Shortly afterwards two of the rabbis, Eliezer and Benjamin, known henceforth as Christian Lazarus Lauria and John Benjamin Goldberg, were baptized with two other enquirers, Isaac Paul Hirsch and Simon Peter Fränkel. The Rev. John Nicolayson, the head of the Society's mission, referring to the event, wrote: "It is not a small thing, that the apparently impenetrable phalanx of rabbinism at Jerusalem has thus actually been broken into; and two Jerusalem rabbis been incorporated into the restored Hebrew Christian Church on Mount Zion. How sore the Jews felt on this occasion you can easily conceive. They were, in fact, after all, taken by surprise, and felt sadly disappointed in having to yield up at last any lingering hope they might have had of their return."
Of the third rabbi, Abraham, Mr. Ewald said: "There was, indeed, something which marred my joy on that occasion, which was the absence of rabbi Abraham. For years had he been the faithful companion of rabbi Eliezer and rabbi Benjamin; he had the same convictions, but he could not leave his wife; the struggles between natural affection and spiritual blessings were too hard for him, and he returned." Ewald witnessed other interesting missionary events at Jerusalem, which had a great bearing upon the subsequent history of the Society; namely, the baptism of John Moses Eppstein, and the ordination of Messrs. Tartakover, A. J. Behrens, Sternchuss, Murray Vicars, and Henry Aaron Stern.
During the early part of his sojourn there, Ewald had the great misfortune to lose his wife, who died on January 16th, 1844. He brought his motherless children to London, but returned to Jerusalem in 1846, just after his second marriage. In the same year he published a "Journal of Missionary Labours in the City of Jerusalem, during the years 1842-4," which are exceedingly interesting reading, even after this lapse of time.
It is striking to note that at that time the Jewish population of Jerusalem was only 6,000, out of a total of 18,000; whereas the Jewish population now [1909] numbers 60,000, out of a total of 80,000.
Ewald was compelled to leave the East, owing to ill-health, in 1851, when he became the Society's senior missionary in London. He at once made his way into the hearts and homes of many Jews, and founded, in November, 1853, an institution for poor enquiring Jews, called "The Wanderers' Home." Such was its success that within five years 303 Jews and Jewesses had availed themselves of its benefits, no less than 150 being baptized; 76 entered the Operative Jewish Converts' Institution, and six went to the Society's College. In 1858, owing to lack of financial support, the Home was closed. It was, however, re-opened in 1860, and has, under Dr. Ewald's and successive management, been the means of influencing large numbers of Jews in a Christian direction.
Ewald's reports of his work are full of encouraging missionary facts. He was in labours "most abundant," both for the Society and the "Wanderers' Home." For nineteen years he was at the head of affairs, and at least forty Jewish families in London were brought through his means to faith in Christ. He was one of the ablest missionaries who ever served the Society.
In 1858 Ewald thus wrote of the work: "Certainly, mighty changes have taken place amongst those Jews to whom the missionary has not been debarred an access. If you go into their houses, you find on their table the Bible, the Old and New Testament, just as you see it on the table of Christians, and I have seen the authorized version of the Bible not only in private houses, but in the synagogue. When you converse with intelligent Jews, you soon observe that they have read the New Testament, and other Christian books and that they know what the fundamental doctrines of Christianity are, namely: the fall of man; the redemption of mankind through the Lord Jesus Christ; the atonement; the Deity of Christ; the doctrine of the Trinity, &c.; and they know also that every true Christian believes these doctrines. Then, much of the animosity towards converts has been gradually removed, by the number of Jews who have embraced Christianity. You cannot meet with many Jewish families who do not count among their relatives some converts. I have myself heard Jews defending their friends, not for having embraced Christianity, but from the alleged imputation of having embraced it through impure motives. The more Christianity gains ground in the Jewish community, the more will friendly feelings arise towards those of their number who conscientiously look upon the Lord Jesus as the Christ. Amongst fifty thousand Jews in England we reckon three thousand converts. In London alone there are eleven ministers of the Lord Jesus Christ who are converted Jews, preaching the Word of Life to perishing sinners, whose ministry the Lord owns by granting them many souls for their hire. These thousands of converts are as a salt in the earth, and through their instrumentality a work is carried on silently and quietly in this country. They have all acquaintances and friends, to whom they speak occasionally of the Lord Jesus; and thus true religion is spread among the Jews."
When, in 1870, Dr. Ewald, owing to increasing years, retired from the mission, he could thankfully look back upon a successful career, whether passed in North Africa, Palestine, or London. During his residence in the metropolis hundreds of Jews were baptized, out of some thousands instructed by him.
Dr. Ewald died at Gipsy Hill, London, on August 9th, 1874, at the age of 73 years.
Ewald published in 1856 a German translation of "Abodah Zarah" (Idolatrous Worship), the name of one of the treatises of the Mishnah, of the Tosefta, and of the Babylonian and the Palestinian Talmud, for which his University conferred upon him the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. A distinction which he valued still more highly was the degree of Bachelor of Divinity, which honour was conferred upon him by the Patron of the Society, the Archbishop of Canterbury, in consideration of, as the diploma stated, his proficiency in the study of divinity, of Hebrew and Oriental languages and literature; and also of his missionary labours and eminent services in the promotion of Christianity amongst the Jews.