Schwarz, Charles, Dr

Schwarz, Charles, Dr., a German preacher, was born at Wreschen, in the duchy of Posen, in the year 1817, of Jewish parentage. Having passed the gymnasium, he entered the university at Berlin; and here it was that when twenty years of age, he openly professed his faith in Christ. He now betook himself to the study of theology; went to Halle, where he attended the lectures of Gesenius, Tholuck, Erdmann, and Julius Muller, and afterwards to Berlin, where Neander, Hengstenberg, and Twesten were his teachers. Having completed his studies, he offered himself to the London Jews' Society, was ordained by the bishop of London, and appointed for Constantinople. On his way to the latter city, he went to Pesth, in Hungary, where he stayed for about a year, in the meantime becoming acquainted with Dr. Duncan of Scotland. In Constantinople he only stayed one year, severed his connection with the London society, and entered the services of the Free Church of Scotland, which appointed him as a missionary to Berlin, where he labored from 1844 till 1848. From Berlin he went to Amsterdam, where he soon attracted the attention of Jews and Christians. The church which he built there soon became the nucleus of Christian life for the Whole city, and the weekly, which he issued under the title De Heraut, soon spread all over the Netherlands. His labors in Amsterdam were greatly blessed a circumstance which excited the hatred of the Jews, who boasted themselves of being the descendants of those exiles who came from Spain and Portugal, and who, in their fanatical ignorance, could not endure that some of their brethren should leave Judaism and become Christians. With incredible fanaticism they persecuted all converts. It was on Sunday morning, Aug. 1, 1858, when Schwarz had entered the pulpit to preach to about 1200 people, that while in silent prayer he was stabbed in the side by a young Jew, who had followed the preacher without being seen. For a long time his life was endangered, but he finally recovered. He continued for six years longer in his work at Amsterdam, when, in 1864, he exchanged the scene of his long labors for London. Here a large field was opened to him, in which he also labored till Aug. 24, 1870, when he was called to his rest. To Jews and Gentiles, Schwarz preached in English, Dutch, and German, and many of those whom he led to Christ are now ambassadors of the cross. See Friedensbote fur Israel, 1871, p. 33 sq.; Saat auf Hoffnung, 7, 383; 8, 80; Missionsblatt fur Israel, 1874, p. 83 sq., 92 sq. (B.P.)