Even though the concept of
What did Rebmann have to show for his labour? Just a ‘modest visible harvest’ (p. 215), birthed amidst immense personal sacrifice in the Mombasa area. Marriage arrangements with his wife, Emma, were made through correspondence, and their lives together told the story of a great exercise of patience and faith in God. Interestingly enough, they lacked enthusiasm at welcoming visitors – they preferred to labour on without distraction (pp. 80–81). This story is, however, inextricably linked to the divergent personalities of Rebmann and his fellow-missionary, Krapf. His delight in serving with fellow German, Johann Krapf, in time waned due to irreconcilable differences, painstakingly documented by Paas.
Divergent views of how to evangelise the interior arose. Rebmann was convinced that before venturing into Africa, the proper groundwork in preparation for that ministry had to be laid. ‘Lack of preparation leads to failure’ (p. 98), a dictum Krapf did not seem to grasp or appreciate. To that end Rebmann, convinced that mission and linguistics are intertwined (p. 151), spent years compiling words from different languages laying the foundations of lexicography. From these labour emerged the Chichewa (Kiniasa) dictionary (p. 7); remarkably, this is a language spoken in the Malawi, Zambia, and Mocambique region, hundreds of kilometres from Mombasa, by some captured slaves in Mombasa. Glaring socio-politico obstacles such as slavery, magic and poverty had to be addressed first, he was convinced, otherwise the Christian faith would be seen to condone, or seem to lack sufficient answers to address these matters (pp. 70, 95, 115). Krapf was all for venturing into the interior, critical of the slow pace set by Rebmann. To name some examples: Rebmann favoured a probation of about two to three years before finally baptising converts of the small growing congregation (pp. 84, 95–96) at Kisuludini. Paas makes the breath-taking discovery that ‘[
By 1875 Rebmann was almost blind and worn-out. Accompanied by his faithful friend Isaac Nyondo, he arrived back in Gerlingen, Germany. There Krapf again entered into his life. Krapf brokered a marriage with Luise Däuble in 1876 for Rebmann and gained the blind man's trust. Rebmann died at the age of 56 years in 1876.
Krapf seems to have had almost unlimited access to Rebmann's manuscripts and here Paas really comes into his own. Paas takes exception to the unfair treatment Rebmann suffered at the hand of the ambitious Krapf, however well-intentioned (p. 152ff.). He challenges the usual perceptions of both Rebmann's and Krapf's actual accomplishments. Paas’ own work as editor of the Chichewa/Chinyanja Dictionary confirmed that the sources of its vocabulary showed that Krapf chose to use many of Rebmann's lists of words and their meanings (p. 145ff.). Paas showed that Krapf ‘took the liberty of cutting deep into the lifework of his blind friend’ (p. 146) and often neglected to give Rebmann due credit.
Although advertised as a biography the buyer or reader gets far more. This is a thoroughly researched book, dealing with personages and the politics and cultural tensions of the day. It is also a persuasive discourse of the influence of linguistics in missionary endeavour and of the enduring value of academic labour of the past. Paas’ occasional bias towards Rebmann is also probably accounted for by the passion that he has for linguistics and of the immense worth he ascribes to Rebmann's work. Finally, the book also serves as a warning to Christian workers about the debilitating forces brought about by conflicting personalities and the dangers of ambition. Steven Paas has done the Christian church and missiology a service in giving us this painstakingly researched account of Johannes Rebmann.
A minor typing error occurs on p. 89 –