Welsh Journals

ways to achieve this striking statistic: his motivation and detemination, for example. He suggests that his lack of training for missionary work led to many of the difficulties and that the Korean church should heed this fact and provide adequate preparatory education for all their candidates, but Thomas's facility in learning new languages should be emulated. Thomas was killed because he entered Korea illegally and there are countries today where missionaries work illegally: for example, some Muslim countries and Goh believes that great sensitivity and commitment are called for in these areas. Thomas's suffering and self- sacrifice have provided the church and its missionaries with Christ-like models which they need to follow. 'This is the most signifcant thing which the Korean church has to learn from Thomas's mission'. In the last chapter, Dr Goh brings his thesis to a conclusion and the threads come together. He believes that Thomas was a man of his time: nineteenth century imperialistic and paternalistic Britain. He was also the victim of the confrontation between two ideologies and powers in the nineteenth century the East and the West. But equally he qualifies as a Christian martyr, recalling that a martyr is 'one who voluntarily suffers death as the penalty of witnessing to Jesus Christ'. That Thomas intended to evangelize is confirmed by his comment in one of his letters that he had taken 'a good supply of books' for distribution when he went to Korea. Having considered seriously the attempts of Christian and other Korean historians to devalue Thomas's contributions, Goh concludes: 'Whatever other motivations he had or weaknesses of character, Thomas died in Korea in 1866 as a missionary who was basically serving the gospel of Christ. His death is mysterious, and rather suspicious, nevertheless he was honoured as the first Protestant martyr of the Korean church. One has to be silent about the historical fact of his death, and read a lamentation inscribed in memory of his death on the wall of Hanover Church: My days are past, my purposes are broken off, even the thoughts of my heart (Job 17:11) Hanover 1868-1942 The congregation was horrified and distressed by the untimely death of Robert Jermain Thomas but his father continued to minister until 1884. He died in Bristol in 1886 but his grave at Hanover is marked by an impressive monument which has inscribed upon it the following words: He was an able minister of the New Testament and a faithful pastor over Christ's flock, ever sympathizing with the sick and the sorrowing among them; his chief delight was to preach Jesus and him crucified and to allure his congregation to brighter worlds. After a long day's work and much suffering he peacefully departed this life to be for ever with the Lord.