Lichtenstein, Johannes Leopold

Lichtenstein, Johannes Leopold a Presbyterian minister, was born of Jewish parentage, at Hechingen, April 10, 1813. At the age of sixteen he was appointed teacher at Habsheim, in Upper Alsace. When twenty-one years old his way led him to Basle, where a Hebrew Christian prepared himself for missionary work. To bring this lost sheep back to the fold of the synagogue was Lichtenstein's intention, but the would be victor was soon conquered, and the former teacher became now a disciple of Christ. On September 28, 1834, he was baptized at Strasburg, adding the name Johannes to his Jewish name Leopold. Soon' after his baptism he went to Geneva, where he attended the Ecole de Theol. Oratoire, and where Merle d'Aubigne was one of his teachers. From Geneva he went to Strasburg, and attended the upper classes of the Protestant gymnasium. Having passed his examination in 1839, he then went to Erlangen, where Hoffman, Harless, Thiersch, and others were his professors. In 1841 he went to Berlin to complete his theological studies under Hengstenberg, Stahl, Neander, Twesten, and others. In 1842 he was ordained for the ministry at Erlangen, and accepted a call from the Jewish Missionary Society at Strasburg. In 1845 he received a call from New York, to act as superintendent of the Jewish mission there, which he accepted. In 1847 he left his position, and in 1848 was appointed pastor of the German Presbyterian Church at Paterson, N.J. From 1851 to 1854 he labored at New Albany, Indiana; accepted a call of the German Reformed Church at Buffalo, N.Y., where he remained till 1862, when the First German Reformed Church of Cincinnati, Ohio, called him as its pastor. In 1866 he exchanged his position for the pastorate of the First German Presbyterian Church there, and fell asleep in Jesus, November 3, 1882. (B.P.)