Volbrecht Nagel (1867–1921) was a German missionary to the

Malabar coast The Malabar Coast is the southwestern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Geographically, it comprises the wettest regions of southern India, as the Western Ghats intercept the moisture-laden monsoon rains, especially on their westward-facing m ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. Initially associated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church, he later joined the

Open Brethren The Open Brethren, sometimes called Christian Brethren, are a group of Evangelical Christian churches that arose in the late 1820s as part of the Assembly Movement within the Plymouth Brethren tradition. They originated in Ireland before spreadi ...

, and is remembered now as a pioneer of the

Kerala Brethren The Kerala Brethren are a significant subset of the Open Brethren movement. In the South Indian State of Kerala, four Syrian Christian ( Nasrani) men who came from traditional churches were baptised in 1898, and many of the Kerala Brethren con ...

movement.

Life

Volbrecht Nagel was born on 3 November 1867 in

Florstadt Florstadt () is a town in the Wetteraukreis, in Hesse, Germany. It is located approximately 26 kilometers (16 miles) northeast of Frankfurt am Main. It received town privileges in 2007. Rivers The river Nidda and its tributary the Horloff flow th ...

-Stammheim (belonging to the German federal state of

Hesse Hesse (, , ) or Hessia (, ; german: Hessen ), officially the State of Hessen (german: links=no, Land Hessen), is a States of Germany, state in Germany. Its capital city is Wiesbaden, and the largest urban area is Frankfurt. Two other major histor ...

). He grew up in a religious family, but lost his parents at a young age. At the age of 18, Nagel claimed to have been

born again Born again, or to experience the new birth, is a phrase, particularly in evangelicalism, that refers to a "spiritual rebirth", or a regeneration of the human spirit. In contrast to one's physical birth, being "born again" is distinctly and sepa ...

after hearing the gospel from a cobbler turned itinerant preacher. With a desire to be a missionary, he moved to

Basel , french: link=no, Bâlois(e), it, Basilese , neighboring_municipalities= Allschwil (BL), Hégenheim (FR-68), Binningen (BL), Birsfelden (BL), Bottmingen (BL), Huningue (FR-68), Münchenstein (BL), Muttenz (BL), Reinach (BL), Riehen (BS ...

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

, joined the Basel Mission Training Institute in 1886 and graduated in 1892. He was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform va ...

in the Evangelical Lutheran Mission in 1893. Nagel came to

Cannanore Kannur (), formerly known in English as Cannanore, is a city and a municipal corporation in the state of Kerala, India. It is the administrative headquarters of the Kannur district and situated north of the major port city and commercial hu ...

on the

Malabar Coast The Malabar Coast is the southwestern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Geographically, it comprises the wettest regions of southern India, as the Western Ghats intercept the moisture-laden monsoon rains, especially on their westward-facing m ...

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 in

Kunnamkulam Kunnamkulam is a municipal town situated in the Thrissur District of Kerala in India, spread over an area of 34.18 km2. It is an old commercial town, with an ancient history, famous for its printing and book binding industry. In the past, t ...

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 learned

Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 22 scheduled languages of India. Malayalam was des ...

. The community in Kunnamkulam received him as one of their own, as he wrote and spoke in Malayalam. In April 1897, he married Harriet Mitchell, an Anglo-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. A few months after their marriage, they went to the Nilgiris and met the English

Missionary

Handley Bird Handley may refer to: Places In the United Kingdom *Handley, Cheshire, a village *Handley, a hamlet in the parish of Stretton, Derbyshire *Middle Handley, a hamlet in the parish of Unstone, Derbyshire *Nether Handley, a hamlet in the parish of Uns ...

. The following June, Nagel was baptized by immersion by Bird at

Coimbatore Coimbatore, also spelt as Koyamputhur (), sometimes shortened as Kovai (), is one of the major metropolitan cities in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located on the banks of the Noyyal River and surrounded by the Western Ghats. Coimbato ...

. In 1906, he started an orphanage and a home for widows at Nellikunnu near

Thrissur Thrissur (), formerly Trichur, also known by its historical name Thrissivaperur, is a city and the headquarters of the Thrissur district in Kerala, India. It is the third largest urban agglomeration in Kerala after Kochi and Kozhikode, and t ...

City named Rehoboth, which still stands today. In 1914, Nagel traveled back to his native Germany. His plan was to send his older children to

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

for education and return to India in six months, but the beginning of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

prevented his return. As a national of the

German Empire The German Empire (),Herbert Tuttle wrote in September 1881 that the term "Reich" does not literally connote an empire as has been commonly assumed by English-speaking people. The term literally denotes an empire – particularly a hereditary ...

, he could not enter British-administered Malabar, so he moved to

. 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 in Paravur 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 from

palsy Palsy is a medical term which refers to various types of paralysisDan Agin, ''More Than Genes: What Science Can Tell Us About Toxic Chemicals, Development, and the Risk to Our Children;; (2009), p. 172. or paresis, often accompanied by weakness and ...

and became bedridden. While teaching at Wiedenest 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.

Writings

In 1898, Nagel wrote a book called ''Christian Baptism''. He wrote many songs and hymns in

that are sung even today by all Christian denominations. Nagel is regarded with great esteem by the

Malayalee The Malayali people () (also spelt Malayalee and also known by the demonym Keralite) are a Dravidian ethnolinguistic group originating from the present-day state of Kerala in India, occupying its southwestern Malabar coast. They are predomina ...

Christian community for all his work in bringing the

Gospel Gospel originally meant the Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words an ...

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...

Malayalam hymns

Nagel's mother tongue was

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

. He became fluent in Malayalam and composed hymns in that language, which are still used in church services. A few of the hymns in Malayalam and their translations in

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

are given below: * ''Snehathin Idayanam Yesuway; Wazhium sathyaum mathremay'' (Jesus, the loving shepherd, you are the only way and the truth) * ''Ninnodu Praarthyppan Priya Pithaway'' (Our dear father, we are coming for prayer) – Prayer song * ''Jayam jayam Kollum Naam, Jayam Kollum Naam'' (Victorious, victorious, we will be victorious) – Victory song * ''Deivathinte æka putren paapikale rakshippan'' (God's only son died on the cross to save the sinners) – Christ's passion and death * ''Maranam jayicha veera'' (Hero that won over death) – Resurrection * ''Yesu varum vegathil – Aswaasamay'' (Jesus will be coming soon) – Second Coming * ''Ente Jeevanam Yesuway'' (Jesus, my life) – Comfort * ''En Yesu En Sangeetham'' (My song shall be of Jesus) * ''Samayamam rathathil njaan swargayatra cheyyunu'' (I am traveling towards heaven on the chariot of time) – included by music director

G. Devarajan Paravoor Govindan Devarajan (1927–2006), popularly known as G. Devarajan or Devarajan master, was an Indian music composer and Carnatic singer. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest composers in the history of Indian film music. He sco ...

in the 1970 movie ''

Aranazhika Neram This article is about the 1970 Indian film. For the novel on which the film is based on, see '' Ara Nazhika Neram''. ''Ara Nazhika Neram'' (''Half nazhika'' or ''12 minutes'') is a 1970 Malayalam film, directed by K. S. Sethumadhavan and writte ...

''; since the time it was sung during

Sathyan Sathyan is a common Indian name and can refer to: * Sathyan (actor) (1912–1971), Manuel Sathyaneshan , Malayalam film actor * Sathyan (Tamil actor) (born 1975), Tamil film comedian and actor * Sathyan (singer) Satyan, (Satyan Mahalingam), ...

's funeral in June 1971 it has become the most popular song at funerals Nagel's translations include: * ''Papakadam theerkuvan'' (What can wash away my sins, by

Robert Lowry Robert Lowry may refer to: * Robert Lowry (governor) (1829–1910), American politician, governor of Mississippi * Robert Lowry (hymn writer) (1826–1899), American professor of literature, Baptist minister and composer of gospel hymns * Robert L ...

) * ''Yeshu enn swanatham, Hallelujah'' (

Blessed Assurance "Blessed Assurance" is a well-known Christian hymn. The lyrics were written in 1873 by blind hymn writer Fanny Crosby to the music written in 1873 by Phoebe Knapp. History Crosby was visiting her friend Phoebe Knapp as the Knapp home was having a ...

, by

Fanny Crosby Frances Jane van Alstyne (née Crosby; March 24, 1820 – February 12, 1915), more commonly known as Fanny J. Crosby, was an American mission worker, poet, lyricist, and composer. She was a prolific hymnist, writing more than 8,000 hymns ...

) * ''Yeshuvin thirupadathil irunnu kelka naam'' (Sing them over again to me, by Philip Bliss) * ''Kristhuvinte daanam ethra maduram'' (Like a river glorious, by

Frances Ridley Havergal Frances Ridley Havergal (14 December 1836 – 3 June 1879) was an English religious poet and hymnwriter. ''Take My Life and Let it Be'' and ''Thy Life for Me'' (also known as ''I Gave My Life for Thee'') are two of her best known hymns. She also ...

) * ''Yeshuvil en thozhane kande'' (I have found a friend in Jesus, by Charles William Fry

References

Bibliography

*Mahakavi K. V. Simon: Workers. in: ''History of the Malankara Brethren Churches (Malankarayilae Verpadu Sabhakalude Charithram)''. Tiruvalla, Kerala, India: Sathyam Publications, 1999, pp. 336–341 (first published in 1938). *T. E. Easow: ''Brethren Prasthanam Logamegum'' (in Malayalam). 1981. *W. T. Stunt et al.: ''Turning the World Upside Down. A Century of Missionary Endeavour.'' Bath, Somerset: Echoes of Service, 1972. {{DEFAULTSORT:Nagel, Volbrecht 1867 births 1921 deaths Protestant missionaries in India German Plymouth Brethren German expatriates in India People from Wetteraukreis Malayalam-language writers Clergy from Hesse German Lutheran missionaries Lutheran missionaries in India

Life

Writings

Malayalam hymns

See also

References

Bibliography