John Eliot Baptized
John Eliot, known as the "apostle to the Indians," was baptized in the Anglican Church on August 5, 1604, in Hertfordshire, England. He pursued his studies at Jesus College, Cambridge, where his engagement with Puritan theology deepened. After earning his bachelor’s degree in 1622, Eliot began teaching at a grammar school in Little Badden under the Reverend Thomas Hooker, which reinforced his commitment to the Puritan faith. In 1631, he emigrated to New England, initially serving as a temporary minister in Boston before accepting a position in Roxbury, where he would serve for over 60 years.
Eliot's significant engagement with Native Americans began in the early 1640s, prompting him to learn the Algonquian language to effectively communicate his Christian beliefs. His first preaching to Native tribes occurred in 1646, and he made strides in translating Christian texts, including a catechism and the Bible, with the latter being the first Bible printed in North America in 1663. Despite the challenges he faced, including the disruption caused by King Philip's War, Eliot's work as a linguist and translator left a lasting legacy in both religious history and the study of indigenous languages. He passed away on May 21, 1690, continuing his efforts to connect with Native peoples throughout his life.
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John Eliot Baptized
John Eliot Baptized
John Eliot, later known as the “apostle to the Indians,” was baptized according to the rites of the Anglican Church at Hertfordshire, England, on August 5, 1604. Eliot is presumed to have been born a few days before, but the exact date of his birth is unknown. At the age of 15 he entered Jesus College at Cambridge University. There he excelled in his studies of the classics, and at the same time became increasingly convinced of the rectitude of Puritan theological teachings. After receiving his bachelor of arts degree in 1622, he accepted a position at the grammar school in Little Badden. His superior at the school was the Reverend Thomas Hooker, the Puritan who later founded the colony of Connecticut. Contact with Hooker helped strengthen Eliot's commitment to the Puritan way of life, and before long he decided to become a minister and to emigrate to New England.
Arriving in Boston on November 3, 1631, Eliot substituted as the town's spiritual leader during the temporary absence of its regular minister, John Wilson. Upon Wilson's return, the congregation invited Eliot to remain as its teacher, but instead he accepted a similar offer from the newly formed church in nearby Roxbury. For over 60 years Eliot served the congregation faithfully and during that time became one of New England's most respected ministers.
His duties in Roxbury brought Eliot into close contact with the Native Americans in the area, and he decided in the early 1640s to attempt to convert them to Christianity. Before this undertaking could begin, however, Eliot had to master the Algonquian language. In the absence of phonetic guides and printed vocabularies, this was no easy task. Undeterred, he studied the language diligently for several years under the tutelage of Cochenoe, a Long Island native whom the Puritans had taken captive during the Pequot War of 1637. By 1646 Eliot became sufficiently fluent to begin proselytizing.
Eliot preached to the native tribes for the first time at Nonantum (later Newton), Massachusetts on October 28, 1646. Although he began with a prayer in English, he conducted the major portion of the three-hour service in his listeners' own language. This initial effort was a great success, and within a short time Eliot had converted a number of natives. In addition to preaching and attracting missionaries and funds for future proselytizing efforts, Eliot sought to convert more natives by making Christianity available to them in printed form. In 1654 he published a catechism that served both to summarize Christian religious beliefs and to familiarize the native peoples with his written version of their language. In 1650 he began a translation of the Bible into an Algonquian language. Published in 1663, Eliot's Indian Bible was the first Bible printed in North America.
Until his death on May 21, 1690, Eliot's efforts to convert the native peoples never ceased. His success was definitely limited, and much of his work was undone by the bitter fighting during King Philip's War beginning in 1675. Regardless, Eliot's work as a linguist and translator during the early colonial period was significant.