Henry Martyn 			October 20
Missionary
Henry Martyn was an outstanding example of the missionary zeal of the nineteenth century evangelical movement. He also had a flair for languages that enabled him to make a significant contribution to the church in India and the Middle East.
Henry was born in Truro in 1781 to a faithful church family of modest means. He was small and not robust, but he entered St John’s College, Cambridge, at the age of 16. He went through a period of personal turmoil, but reached religious maturity through the evangelical tradition, being especially influenced by Charles Simeon, the great evangelical organiser, preacher and pastor (see 12 November). Henry Martyn graduated in 1801 and became a fellow of St John’s College in 1802. He originally planned to be a lawyer, but under Simeon’s influence decided to seek ordination. He was also greatly attracted by the story of David Brainerd’s missionary work among the American Indians.
When Simeon was approached by an evangelical chaplain with the East India Company and asked to recommend additional chaplains, he suggested Martyn among others. Martyn, then a curate of Simeon’s, was accepted, and sailed for India in 1805. Evangelical chaplains with the East India Company at Calcutta had to contend with an indifferent British army and a business community intent on exploitation, quite apart from the problems of any mission to the Indians.
Martyn first lived at Dinapore, north-west of Calcutta. With his linguistic abilities, he was asked to translate the New Testament into Hindi and to supervise the Persian and Arabic translations. At the same time, he was involved in a heavy round of preaching and teaching in the mission’s schools. By 1810 he had finished his Hindi translation of the New Testament, which was regarded as a fine piece of work. For the Persian and Arabic versions he had the assistance of a Christian Arab, Sabat, but it became clear that these versions needed improving. In addition to his work on the New Testament, he translated the psalms into Persian and the frequently used parts of the Book of Common Prayer into Hindi.
Martyn was suffering from tuberculosis, and it was suggested that he go to sea. He elected to sail to Persia in order to improve the Persian translation there. In June 1811 he arrived in Shiraz in Persia. He completed the revision of the New Testament, engaged in dialogue with Moslem religious teachers, including a Sufi mystic, and maintained a lonely witness to Christianity. Henry Martyn left Shiraz in May 1812, hoping to revise the Arabic New Testament in Arabia. He travelled overland to Teheran and then Tabriz, but fell ill in Azerbaijan. He eventually decided to return to England to recuperate. He got as far as Tokat in Armenia and died there on 16 October 1812. He was buried by Armenian Christians. His life of devotion to the mission of the church made a great impression in Great Britain.
For Liturgical Use
Henry Martyn was born in Truro in 1781 and studied at St John’s College, Cambridge. There his acquaintance with Charles Simeon awakened his interest in missionary work. He went to Calcutta as a chaplain of the East India Company in 1805. He is remembered for his work in translating the New Testament into Hindi, Persian and Arabic, the psalms into Persian and parts of the Book of Common Prayer into Hindi. He went to Persia to revise the Persian translation. He suffered from tuberculosis and died in 1812 in Armenia on his way back to Britain.
Sentence
Proclaim God’s glory to the nations, God’s marvellous deeds to all the peoples.	Psalm 96:3
Collects
Merciful God,
you strengthened your servant Henry Martyn
to go to the peoples of India and the Middle East,
and with devoted love to preach the gospel 
and translate the Scriptures;
give us the courage to deny ourselves,
and by your grace to attempt great things for you;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Jesus, wonderful news of God,
you sent Henry to be your missionary in India;
make us as devoted as he,
and equally determined to present the gospel
so people can understand it.
Psalms	24	98
Readings
Isaiah 43:1-7		God has paid the ransom
Philippians 2:12-18		Our salvation in fear and trembling
Mark 1:16-20		To fish for people
Post Communion Sentence
In our own languages we hear then speaking about God’s deeds of power.	Acts 2:11