Kiernander, John Zachariah

Kiernander, John Zachariah, a Swedish Protestant missionary, was born at Axtadt, Ostrogothia (now the laen Lindkoping), Dec. 1, 1710. He studied at the school of Lindkoping, and afterwards at the universities of Upsal and Halle. Professor Franke recommended him to the English Society for the Diffusion of Christian Knowledge. and he was sent to India in 1740. Here he labored zealously for sixty years, and acquired such reputation that the shah of Persia intrusted to him the Arabic translation of the Psalm s and the N.T. In 1767 he established at Calcutta a church, which was opened in 1770, but, as he was obliged to bear the expense almost exclusively himself, he was reduced to poverty. Kiernander was successively connected with the Dutch Church at Chinsurah, Bengal, and when that town was taken by the English in 1795 he was made prisoner, but afterwards permitted to settle at Calcutta. He died inl 1799. See Walch, Neueste Religionsgesch.; Acta Historico-ecclesiastica ; Asiatic Annual Register; Rose, New Biographical Dictionary; Hoefer, Nouv. Biog. Generale, 22:715. (J. N. P.)