Haim Herschell 1807-1864
Two hundred years ago, in one of the most Orthodox Jewish communities in the world, a Jewish child was born who would excel as a scholar familiar with every facet of rabbinic religion but who would also become one of the most colourful figures in nineteenth-century English Evangelicalism and a founder of CWI.
Haim Herschell was born in 1807 in Strzelno in the Duchy of Warsaw, a French satellite state in Poland that had previously been under Prussian control. His parents were very pious. He was the fourth child in a family of ten boys and two girls. His earliest ambition was to be a rabbi and, along with the other boys of the town, Haim diligently studied the Torah and the Mishnah and Gemara. Later he moved to Berlin to study literature but there lived a decadent life, “like a Christian”, losing all faith in God and becoming cynical and worldly. He visited England for the first time on vacation but returned to Berlin in order to finish his studies before moving finally to London via Paris.
Haim was living in Paris when, poverty-stricken and miserable, feeling forsaken by God, he noticed that an item he had bought was wrapped in the pages of a book. His attention was drawn to the words, “Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted”. Entranced, he read the entire passage. He had no idea where it was from! A few days later he visited a friend and noticed a copy of the New Testament lying on the table, Curious, he picked it up and flipped it open. To his surprise, he found the very same passage that had interested him so much. Immediately he asked if he could borrow the book, took it home and began to read in it. At first he felt quite bewildered, and was so shocked by the constant recurrence of the name of Jesus that he kept throwing the book away. However, he determined to read it through.
Some years later, Ridley wrote of his studies in the scriptures and his walk towards the light of Messiah. The struggles of his soul and his increasing understanding of God’s mysteries are brought here in his own words:
When I came to the twenty-third chapter of the gospel of Matthew, I was astonished at the full disclosure of the nature of Pharisaism, contained in it; and Christ’s lamentation over Jerusalem, affected me even to tears. In reading the account of the crucifixion, the meekness and love of Jesus of Nazareth astonished me; and the cruel hatred manifested against him by the priests and rulers in Israel, excited within me a feeling of compassion for him, and of indignation against his murderers. But I did not as yet see any connection between the sufferings of Jesus and my sins.
… I was as much astonished as Nicodemus himself at the saying of Jesus: “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (ver. 3.) If He had told me to fast, to give alms, to go morning and evening to the synagogue, to repeat the prayers twice or three times a day, and that then I should see the kingdom of God, I could have understood it; but when told of a new birth, I was ready to exclaim with Nicodemus, “How can these things be?”
Christ’s explanation of the reason of His sacrifice, by a reference to the serpent lifted up in the wilderness, struck me very forcibly: “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.” (v. 14,15.) I had many times read the account of the brazen serpent, but had never understood its spiritual import before; nor perceived that it was the forgiving love of God that healed the poor Israelite, when his veins were filled with the poison of the serpent, and his soul defiled with the poison of sin. Christ here declared, that what the brazen serpent was to the wounded Israelite, He is to the perishing sinner, who feels that he is guilty before God.
This doctrine was so new and strange to me, that, instead of at once perceiving it was just such a remedy I needed, and intreating God to show me if all this were indeed true, I became more agitated and distressed; and feared that if I continued to read this book, I should be led away from the religion of my fathers. I therefore resolved to lay the New Testament aside, and devote myself to the study of Moses and the Prophets, and the Psalms. I therefore began to study the Bible with views and feelings very different from any I had experienced before.
I now viewed the Scriptures, not as a record of historical events, nor as the authoritative standard of Jewish law and theology, but as a portion of the mind of God, which He has graciously revealed for my instruction, — a revelation of His will, with which He sees it good I should be acquainted. When I read the account of the creation of man and of the earth, the question that arose in my mind, was: “Why has God revealed these facts; and what does He wish me to learn from them?”
…. The subtle enemy of man succeeded in his attempt to instill into the minds of our first parents a doubt of the love of God towards them: “Ye shall not surely die:” Unbelief in the love of God was the cause of the fall of man; had Adam and Eve believed that God loved them, they would have felt assured that all His commands were imposed for their own good; but, doubting this, their hearts became alienated from Him, and they were ready to act in opposition to His will. The outward act of disobedience was but the manifestation of an altered state of inward affection towards God.
The fatal deed was done, the rebellious will of man declared to the living God that it spurned His control; and forthwith misery and confusion entered into the fair creation.
I felt that my own condition was precisely that of Adam and Eve, when they sought to hide themselves from the presence of the Lord; I was in a state of alienation from the Being by whose mighty influence I was ever surrounded; and I felt that they and I needed one and the same remedy, — even perfect reconciliation with this omnipotent and omnipresent Being, ” the great, the mighty, the terrible God.”
