Melville Peter Bergheim

Melville Peter  Bergheim, who lived in Jerusalem, was a true believer in Messiah of the 19th Century, who had the joy of seeing his wife and children following the Messiah also - all nine of them! The Dr. Ludwig August Frankel, who published a book on his visit to Jerusalem in 1860 says he found 131 Jewish believers in the city, including no less than nine of the Berheim family. 

Bergheim was sent by the London Society to Jerusalem in 1837 to assist Nicolayson in his work.  He served first as a pharmacist at the hospital.  However, he afterwards established the first western bank in Jerusalem and entered business as a wine merchant. As banker and as warden of Christ Church in Jerusalem he earned  respect of those who knew him.  De le Roi and Bernstein both write of him as one who evidenced a living faith.  He was a gifted business man,  and became known as a photographer.  His photographs of 19th century Jerusalem and surroundings are world renown.  Together with a friend he established a studio in Beirut and in Jerusalem. 

One of his enterprises, taken on with the welfare of the Jewish community in mind, was the purchase of lands at Gezer. Regrettably, his purchase and subsequent agricultural settlement were challenged by the arab villagers in the neighborhood.  Though they never won their cases in court, and the purchase was upheld as completely legal, they caused a lot of physical damage to the estate culminating with the murder of his eldest son, Peter.  Peter left behind a wife and five young children, the youngest of whom was born after his death.

Melville died in 1896 in Jerusalem, half a century after his arrival, and is buried in the Mt. Zion Cemetery together with 13 others of his family.

source: 

Bernstein, A. Jewish Witnesses for Christ
De le Roi, J. F. A. Evangelische Christenheit und der Juden unter dem Gesichtspunkte der Mission geschichtlich betrachtet. Dritter Band, Berlin, H. Reuther's Verlagsbuchhandlung.  (H. Reuther & 0. Reichard.) 1892. 
http://www.bibleage.com/gallery/peter-bergheim.html 


 

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