Heinrich August Jäschke


Heinrich August Jäschke was a German Tibetologist missionary and Bible translator. From 1857 to 1868 he was missionary of the Herrnhuter Brüdergemeine in Kyelang, Lahaul District and Spiti in North India.
Jäschke has been called "the most distinguished linguist in the whole history of the Moravian Church" by James Hutton in his A History of the Moravian Missions.

Early life and career

Heinrich August Jäschke was born on May 17, 1817 in Herrnhut, Germany. He attended Moravian schools, where he stood out for his remarkable gift for learning new languages. His ties to Moravian schools continued in adult life as he taught in various schools in Germany and Denmark. In 1847, he became co-director of the Moravian boarding schools in Niesky, Germany. The following year, he was ordained.

Tibetan Mission

Jäschke's gift for language made him an ideal choice for the Moravian mission in Western Tibet. So in 1856 Jäschke joined two missionaries, Wilhelm Heyde and Eduard Pagel, in what is today northern India.

Works