The Reverend Volbrecht Nagel | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 3 November 1867 (1867-11-03) Stammheim, Grand Duchy of Hesse |
| Died | 12 May 1921(1921-05-12) (aged 53) Wiedenest, Germany |
| Alma mater | Basel Mission Training Institute |
| Occupation | Missionary |
| Known for | Pioneer of the Kerala Brethren movement |
| Spouse | Harriet Mitchell |
| Children | 5 sons, 2 daughters |
Volbrecht Nagel (3 November 1867 – 12 May 1921) was a German missionary to theMalabar coast ofIndia. Initially associated with theEvangelical Lutheran Church, he later joined theOpen Brethren, and is remembered now as a pioneer of theKerala Brethren movement.
Volbrecht Nagel was born on 3 November 1867 inStammheim (belonging to theGrand Duchy of Hesse). He grew up in a religious family, but lost his parents, Peter and Elisabeth, when he was eight years old.[1] At the age of 18, Nagel claimed to have beenborn again after hearing the gospel from a cobbler turned itinerantpreacher. With a desire to be a missionary, he moved toBasel,Switzerland, joined theBasel Mission Training Institute in 1886 and graduated in 1892. He wasordained in theEvangelical Lutheran Mission in 1893.
Nagel came toCannanore on theMalabar Coast as a Reverend in December 1893. He became the head of the Basel Mission center in Vaniankulam. The burden of running the schools and the small-scale industries of the Basel Mission in Vaniankulam became a stumbling block in his goal of independent ministry. In 1896, he left the Lutheran Church and Vaniankulam and went south without an aim. On his trip, he saw a prayer center inKunnamkulam and met Paramel Itoop, a new believer. He decided to start his work at Kunnamkulam, an ancient bastion of Christianity in India.
To be part of the local community, he learnedMalayalam. The community in Kunnamkulam received him as one of their own, as he wrote and spoke in Malayalam. On April 1, 1897, he married Harriet Mitchell,[1] anAnglo-Indian who was a teacher at Kunnamkulam. They had five sons and two daughters. One son and one daughter died in early childhood. Harriet Nagel died on 27 January 1935.[2]Whilst at Kunnamkulam he was able to help many people to become faithful disciples. Among them was a Syrian priest named Mammen.[3] A few months after their marriage, they went to theNilgiris and met the EnglishOpen Brethren MissionaryHandley Bird. The following June, Nagel was baptized by immersion by Bird atCoimbatore. In 1906, he started an orphanage and a home for widows at Nellikunnu nearThrissur City named Rehoboth,[1] which still stands today.[4]
In 1914, Nagel traveled back to his native Germany. His plan was to send his older children toEngland for education and return to India in six months, but the beginning ofWorld War I prevented his return. As a national of theGerman Empire, he could not enter British-administered Malabar, so he moved toSwitzerland. Harriet and three children were back in Malabar Coast, while the two older children were in England. The letter he sent to the assembly fellowship inParavur in 1917 reflects the hunger in his heart for souls in Malabar. That letter contained the following words: "My sweetest treasures are in India. My heart belongs there." But his desire was not fulfilled. He suffered frompalsy and became bedridden. While teaching atWiedenest Bible School, Nagel had a stroke and died on 12 May 1921 and was buried there. Harriet had been able to reach Germany and take care of him.
In 1898, Nagel wrote a book calledChristian Baptism. He wrote many songs and hymns inMalayalam that are sung even today by all Christian denominations. Nagel is regarded with great esteem by theMalayalee Christian community for all his work in bringing theGospel toKerala. He wrote an article called 'The visible church' which includes an account of his own conversion.[5]
Nagel's mother tongue wasGerman. He became fluent in Malayalam and composed hymns in that language,[6] which are still used in church services.
A few of the hymns in Malayalam and their translations inEnglish are given below:
Nagel's translations include: