Charles Henry Carter
Encyclopedia
Charles Henry Carter was a Baptist
missionary
to Ceylon. Son of Thomas Carter, a stonemason, and his wife Anne (née Thomson), Charles Carter was raised near Leicester
, UK. While working as a miller for an uncle, Carter was converted to Christianity. He was baptised at Arnesby
by the Rev M. Davis. He began preaching and immediately gaining acceptance amongst the Baptists of Leicestershire
.
and logic. Such was his academic prowess that he remained without peer during his studies.
He volunteered for service in India
but his destination was altered to Ceylon. The change in plans was considered providential. His replacement for India perished in Delhi
during the Great Mutiny. (New Zealand Baptist 1914).
In addition to his Hebrew and Greek, Carter would become fluent in Sanskrit
, Bengali
, Tamil
and Pali
. His passion however, would always be Sinhalese.
Upon his arrival at Point de Galle on September 23 of that year, Carter set about learning Sinhalese from a 12 year old native boy. Such was his command of the language Carter was preaching to the natives in Singalese in four months.
Bishop Coppelstone, Anglican Primate
of India
is said to have described Carter as the "foremost Sinhalese scholar of this age". (New Zealand Baptist 1914).
acting as Pastor of the Kandy Church. He also took upon missioning to the surrounding villages and coffee estates. While in service there Carter began work on a Sinhalese New Testament. In 1862 Carter was forced to New Zealand
to recuperate from a throat condition. By this time his New Testament had been completed and by 1869 he had returned to Ceylon and had turned his attention to the Old Testament. By 1881 his health deteriorated again and he was forced to return to New Zealand.
. While in retirement he compiled a Sinhalese – English dictionary and made the third revision of his Sinhalese bible
, alleged by some to be one of the finest biblical translations of the day(New Zealand Baptist 1914). He also became a student of hymnology
.
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
missionary
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
to Ceylon. Son of Thomas Carter, a stonemason, and his wife Anne (née Thomson), Charles Carter was raised near Leicester
Leicester
Leicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
, UK. While working as a miller for an uncle, Carter was converted to Christianity. He was baptised at Arnesby
Arnesby
Arnesby is a village and civil parish in the Harborough district of Leicestershire, England. According to the 2001 census the parish had a population of 343. The village is south of Leicester, on the Welford Road, between Kilby and Shearsby....
by the Rev M. Davis. He began preaching and immediately gaining acceptance amongst the Baptists of Leicestershire
Leicestershire
Leicestershire is a landlocked county in the English Midlands. It takes its name from the heavily populated City of Leicester, traditionally its administrative centre, although the City of Leicester unitary authority is today administered separately from the rest of Leicestershire...
.
Studies and Aptitude
He enrolled himself at Horton College in 1849 and applied himself with zeal to the study of Hebrew, GreekGreek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
and logic. Such was his academic prowess that he remained without peer during his studies.
He volunteered for service in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
but his destination was altered to Ceylon. The change in plans was considered providential. His replacement for India perished in Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
during the Great Mutiny. (New Zealand Baptist 1914).
In addition to his Hebrew and Greek, Carter would become fluent in Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
, Bengali
Bengali language
Bengali or Bangla is an eastern Indo-Aryan language. It is native to the region of eastern South Asia known as Bengal, which comprises present day Bangladesh, the Indian state of West Bengal, and parts of the Indian states of Tripura and Assam. It is written with the Bengali script...
, Tamil
Tamil language
Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
and Pali
Páli
- External links :* *...
. His passion however, would always be Sinhalese.
Upon his arrival at Point de Galle on September 23 of that year, Carter set about learning Sinhalese from a 12 year old native boy. Such was his command of the language Carter was preaching to the natives in Singalese in four months.
Bishop Coppelstone, Anglican Primate
Primate
A primate is a mammal of the order Primates , which contains prosimians and simians. Primates arose from ancestors that lived in the trees of tropical forests; many primate characteristics represent adaptations to life in this challenging three-dimensional environment...
of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
is said to have described Carter as the "foremost Sinhalese scholar of this age". (New Zealand Baptist 1914).
Missionary Work
In 1855 Carter entered upon his work in KandyKandy
Kandy is a city in the center of Sri Lanka. It was the last capital of the ancient kings' era of Sri Lanka. The city lies in the midst of hills in the Kandy plateau, which crosses an area of tropical plantations, mainly tea. Kandy is one of the most scenic cities in Sri Lanka; it is both an...
acting as Pastor of the Kandy Church. He also took upon missioning to the surrounding villages and coffee estates. While in service there Carter began work on a Sinhalese New Testament. In 1862 Carter was forced to New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
to recuperate from a throat condition. By this time his New Testament had been completed and by 1869 he had returned to Ceylon and had turned his attention to the Old Testament. By 1881 his health deteriorated again and he was forced to return to New Zealand.
Literary works
Extraordinarily Carter translated from the Greek and Hebrew texts, not the English. The Sinhalese work was done in vernacular language, that it could embody the divine message in a dialect that was understood by the people everywhere.(Lapham 1903). His works include:- Sinhalese New TestamentNew TestamentThe New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
1855 - Sinhalese Book of Psalms 1863
- Sinhalese Old TestamentOld TestamentThe Old Testament, of which Christians hold different views, is a Christian term for the religious writings of ancient Israel held sacred and inspired by Christians which overlaps with the 24-book canon of the Masoretic Text of Judaism...
1869 - English – Sinhalese DictionaryDictionaryA dictionary is a collection of words in one or more specific languages, often listed alphabetically, with usage information, definitions, etymologies, phonetics, pronunciations, and other information; or a book of words in one language with their equivalents in another, also known as a lexicon...
1881 - Sinhalese – English Dictionary 1889
Later years
Upon his retirement from missionary life, Carter became Pastor of the Ponsonby Baptist Church in New Zealand. He was the first president of the Baptist Union of New ZealandBaptist Union of New Zealand
The Baptist Union of New Zealand is an association of Baptist churches in the country of New Zealand.Several Baptists settled in New Zealand in the 1840s, but the first Baptist minister, Decimus Dolamore from Yorkshire, England, did not arrive until May 1851...
. While in retirement he compiled a Sinhalese – English dictionary and made the third revision of his Sinhalese bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
, alleged by some to be one of the finest biblical translations of the day(New Zealand Baptist 1914). He also became a student of hymnology
Hymnology
Hymnology is the scholarly study of religious song, or the hymn, in its many aspects, with particular focus on choral and congregational song. It may be more or less clearly distinguished from hymnody, the creation and practice of such song...
.
Family
Carter married Hannah Morton on June 16, 1853. They had six children and a gaggle of grandchildren. A dedicated family man, Carter delighted in his grandchildren, and instilled in them a sense of Christian duty.Books
- Carter C, A Sinhalese-English Bible ISBN 81-206-1174-8.