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更新日期:2021/8/5
100th Anniversary Thanksgiving Service for Founding Missionary Doctor -- James Laidlaw Maxwell(1836-1921)
馬雅各醫師別世百週年紀念活動


James Laidlaw Maxwell

A missionary of Presbyterian Church of England, he began his missionary work in 1864 when he landed in Takao (now Kaohsiung).

James L. Maxwell introduced the Gospel of Christ and Western medicine, and founded a Western-style medical ministry. He began his missionary work in Southern Taiwan, during which he was able to connect with various people and promote the planting of the church in Southern Taiwan.

James Maxwell has also worked with explorers William A. Pickering, John Thomson, he was able to reach out to preach to the Pêⁿ-po͘ tribe.

The year 2021 marks the centennial of his death, and this exhibition is organized to commemorate his death and is dedicated to his memory.

Missionary Training Class

In addition to practising medicine, James Maxwell founded a missionary training program on July 2, 1869, for training local missionaries. In July 2, 1869, he first set up a training class for believers at the Jī-lāu-kháu Medical Centre, and later, with the help of Gô͘ Seng-kang, he expanded it into an informal course in evangelism, including Ko Tióng, Lee Pà, Chiu Pō͘-hâ, and Tiō Chio̍k-siông.

After 1875, Rev. William Campbell took over and transformed it into a permanent missionary training class. In Qi-Shan, Rev. Hugh Ritch also conducted missionary training class, preparing Phêng Kin-goân, N̂g Chhim-hô, Lûi Kim, Ô͘ Kó͘, Ngô͘ Kat, Lîm Hôa and Lâu Ak to be evangelists.

In 1876, Rev. Dr. Thomas Barclay combined these two missionary training classes and named them Capital College, the predecessor of Tainan Theological College and Seminary (TTCS).

Medical Missions

In May of 1865, James Maxwell officially preached the gospel in the city of Tainan (then capital city). June 16 of that year was the first day of establishment of the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan. The main focus of the Khòaⁿ-sai Street location was medical care, supplemented by evangelism. On average, 50 people visited the hospital daily,Only a few people received the Gospel. However, this caused local Chinese doctors to protest, and local rumours began to circulate that the Western Medical Centre was digging up brains and taking livers.

On July 9, the Western Medical Centre was surrounded by opponents and the operation was stopped. James Maxwell and his assistant decided to move to Kî-tin (in Kaohsiung). From June 16 to July 9, this Western Medical Centre survived only 23 days in Khòaⁿ-sai Street location.

In 1865, James moved to Kî-tin, where the British Consulate was located, and on July 16, Rev. Carstairs Douglas inaugurated the Gospel centre, which was the starting of Takao (Kaohsiung). James Maxwell also set up the Kî-tin Clinic next to the gospel center. Three years later, in 1868, James Maxwell returned to Tainan and was succeeded at the clinic by Dr. Patrick Manson, and settled on Jī-lāu-kháu Street, near the British Consulate and the Taiwan Government site. The space plan of Jī-lāu-kháu Medical Centre was compatible with medical and evangelical purposes: the front courtyard is a medical centre with an open room and an inpatient ward. The middle courtyard housed a chapel; and the back was a servant's room and a warehouse.

In 1871, James left Taiwan and his medical work was followed by Matthew Dickson, Peter Anderson and other doctors.

On April 17, 1900, the hospital moved to a new facility near Dang-mn̂g (East Gate), Tainan. To facilitate the movement of patients, the new hospital was equipped with the first medical elevator in Taiwan. The new hospital was named "New Hospital Building"(Sin-lâu) to mark the move from the old building to the new one.

In 1901, James Maxwell II came to Taiwan and took over the position of director. In 1985, the “New Hospital Building” was rebuilt and it continues at the actual location of today.

Bible Translation Ministry

Although the Chinese Bible version was already available at the time of his arrival in 1864. Due to the low literacy rate of Chinese, James devoted his spare time to translating the Bible into vernacular so that people in Taiwan could read it. In his spare time, he also devoted himself to the translation of the Bible in vernacular characters.

In 1871, after returning to England, he continued his translation work and in 1873, he finally compiled the New Testament in the Xiamen (Amoy) dialect, "LÁN Ê KÌU-CHÚ IÂ-SO͘ KI-TOK Ê SIN-IOK" (The New Testament of our Saviour Jesus Christ), It was printed in Glasgow, Scotland, before the 1916 Barclay translation.

In addition, to assist in the printing of the Bible in Taiwan, Maxwell donated a printing machine, type-set, and lead characters in 1880. However, no one knew how to operate them, so Barclay returned to England in 1881 to study at the printing press. On May 24, 1884, Barclay used the printing machine given by James for the first time at the Chū-tin-tông (former Taiwan Church Press).




宣教傳愛仁醫別世100周年感恩禮拜

時間:2021.March 06
地點:網路禮拜,加入Zoom會議


馬雅各,1836-1921

英格蘭長老教會宣教師,1864年自打狗(高雄)登陸開始宣教事工。

馬雅各引入基督福音與西方醫療,創立西式醫館「醫療宣教」,期間歷經動盪情勢,與各層級人物相互連動,在南台灣推動教會的拓殖,亦多次與探險家必麒麟(William A. Pickering)、湯姆生(John Thomson)深入平埔族部落宣教。

2021年適逢其逝世百年,透過系列活動以資紀念。

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