In 1842 the Norwegian Mission Society was organized. Schreuder went as its first missionary to southern Africa. He labored mostly among the Zulus, among whom he died in 1882. Many followed his example and went out to heathen nations to bear witness of Christ. The society later on began missionary work in the island of Madagascar, where it has established many large Christian congregations.
The Norwegian Lutheran Synods in America have also been engaged in mission work among the heathen, as follows: the Norwegian Lutheran Church of America has its field at Hupeh and Honan, China, with 70 missionaries and 873 native workers; in southeastern Madagascar, with 31 missionaries and 450 native workers; in Natal including Zululand, South Africa, with 8 missionaries; among the Indians of Wisconsin, with 2 missionaries; among the Eskimos of Alaska, with 3 missionaries. (The figures are for 1927.) The Norwegian Lutheran Free Church has its fields in southwestern Madagascar and Honan, China; the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (Elling Synod), among the Indians of Wisconsin; the Lutheran Synod of the Brethren, in Honan, China. In addition to these synodical missions, the Norwegian Lutherans of America have conducted independent missions among the Jews of Palestine, Russia and the United States, the Santals of India, the Nestorians of Chaldea, the Mohammedans of Kurdistan and the Negroes of the Southern States and the Soudan.
Both Catholics and Reformed have, during the last century, been energetic in missionary work. In 1926 about 750 Protestant Missionary Societies were in existence, carrying on missionary work amongst the heathen in every part of the world. Four hundred and fifty of these societies were working in Asia, 200 in Africa, 200 in North America, 110 in South America, 60 in Australia and the South Sea Islands.
The earliest Bible society was the Canstein of Halle, founded in 1712. The largest Bible society is the British and Foreign Bible Society, founded in 1804. It has translated the Bible or parts of it into many languages and dialects, and has distributed about 400,000,000 Bibles and New Testaments. There are also other important Bible societies, of which we shall mention two: the Norwegian Bible Society, organized in 1816, which has issued about 3,000,000 Bibles and New Testaments; the American Bible Society, organized in 1816, which has issued over 185,000,000 Bibles and New Testaments. In 1926 the Bible was translated into 800 languages and dialects. Of 10 million copies given away in 1926, China alone got almost 4 million copies.
The Gospel has never before been preached in so many countries as at present, but yet the prophecy is far from being fulfilled, that there shall be one Flock and one Shepherd. In 1927 the population of the world was 1,850,000,000; and of these only 683,000,000 were nominally Christians, while 15,000,000 were Jews, 209,000,000 were Mohammedans, and 943,000,000 were heathen.
[10. A Brief Sketch of the Holy Land]
The country known by the names of Canaan, Palestine, the Holy Land and the Promised Land is located in Asia, at the eastern end of the Mediterranean Sea, and not far from Africa. It is not far from Europe, and consequently very near the center of that part of the earth which was known to the ancients. It has an extent of less than six thousand square miles, being about one twenty-second part of the size of the kingdom of Norway. It has now about three hundred and fifty thousand inhabitants, but had formerly a great many more. When King David numbered the people, he found one million three hundred thousand who could bear arms. One-fourth of a population is generally considered able to bear arms, and the number of inhabitants at that time must have exceeded five millions.
The country is very mountainous. To the north, in Syria, is Mount Lebanon, ten thousand feet at its highest, and east of this is Mount Hermon. Lebanon was famed for its magnificent cedars. From Lebanon and Hermon two mountain ranges extend southward through the whole length of the country, one to the west, the other to the east of the river Jordan. Jerusalem lies two thousand five hundred feet above the ocean. The river Jordan runs two hundred miles from north to south, and divides the country into two parts. It flows through the Lake of Gennesaret, which has been and is yet very rich in fish, and empties into the Dead Sea, which is forty-five miles long and ten miles wide. The Dead Sea lies thirteen hundred feet lower than the Mediterranean Sea. The water has a bitter taste and is very salty. Neither animal nor vegetable life can exist in it. If a fish happens to stray from the Jordan into the lake, it dies. Such is now the condition of that plain which once upon a time was as the garden of Eden.
Palestine lies far south; its summers are therefore hot, and the winters mild. In Jerusalem, which lies at such great altitude, snow may occasionally fall in January and February, but melts immediately.—The land used to be very fruitful, producing grain, wine, many kinds of fruit, and had good pastures. In the Bible it is called “a land flowing with milk and honey.” Now it is entirely different. The country has through many centuries been badly governed, and the saying appears to be true that where the Turk sets his foot, grass will grow no more.—Of forests may be mentioned the Woods of Ephraim, where Joab slew Absalom. The cedar wood, with which Solomon ceiled the temple, came from Lebanon.—The camel was a beast of burden, and used mostly in traveling.—Of wild animals there were lions and bears, as we read in the stories of Samson and David.
The country was at first divided into twelve parts among the twelve tribes. Later on it was divided into the kingdoms of Judah and Israel. At the time of our Savior it was divided into four parts: Judæa, Samaria, Galilee and Perea. Judæa was the southern, Samaria the middle, Galilee the northern part west of the Jordan river; while Perea was east of the Jordan.