This week in Christian history: Henry VIII dissolves popular abbey; 'Apostle to the Indians' baptized
John Eliot baptized – Aug. 5, 1604
This week marks the anniversary of when Puritan missionary John Eliot, who is best known for his extensive evangelism efforts among Native Americans, was baptized in England.
A native of Widford, Hertfordshire, Eliot was baptized as an infant at the Church of St. John the Baptist in Widford. In 1631, he moved to Boston, Massachusetts, then a Puritan-dominated colony.
For the next few decades, Eliot undertook extensive efforts to convert the local Native American tribes, with him eventually earning the nickname the “Apostle to the Indians.”
“Eliot learned to speak the Wôpanâak language fluently, and with the help of a Native American named John Sassamon, he translated the Bible into that language,” noted The Museum of the Bible.
“Tensions between Native Americans and English colonists erupted, leading to King Philip’s War in 1675. By the end of the war, nearly all copies of the Wôpanâak-language Bible were destroyed.”
