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Apostle to the Native Americans I had never heard of John Eliot and his contributions to the American Indian. His missionary minded work provided the translation of the Bible into the Algonquin American Indian language. His calling to the American Indian was realized in the state of Massachusetts.
John Eliot felt a Christian call to work with the American Indians. He had a vision that they were calling him to help them by sharing the gospel with them. Through his interest in Indian language and customs, he began to preach to the Indians in the state of Massachusetts. The Massachusetts state logo contains a picture of an Indian. The logo initially contained an inscription stating, “Come Help Us” indicating the Indians was requesting help. This inscription was taken from a Holy Bible passage found in Acts 16:9. This inscription recorded the belief that the Natives of Massachusetts were in need of help and this help in John Eliot’s estimation was the help provided by knowledge of the Holy Bible. The inscription was later removed from the Massachusetts logo. John Eliot had other notable accomplishments. He started the well-known and academically stringent school, Roxbury Latin. Founded in 1645 it has educated many students through the willingness of John Eliot to envision and bring to reality a school. Several churches in Massachusetts are named after John Eliot. In other words these churches include the name Eliot in their church name. John Eliot and his work with the American Indians in Massachusetts to form the “Praying Indians” live on today. Article by Cherokee Cloud Article posted January 29, 2007 |