I was much struck with the manner in which God has seen fit to detail what He said to the serpent, to the woman, and to the man. When I considered how completely every word pronounced against the man and woman has been fulfilled, I thought it certain that every word spoken to the serpent must have as full an accomplishment; and that as surely as the word of the living God is true, so surely shall the “Seed of the woman,” — shall some descendant of the woman, — “bruise the head” of Satan; that is, shall undo the evil which he has wrought in the creation of God.
The question that then naturally occurred, was: What must this seed of the woman do, in order to restore man to the state of happiness which he lost by the fall? And the obvious answer was: He must bring back the alienated heart of man again to rest its affections on God as the supreme good: He must so exhibit the love of God to man, as to draw forth man’s love in return. But here a difficulty arose: If this seed of the woman be merely one of the fallen race to whom this new revelation of love is to be made, if he is one of the alienated and rebellious sinners, how is he first to be raised out of this state; Where, and how, is he to acquire a knowledge of this forgiving love of God? Must he not be an intermediate person? (Job. ix. 33.)
It was impossible to conceal from myself that I was involuntarily portraying the character which Jesus of Nazareth assumed to himself. In spite of my struggles against them, these convictions irresistibly forced themselves upon me: Man is a fallen creature; his heart is by nature alienated from God; he cannot recover himself from this state of alienation; the promised seed of the woman must be a mediator between God and man; he must partake of the nature of both, and yet he must not partake of the sin of man ; and how can all this be, except by — I shrunk from adding — the incarnation of Deity in man; for I saw at a glance where this admission would land me.
Though I had thrown aside the New Testament, I could not get rid of the light I had acquired from it. It seemed to shed a radiance on every line of the Pentateuch, which I was now studying; making that clear which was before dark and mysterious; giving order and consistency to what had formerly appeared arbitrary and unconnected. It cannot be denied that the explanations of modern Judaism in regard to the sacrifices are far from satisfactory. Long before their appointment as a portion of the Jewish economy, even from the days of Abel downwards, they formed the chief part of outward worship. It is the blood that maketh atonement for the soul.” (Levit. xvii. 11.) Yet surely the blood of bulls and goats could not do this, unless it was connected with something of a higher and spiritual character! I was forced to confess that the view taken by Christians of the design and meaning of sacrifices is at least consistent and plausible. …
After some time spent in the diligent study of Moses, and the Prophets, and the Psalms, it occurred to me that my abandoning the study of the New Testament was very unreasonable. ” Why should I hesitate to read it?” I asked myself. “If I am sure it is false, it can do me no harm ; and if I am not sure it is false, is it not my duty diligently to examine if it be true?” I reflected that Jesus of Nazareth came to Jews, to people who must have had the same difficulties and the same prejudices as myself; so I resolved to give the question of the truth of Christianity a fair and a patient investigation.
…
The more I examined into the truth of Christianity, the more did the question appear to be narrowed into a small compass: Jesus of Nazareth was either the promised Messiah, or an impostor and deceiver. The New Testament is either a revelation from God, or an invention of lying and wicked men. After mature deliberation, I was forced to come to the conclusion that Jesus is the Messiah, and that the New Testament is, equally with the Old, the word of God.
But this conviction, so far from bringing peace with it, seemed at first to increase the trouble of my soul tenfold. All the hatred and prejudice with which I had been accustomed to view Christianity, instead of being subdued, were rekindled in full vigour; and my heart shrunk with aversion from that which my understanding was fully convinced was true.
One day I cast myself upon the ground and wept bitterly before the Lord, entreating Him to give me peace. I besought Him that He would give me to feel what Paul experienced when he said; ” Being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. ” ( Rom, v. 1,) Long did I continue my supplication ; remembering that Elijah, when on Carmel, sent seven times before he received the answer to his prayer; — but still no peace came. Suddenly these words of Jesus came into my mind: “Hitherto ye have asked nothing in my name, ” (John xvi. 24.) I cannot describe the reluctance I felt to pray in the name of Jesus; and yet I saw how inconsistent was this reluctance, with the belief that He is the Saviour of the world. The struggle of that moment can never be forgotten. At length I was enabled to cry out:” Lord, I believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Redeemer, and King of Israel, who was wounded for our transgressions, and bruised for our iniquities; for His sake have mercy upon me and give me peace.”
No sooner had I offered this prayer than my burden was removed; the peace of God that passeth all understanding entered into my soul; I felt that I was redeemed from destruction, that God loved me, that Christ had died for me, and washed me from all my sins in His own blood; that guilty and sinful as I was by nature, I was now “justified freely by grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.'” (Rom. iii. 24.)
