English translation
Beirut, April 11, 1893
It is my painful duty today to inform you of the death of our dear brother Johannes Mayer. He died quite unexpectedly and quickly in Brumana on the 6th of this month; his earthly remains found their final resting place in the [Religious Society of] Friends (Quakers) cemetery there. Pastor Fritze from here gave a speech in German, and Brother Waldmeier in Arabic, in the Friends’ chapel, where they recalled the wondrous paths the Lord led our departed brother until He finally called him home to the upper Jerusalem.
Brother Mayer was one of the pilgrim missionaries sent from St. Chrischona to Jerusalem in 1854, and the following year to Abyssinia by Bishop Gobat, accompanied by Brothers Flad, Bender, and Kienzle. In Magdala, he met a young Wollo [Oromo] woman whom he chose as his life partner, and whom he now leaves behind as a grieving widow with five sons and three daughters after 33 years of happy marriage.
During the captivity of some Europeans under King Tewodros, he was in Abyssinia. Although he was not a prisoner himself, he shared the hardships and dangers of the others. Since he was fluent in Amharic, he devoted himself primarily to literary works. In 1868, he and all the other Europeans were taken by the English expedition from Magdala to the coast and on to Egypt, from where he went with his family to Jerusalem. He remained there for about a year, then the Chrischona Committee sent him and Brother Bender back to Abyssinia to resume missionary work.
He soon realized, however, that under King Yohannes [IV], there was little to no hope of achieving anything fruitful in Tigre [i.e., Tigray]. Therefore, he set out for Shewa, where Menelik, a king known and friendly to the missionaries, reigned [p. 76]. He suffered much hardship on the journey, but finally arrived at his desired destination and was kindly received by King Menelik. For several years, he worked through schools, teaching both adults and children, supported by Brother Greiner, who was sent to him from St. Chrischona.
Finally, the king appointed him administrator of Balli, a district in the southern Oromo region of Shewa. He served there for several years until King Yohannes, on whom Menelik was then dependent, decreed that all Europeans who refused to join the Abyssinian Church be expelled from the country. Thus, in 1886, Johannes Mayer and his family, along with the brothers Greiner and Gobaw Desta, were forced to leave. After a perilous and arduous journey, he returned to Jerusalem, where he remained for about a year.
From there, he moved to Brumana in Lebanon. For the first few years, he worked for the London Bible Society [i.e., the British and Foreign Bible Society], correcting the Amharic Bible. However, it soon became apparent that his extended stay in southern countries had taken a toll on his otherwise robust and vigorous constitution. Gradually, his physical and mental strength declined until, on the 6th of this month, both suddenly collapsed, hastening his death. He was still able to enjoy seeing his two sons, who had spent the last few years at Mr. Schneller’s institution in Jerusalem. He was quite cheerful with them the day before his death, and remarkably, on this penultimate day of his life, he had a clearer consciousness than he had possessed in a long time.
Now the faithful shepherd and bishop of our souls has called him home to rest from his long pilgrimage.
With warmest regards
W. Steiger
Note from the periodical’s editor: Brother Mayer’s three youngest sons have arrived at St. Chrischona to pursue further education.
- Web editor: It seems questionable whether Mayer’s youngest son, Adolf Jakob Mayer (cf. Sewasew), who lived in Germany, came to St. Chrischona for further education.
German original
Steiger, W. “[Brief] Aus Syrien,” Der Glaubensbote und Mitteilungen aus der Pilger-Mission 16 (1893): 75‒76. [Archive.org]