Birth: 1832
Home Calling: 1910
Native Place: Pennsylvania
Country: United States of America
Place of Vision: Syria & Lebanon
Henry Harris Jessup was an American missionary whom God used to rekindle the light of the Gospel in Syria and Lebanon. His parents nurtured him in the admonition of the Lord from his formative years. The thought of becoming a missionary first came to him when he was leading a missionary meeting at the age of 20. Then it occurred to him that it would be hypocrisy on his part to ask people to go for missionary work when he was not ready to go himself. Prayerfully he committed himself to serve the Lord in any place that He takes him.
Henry arrived in Smyrna in Syria in 1856. There, his ministry was founded on two questions, what good can be done? And by what means? And thus, began the ministry of establishing schools, Bible translation, preaching, and publishing Christian literature. Henry and his men, who were called ‘Bible Men’, were hated by the local Muslim Sheikhs. His life was under constant threat due to frequent wars between Christians and Muslims. The Muslims used to sing “Ma hala, Ma hala, kotlen Nasara!” Which means “How sweet, how sweet, to kill the Christians!” Amidst the death of several of his coworkers and believers, he stood his ground and served the Lord for more than forty years.
Henry played an important role in influencing many missionaries to pursue missionary work in Arabic countries. At home, he did all that he could to turn the people’s attention to the mission in Syria and the needs of the Syrians. Before going to Syria, he spoke to a large group of children in Newark and urged them to go home and write a resolution, “I resolve that, if God gives me grace, I will be a missionary.” One among those children was Dr. James Dennis, who is known to have done significant missionary work in Arabic countries.
Henry, a devoted humble missionary who took no credit for his accomplishments went to be with the Lord in 1910.
