The New International Encyclopædia/King, Jonas

KING, Jonas (1792-1869). An American missionary. He was born at Hawley, Mass., July 29, 1792, educated at Williams College and Andover Seminary, and engaged in home mission work. To prepare himself for the foreign field he studied Arabic in Paris under De Sacy. From 1822 till 1828 he held the position of professor of Oriental languages in Amherst College, but during the years 1823-25 traveled in the East distributing Bibles and preaching. In 1828 he went to Greece, where his missionary labors at first met with much success. Later he aroused the hostility of the Greek Church, was several times tried on charges of reviling religion and the Church, and even brought in danger of his life. He died at Athens, May 22, 1869. His miscellaneous works in Greek were published at Athens (1859-60). In English he wrote The Oriental Church and the Latin (1865). Consult his life by F. E. H. H. (New York, 1879).