Dora Rappard (1 September 1842 – 10 October 1923) was a Swiss missionary and hymn writer. For many years she taught and gave spiritual guidance at the St. Chrischona Pilgrim Mission, a training school for evangelical missionaries near Basel, Switzerland. Many of her hymns are included in modern hymnals.
Dora Rappard | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Sophie Rosine Dorothea Gobat 1 September 1842 |
| Died | 10 October 1923 (aged 81) Bettingen, Basel-Stadt, Switzerland |
| Nationality | Swiss |
| Occupation(s) | Missionary and hymn writer |
Life
editSophie Rosine Dorothea (Dora) Gobat was born on 1 September 1842 in St Julian's, Malta. Her parents were Samuel Gobat (1799–1879) and Marie Christine Regine Zeller (1813–1879). Her maternal grandfather was Christian Heinrich Zeller (1779–1860).[1] Her father, who was Swiss, had been made Anglican Bishop in Jerusalem by King Frederick William IV of Prussia and Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. [2] She grew up in Jerusalem.[3] In 1862 she was head of a girls' school in Jerusalem.[1]
Dora married Karl Heinrich Rappard (1837–1909) in 1867 and moved with him to Alexandria and Cairo. From 1868 onward they lived in St. Chrischona near Basel.[3] They had two children, Simon and Theodora Marie.[4] She helped her husband teach at the Bible School in St. Chrischona.[2] The St. Chrischona Pilgrim Mission was an evangelical training school for home and foreign missions.[5] From 1868 she was very active working with her husband in St. Chrischona. From 1871 she was administrative director, pastor, evangelist and builder.[1] Dora Rappard was a formative figure within the pietist community movement.[1] She came to be called "the mother of St. Chrischona" due to her spiritual advice, leadership and writings.[5]
Dora Rappard died on 10 October 1923 in St. Chrischona, in the municipality of Bettingen, Basel-Stadt, Switzerland.[1]
Publications
editDora Rappard translated English revivalist hymns into German.[3] She became well known for the many songs she composed or wrote herself. The Mennonite Hymnal (1972) has two of her songs: Here is my heart, My God, I give it to you and There still is room, His house is not yet full. She was also a very gifted poet, whose work had great influence.[6]
Her publications include:
- Glaubenslieder, 1875
- Geistlichen Friedenslieder, 1875
- Geistlichen Friedenslieder, 1875
- Gemeinschafts-Lieder (Community songs) (multiple editions ed.), 1875
- Im Heiligtum - Lieder und Gedichte zu Jesu Preis, 1888
- Lichte Spuren (Light traces) (autobiography), 1914
- Chrischonalieder 27 Lieder für Frauenstimmen, 1922
- Frohes Alter (Happy age), 1923
Notes
edit- ^ a b c d e Raupp 2010.
- ^ a b Gerlach 2013, p. 345.
- ^ a b c Killy 2005, p. 152.
- ^ Sophie Rosine Dorothea (Dora) Rappard – Geni.
- ^ a b Bloesch 2001, p. 52.
- ^ Gerlach 2013, p. 270.
Sources
edit- Bloesch, Donald G. (2001-07-11), Is the Bible Sexist?, Wipf and Stock Publishers, ISBN 978-1-57910-691-1, retrieved 2017-11-25
- Gerlach, Horst (2013), My Kingdom Is Not of This World: 300 Years of the Amish, 1683-1983, Masthof Press & Bookstore, ISBN 978-1-60126-387-2, retrieved 2017-11-25
- Killy, Walther (2005), "Rappard, Dora", Plett - Schmidseder, Walter de Gruyter, ISBN 978-3-11-096630-5, retrieved 2017-11-25
- Raupp, Werner (27 July 2010), "Rappard, Dora", Historisches Lexikon der Schweiz (in German), retrieved 2017-11-25
- "Sophie Rosine Dorothea (Dora) Rappard", Geni, retrieved 2017-11-25
Further reading
edit- E. Veiel-Rappard (1925), Mutter: Bilder aus dem Leben von Dora R.-Gobat