarked that Pfander possessed the three great requisites for public controversy: absolute command of his subject, absolute command of the language, thought and manner of the people, and absolute command of himself. Samuel Zwemer defended his dogmatic and controversial methods, pointing out that Christ and his apostles engaged in similar public debate with individuals and crowds.
William Muir writes
Works
- Mizan ul-Haqq
- Miftah ul-Asrar
- Tariq al-Hyat
- Remarks on the Nature of Muhammadanism