The enjoyment of inward peace was soon followed by outward trial and affliction. I felt it right to inform my beloved relations of the change that had taken place in me. Those whose affections cling round their home, and who fondly remember the protectors of their early years, may conceive my feelings on receiving the reply to my communication, of which the following is an extract:
“Thou wicked one, may thy name be blotted out; thou hast united thyself with the assembly of the wicked. Thy father and grandfather, with all thy relations, will go together to the grave of thy sainted mother, and announce to her the sad tidings. Cursed be the day wherein thou, wicked one, seed of the serpent, wast born. Woe is me, for the Lord has afflicted me. Thy name shall henceforth be blotted out, and no more named by us; and may the hottest judgments of the Almighty fall upon thee, because thou hast forsaken the God of Israel, and joined thyself to idols.”
This was indeed bitter; but it was part of the promised inheritance. “In the world ye shall have tribulation. ” I could, from my heart, bless them who thus cursed me, and pray for them who thus despitefully used me.
****
In England, Herschell entered an institution for converted Jews in the East End of London and was eventually baptised. He married Helen Skirving Mowbray, a woman ten years older than himself from an upper class Scottish family. She had taken a deep interest in Judaism and the restoration of Israel and had already learned Hebrew. They were both ostracized by their families, moved to the poor districts of Woolwich and Camden Town and experienced hard times. They had five children, two of whom died young.
But Ridley was more and more used as a preacher and pastor to the local people. He felt called to be an evangelist, which was supported by reports of amazing conversion experiences as a result of his preaching. Herschell went on to become a national celebrity as well as a Christian scholar, a preacher, a pastor, a missionary and one of the founders of the modern messianic movement and of Christian Witness to Israel.
Ridley died 14 April 1864, while resting in the seaside resort of Brighton
Works
Herschell, R. H. (1842) Reasons Why I, a Jew, Have Become a Catholic, and not a Roman Catholic. A Letter in Reply to The Rev. R.W. Sibthorp.
— (1843a) The National Restoration of the Jews to their Fatherland, and Consequent Fulfilment of the Promise to the Patriachs. A Sermon on Hebrews 11:16 with a Preliminary Address by H.I.D., 1842
— (1843b) A Visit to my Father Land, Being Notes of a Journey to Syria and Palestine in 1843, London, J. Unwin, 1845
— (ed.) (1845-47) ישראל לקו The Voice of Israel. Conducted by Jews who Believe in Jesus of Nathareth as the Messiah2 vols
— (ed.) (1846) Psalms and Hymns for Congregational Worship
— (ed.) Jewish Witnesses; That Jesus is the Christ , London: Aylott & Jones, 1848
— (1848b) The Mystery of the Gentile Dispensation, and the Work of the Messiah
— (1856) A Visit to my Father Land, Being Notes of a Journey to Syria and Palestine. With Additional Notes of a Journey in 1854
— (1858) The Golden Lamp: An Exposition of the Tabernacle and its Services
A Brief Sketch of the Present State and Future Expectations of the Jews: In a Letter Addressed to his Christian Friends, 1842
Strength in Weakness. Meditations on Some of the Psalms in Time of Trial , London: Avery, 1860
letters to Eli Smith (34) Herschell, Ridley Haim, 1807-1864. Letters, 1843-1854. 1 folder. at Harvard archives
Sources
Bernstein, A. Jewish Witnesses for Christ. Keren Ahvah Meschichit, Jerusalem. New edition 1999.
Binfield, C. {1997) “Jews in evangelical dissent: the British society, the Herschell connexion and the pre-millenarian thread”, in M. Wilks (ed.) Prophecy and Eschatology Brewer, ISBN 0631190511
Burdon-Sanderson, G. (1891) “Herschell, Ridley Haim (1807–1864), dissenting minister”, in S. Lee (ed.) Dictionary of National Biography
— (1869). Memoir of Ridley Haim Herschell. London: privately printed.
Gartenhaus. J. Famous Hebrew Christians. Baker Book House, 1979.
Henderson, G. (2007). All Love – A Biography of Ridley Herschell. HTS Media. ISBN 978-0-9555304-0-1.
Jacobs, J. & Lipkind, G. (1906) “Herschell, Ridley Haim”, Jewish Encyclopedia, vol.VI, p.363
Stunt, T. C. F. (2004) “Herschell, Ridley Haim (1807–1864)”, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press
Sanderson. G. B. Memoir of Ridley Haim Herschell. Printed for private circulation 1869
Johnson, S.F., A Fisher of Men. Printed for private circulation 1945
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www.cwi.org.uk