Researches and Missionary Labours among the Jews, Mohammedans, and Other Sects

This 1835 account of Middle Eastern and Asian travels vividly reflects the zeal of a nineteenth-century Christian missionary.

In 1835, Joseph Wolff (1795–1862) published this extraordinary account of his recent travels through the Middle East and Asia. Though he met with limited evangelical success, his published work made him known to British readers. Having experienced robbery and disease, Wolff reflects the zeal of a nineteenth-century Christian missionary.Born in Franconia, the son of a rabbi, Joseph Wolff (1795–1862) was baptised in 1812. Educated in Hebrew, Greek and Latin, he later studied Arabic, Syriac and Aramaic in Vienna, and Christian theology in Rome before being expelled from the city for his heretical views. He came to England, became a member of the Church of England, and then embarked on his missionary work. Though he met with limited evangelical success, the books he went on to publish made him well known at home. Reissued here is his 1835 account of travels in the early 1830s through the Middle East and Asia, during which he experienced robbery and disease, journeyed through the Himalayas, and was hosted by numerous royal courts. This tale, exotic and extraordinary, is a remarkable source for those interested in nineteenth-century orientalism and Christian missionary zeal.