Journal and Letters of the Reverand Henry Martyn

Henry Martyn was an Anglican priest, famed for his intrepid and innovative missionary work in India and Persia during the early 19th century. His detailed journals, arranged in tandem with his letters, offer readers a cogent and biographical narrative.


Born in 1781, Martyn showed intellectual promise at a young age and gained entry to the University of Cambridge. He began his journals and letter writing in 1801, when he was a student of some distinction at St. John's College. His marked ability to understand language and write at first led Martyn to consider a career in law. However, his destiny was as a man of God, serving in the faraway nations of India and Persia as a missionary. 


Among the first notable events in this journal is Martyn witnessing Charles Simeon, a renowned preacher, speak highly of a missionary in India. He told of great accomplishments; Simeon's narrative would change Henry Martyn's life forever. Although financial troubles in his family delayed his departure, Henry was eventually able to obtain a position of chaplain with the East India Company and set sail in the summer of 1805. 


The journal elaborates on the details of Martyn's life and contains poignant thoughts on subjects such as religious duty and the daily events and meetings the author had. Lengthy but seldom tedious, it is in the later passages - from 1806 onward - that the journals and letters become deeply interesting. The India of the time, its environment, peoples and customs, are described by the effusive young Henry as he establishes himself as a new missionary. 


Much of Henry Martyn's abiding legacy is in his translations of ancient texts to English. Intellectually curious and competent, Henry voraciously studied Urdu and Persian, and accomplished translations of the Psalms and scripture into these languages. His efforts brought him renown and favor in the Christian church, and distinction in his missionary work. 


Tragically, Henry Martyn died young at the age of thirty-one after contracting a powerful fever. The journal's final passages are emotional, as the young priest sits peacefully in an orchard and reflects on his life. Henry looks forward to meeting God, whom he addresses as 'my company, my friend and my comforter'.