Issachar Jacox Roberts

Issachar Jacox Roberts (1802–1871) was a Southern Baptist missionary in 19th-century China. Roberts was born in Sumner County, Tennessee, and graduated from Furman University, a Baptist school in Greenville, South Carolina. He was known for his erratic behaviour and "falling into difficulties with nearly everyone who worked with him", which cost his connection with Southern Baptist Convention.

Roberts was the only Baptist known to have influenced Hong Xiuquan (洪秀全, Wade-Giles: Hung Hsiu-ch'üan), the Hakka who led the Taiping Rebellion (1851–1864) against the Qing Dynasty which caused millions of deaths. Hong spent two months studying with Roberts at Canton (Guangzhou) in 1847. Roberts refused Hong's request for a baptism, perhaps due to a misunderstanding.

In 1860, Roberts left Canton for the Taiping capital at Nanjing. He was dismayed to find that the beliefs of the Taiping departed widely from his own Christianity, but nevertheless accepted a post as advisor to Hong Rengan, foreign minister at the Taiping court. While there, Roberts arranged for some Baptists from the United States to visit Nanjing and meet Hong directly. He left in January 1862 on board the British gunboat Renard following a dispute with Hong, accusing him of murder,[1] and was thereafter fiercely critical of the Taiping.

References

  1. ↑ Rapp, John A. (Autumn 2008). "Clashing Dilemmas: Hong Rengan, Issachar Roberts, and a Taiping "Murder" Mystery" (PDF). Journal of Historical Biography (4): 27–58.

Bibliography