Thomas Barclay (missionary)

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Thomas Barclay
University of Leipzig
TitleM.A.

Thomas Barclay (

Formosa (now called Taiwan) from 1875 until his death. His ministry in southern Taiwan has been compared to the work done in northern Taiwan by George Leslie Mackay. He founded Tainan Theological College and Seminary in 1876.[1]

Early life

Thomas Barclay was born on 21 November 1849 in

Glasgow University a few weeks before his 15th birthday (his young age not being unusual in those days).[3] While there he excelled at mathematics and science, studying under Sir William Thomson (later Lord Kelvin) and earning a mention in the Encyclopædia Britannica for his authorship of a scientific treatise on "the Specific Inductive Capacity of Dielectrics".[4] He was the first student to graduate in the new Gilmorehill hall of Glasgow University, after which he studied at the Free Church Divinity College with his friends John Campbell Gibson and Dugald Mackichan. On deciding to become missionaries the three became known as the "Glasgow Three" (in reference to the Cambridge Seven) and went to Leipzig for further study.[5]

From Scotland to the Far East

While at the Divinity College, Barclay had met

Peh-oe-ji romanisation.[8]
Barclay married Elisabeth Turner, in England, in 1892.[9]

Written works

Barclay was also responsible for overseeing the translation of the Bible from English into Taiwanese, first the New Testament in 1916 and then the Old Testament in 1932.[8] Both volumes are still in print today, and have a reputation for elegance and accuracy, although due to both the passage of time and the fact that the church dialect is rather removed from everyday speech, the prose can sound strange to modern ears.

His other major contribution to the study of the language was the Supplement to Dictionary of the vernacular or spoken language of Amoy,[10] which accompanies Carstairs Douglas' Amoy-English dictionary,[11] in essence "completing" the work, which up until then had lacked a character index to accompany the romanised entries.

Averting disaster during the Japanese takeover

In 1895 the ailing

capitulation of Tainan were recognised by the Japanese by the award of a medal from the emperor.[12]

Death and memorials

Barclay is buried alongside several other missionaries in the Presbyterian section of a public cemetery in the southern part of

Tainan City. His congregation raised up a church in his honour - the Barclay Memorial Church, which still bears his name today. To honor his contributions to the city, in 2004, the Tainan City Government renamed the Park No.18 (十八號公園) the Barclay Memorial Park; the park itself won the FIABCI Prix d’Excellence Award in 2007.[13]

Gallery

  • Thomas Barclay's grave in Tainan
    Thomas Barclay's grave in Tainan
  • Barclay Memorial Park
    Barclay Memorial Park
  • Lintel above the door of the Barclay Memorial Church
    Lintel above the door of the Barclay Memorial Church
  • The Amoy Romanized Bible
    The Amoy Romanized Bible

Notes

  1. ^ "Introduction". Tainan Theological College and Seminary. Archived from the original on 22 May 2007. Retrieved 27 July 2008.
  2. ^ Band (1936), p. 4.
  3. ^ Band (1936), p. 8.
  4. ^ Band (1936), p. 8,9.
  5. ^ a b Band (1936), p. 10.
  6. ^ Band (1936), p. 18.
  7. ^ Band (1936), p. 23.
  8. ^ a b Klöter, Henning. "The History of Peh-Oe-Ji" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 May 2011. Retrieved 27 July 2008.
  9. ^ "The Taiwanese 台灣人 Tâi-Oân Lâng: Rev. Dr. Thomas Barclay 巴克禮 博士".
  10. hdl:2027/mdp.39015051950106
    .
  11. OL 25126855M
    .
  12. ISBN 9780028646046
    .
  13. ^ "Tainan's Barclay Memorial Park wins Excellence Award". China Post. 23 June 2007. Retrieved 6 October 2010.

References

  • Band, Edward (1936). Barclay of Formosa. Ginza, Tokyo: Christian Literature Society.
    OL 19206669M
    .

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