[work in progress]
Introduction
The idea of a chain of mission stations to Austria and Southern Russia was brought up by Christian Friedrich Spittler in the late 1820s.
After his expulsion, Ludwig Krapf aimed at reaching the Ethiopian Oromos from Kenya. However, his plan failed. Krapf’s next idea was to link the work in East Africa with the American mission at the Gabon River in West Africa through a chain of mission stations, not least to stop the advance of Islam into southern Africa. This plan could not be realised either.
In 1846, Spittler’s friend, Samuel Gobat, was appointed Anglican Bishop in Jerusalem. In 1854, Krapf travelled with St. Chrischona missionary Martin Flad from Jerusalem to Ethiopia. Other St. Chrischona missionaries followed. In 1857, Spittler proposed in private to build a chain of mission stations from Jerusalem to Ethiopia.
In February 1863, Ludwig Krapf (who had taught at St. Chrischona in 1859/60) drafted the programme of an Apostles’ Road. It was submitted to the Mission’s Committee (i.e., Board) and accepted with some minor changes under the names of Spittler and Krapf:
German Original
Spittler and Krapf, 1863:
Source: Baumann, Apostelstraße, p.145-50
English translation
Map
(1) Alexandria: St. Matthew, active mission station from 1865-75
(2) Cairo: St. Mark, active from 1860-72
(3) Asyut: St. Luke, not implemented
(4) Thebes: St. John, not implemented
(5) Aswan (relocated to Esneh): St. Peter, 1866-68
(6) Korasca (??) [Sudan]: St. Andrew, not implemented
(7) Dar Elmahass (??): St. James, not implemented
(8) Edabbe (??): St. Philipp, not implemented
(9) Abutswill (??): St. Bartholomew, not implemented
(10) Khartoum: St. Thomas, 1864-71
(11) Abu Harras [near Wad Medani]: St. Thaddeus, not implemented
(12) Metemma [Ethiopia]: St. Paul, 1862-68 [under the leadership of Eipperle]
Further reading
Sources
Staatsarchiv Basel Stadt: Christian Friedrich Spittler-Archiv
- esp. PA 653a E. 1 Apostles’ Road
Literature
Baumann, Andreas. Die Apostelstraße: Eine außergewöhnliche Vision und ihre Verwirklichung. Gießen and Basel: Brunnen, 1999.