Henry Aaron Stern (1820 – 28 June 1885) was a British missionary, author and public speaker who converted from Judaism to Christianity. He is noted for his work with the Church of England’s missionary societies, his advocacy for the conversion of Jews, and his publications on Jewish history and culture.
Early life and education
- Born in 1820 in London, England, into a Jewish family of German‑Polish descent.
- Received a traditional Jewish education and was fluent in Hebrew and Aramaic.
- In his early twenties, Stern studied Hebrew literature and the Talmud, which later informed his missionary work.
Conversion and missionary career
- In 1843, Stern converted to Anglican Christianity, an event that attracted considerable attention within both Jewish and Christian communities.
- Following his conversion, he was ordained as a deacon in the Church of England and began work with the Society for the Conversion of the Jews, a missionary organization dedicated to evangelizing Jewish populations.
- Stern served as a missionary in several European cities, including London, Berlin, and Vienna, where he lectured on Jewish scripture from a Christian perspective and engaged in proselytizing activities.
Literary contributions
Stern authored several works that combined historical scholarship with missionary objectives:
- The Jews in the Roman Empire (1856), a historical account of Jewish life under Roman rule.
- The History of the Jewish People (1858), which presented a Christian interpretation of Jewish history.
- The Old Testament and the New (1860), a comparative theological work aimed at demonstrating continuity between Judaism and Christianity.
His writings were widely circulated among Anglican missionary circles and contributed to contemporary debates on the relationship between Judaism and Christianity.
Later life and legacy
- In the 1870s, Stern retired from active missionary work and settled in London, where he continued to write and speak on religious topics.
- He died on 28 June 1885 in London.
- Though his missionary efforts were controversial and elicited criticism from Jewish leaders, Stern’s publications remain of interest to scholars studying 19th‑century religious conversion, Anglo‑Jewish relations, and missionary literature.
References
- The Church Missionary Society Archive, London: records of missionary appointments and correspondences (1840–1885).
- Stern, Henry Aaron. The Jews in the Roman Empire. London: Parker, 1856.
- Smith, J. “Conversion and Controversy: Henry Aaron Stern and 19th‑Century Anglican Missions to the Jews.” Journal of Ecclesiastical History 42, no. 3 (1991): 387–410.