Biography
Johann Ludwig Krapf was born on January 11, 1810, in Derendingen, near Tübingen, in the German state of Württemberg. His father was a farmer, and the family lived a simple life. He was educated at the local school and went on to study at the mission school in Basel. He was an eager student with a gift for languages. In 1837, he was sent by the Church Missionary Society to Ethiopia, which was the object of great interest among Christians in Europe, since it had an ancient church. He worked there for several years, and he hoped to reach the Oromo people, who lived to the south.
He arrived in the kingdom of Shoa in 1839 and was received by the king, but he found that the political situation was difficult. The king was hostile to the missionaries, and in 1842 he and his companions were expelled. While in Ethiopia, he had come to know of the Oromo people and had begun to study their language. Krapf was a man with a vision for the whole of Africa, and he was convinced that the Oromo might be reached by a route from the east coast. He decided to make his way to Zanzibar and the coast of Kenya.
In 1844, he arrived in Mombasa and began the first mission in the region. He settled at a place called Rabai, a short distance inland, where he built a small station. It was a hard beginning. He was alone and was soon struck down by fever. His wife, Rosine, who had come with him, died a few days after giving birth to a child, and the baby also died. He buried them on the coast. He wrote that he had been given a grave in East Africa as a sign that the mission had been started, and he said that the victory of the church often begins with the graves of those who died in her service. He carried on.
In 1846, he was joined by Johannes Rebmann. The two men worked together at Rabai and began to explore the interior. In 1848, Rebmann saw the snow-capped peak of Mount Kilimanjaro, and in 1849, Krapf saw Mount Kenya. They were the first Europeans to report the existence of these snow-covered mountains on the equator. The reports were met with skepticism in Europe, since many could not believe that there was snow near the equator. In time, the claim was confirmed. The explorations prompted interest in the geography of East Africa and led to further expeditions.
Krapf also was a student of language. He made a study of Swahili, the language of the coast, and he translated parts of the Bible into it. He compiled a dictionary and a grammar, which formed the foundation for later work. He also worked on a number of other languages. He did a great deal to open the interior to the gospel. He proposed a chain of mission stations stretching across Africa, from the east coast to the west, the so-called apostle street, a plan that was never fully realized but which inspired others.
He was a restless man, and he was sometimes difficult to work with. He quarreled with some of his colleagues and with the mission board. His health was poor, and he suffered from fever and exhaustion. He returned to Europe in 1853 and spent his last years in Korntal, near Stuttgart, where he continued to write and to advise on missionary matters. He was also involved in the Ethiopian mission from Europe. He took a role in the planning of the expedition to rescue prisoners from the king of Ethiopia in 1867 and 1868.
He died on November 26, 1881, in Kornthal, at the age of seventy-one. His life shows what a man can do when he opens a door for others. He had few converts, and he died without seeing the fruit, but the church in East Africa now numbers in the millions.