William Careys Theology - World Evangelical Alliance

52 William Carey’s Theology
“Perhaps this is one of the greatest barriers to conversion with which the
devil ever bound the children of men. This is my comfort, that God can break
it.” 262
In this he was in harmony with his fellow workers. So Ward insisted that
missionaries would dig the graves for missionaries and other Europeans.
Thus, they did a job which was even forbidden for members of the lowest
casts. 263
Carey’s achievements in translating the Scripture 264 and in preserving 265
Indian languages, 266 particularly his grammars, 267 are uncontested. 268 He
aided in doubling the number of Bible translations in the eighteenth century
from thirty to nearly sixty, and played a major role in keeping these
languages from dying out, by making them written languages.
262 . William Carey’s diary, quoted in Mary Drewery, William Carey, p. 79.
263 . According to S. Pearce Carey, William Carey, op. cit., pp. 223.
264 . Aalbertinus Hermen Oussoren, William Carey, Especially His Missionary Principles,
op. cit., p. 118, note 1, provides a table of the translations in the various languges
with dates of appearance. James R. Beck, Dorothy Carey. op. cit., pp. 168-170 mentions
six Bibles, 23 New Testaments and 10 parts as Carey’s own achievements. Mary
Drewery, William Carey, op.cit., pp. 155-158,192 lists six complete Bibles and 29
parts as Carey’s work. In cooperation with his team, he also completed 19 Bibles and
17 parts. See also Frank Deauville Walker, William Carey, op. cit., pp. 219-232; S.
Pearce Carey, William Carey, op. cit., pp. 385-394.
265 . See as example from a speaker of those languages Ramesh Khatry, “William
Carey – The First Publisher in Nepali”, Dharma Deepika: A South Asian Journal of
Missiological Research 3 (1999) pp. 41-44.
266 . E. Daniel Potts, British Baptist Missionaries in India 1793-1837, op. cit., pp. 79-
113 provides the most thorough information. See also E. Wallroth, “William Carey”,
Allgemeine Missions-Zeitschrift 14 (1887) pp. 97-123. On pages 114-116, the author
lists the translations. “Careys Verdienste um Literatur und Humanität.”
267 . Johann Schmidt, “Carlotte Emilia von Rumohr und William Carey,” op. cit., p. 45
mentions particularly the Marathi Grammar of 1805, the Sanskrit Grammar of 1806,
the Punjabi Grammar of 1817, the Karnatak Grammar of 1817, the Benali Grammar of
1818 and the Bengali Dictionary in 8 Volumes 1818-1830.
268 . E. Daniel Potts, British Baptist Missionaries in India 1793-1837, op. cit., pp. 81-89
provides a modern discussion of the value of Carey’s Bible translations. Potts also
discusses the value of his grammars and the work on Bengali texts on pages 79-113,
and describes the recognition of Carey’s efforts to preserve Bengali and his publications
of Bengali texts in books and journals. In 1830, William Greenfield, the renowned
linguist of Cambridge University, defended Carey’s translation efforts. See
William Greenfield, A Defence of the Serampore Mahratta Version of the New Testament,
London, 1830.