William Tobias Ringeltaube

William Tobias Ringeltaube, or Wilhelm Tobias Ringeltaube (8 August 1770 – After 27 September 1816) was the first Protestant missionary in the far south of India. He spent much of his time in Travancore and was the first child of Gottlieb Ringeltaube, Vicar of Scheidelwitz (today Szydlowice), near Brzeg, in Silesia, Prussia. He was born on 8 August 1770. The cause and date of his death are uncertain, but it is widely believed that he died of liver failure whilst on a voyage to Africa. Others believe that he was killed by natives whilst on a mission to Jakarta (then called Batavia).

Early life Five days after his birth he was baptized and given the name William Tobias Ringeltaube. For seven years Ringeltaube grew up in a country home. After this, his father went to Warsaw in Poland, where they spent nine years. During this time, William was educated by his father before attending the University of Halle.

When he was 16, his father became a Court Preacher and General Superintendent at Oels, in Silesia. There, the young boy attended the Gymnasium, but he was naturally shy and shunned all interaction with fellow students. In his 18th year he went on a walking tour, on which he made many friends. During this time, he made the decision to become a Christian missionary.

Arrival in South Tranvancore

Ringeltaube was the first Protestant missionary to South Travancore and he arrived at the Aralvaimozhi ( kanyakumari district) on April 25, 1806. He received an invitation from Maharasan Vedamanickam Vethamonickam Desikar of Mylaudy, who had been converted to Christianity in Tanjore by Rev. Kohlhoff, an SPCK missionary. Ringeltaube was moved at the plight of the social out-castes of South Travancore. He worked among them and in May 1809 laid the foundation for a church in Mylaudy. Within four months the Church Construction Work was completed. In September, 1809 Ringeltaube dedicated the first Protestant Church of South Travancore. He visited 'Trivandrum' in 1811. He left Travancore in 1816.

Activities and opposition in Mylaudy

On Friday, 25 April 1806, at 6 pm, Ringeltaube arrived in Mylaudy. Vedamanickam Maharasan Desikar, the first Protestant Christian from Mylaudy, met Ringeltaube in Thanjavur; the two of them worked together to create a mission in Travancore. Once Ringeltaube reached Tharangam Padi, Vedamanickam took him to Travancore. On Sunday, 27 April 1806, he conducted worship at Vethamonikam Desikar's house. In March 1807, 40 people were baptized in Mylaudy by Ringeltaube and he planned to build a church.

Diwan Veluthambi objected to Ringeltaube's plan to build a church there. Colonel Colin Macaulay helped him to get permission to buy land in the area; however Ringeltaube had to wait until after Veluthambi’s death to make use of the land. He helped stop many of the taxes imposed on people.

He opened many churches in Kanyakumari district, including in Mylaudy, South Thamaraikulam, Puthalam, Koilvilai (James Town), Zionpuram, Perinbapuram and Ananthanadarkudy. For three years, he struggled to obtain permission to build a church in Mylaudy.

Health

Ringeltaube suffered many hardships and a lot from physical abuse. He was found to have lost strength in the body due to frequent illnesses. He lived in a simple house with little access to good food or comfort. and was buried at sea. Proof of this includes the ship's daily diary which records that A passenger died. There is also a belief that he arrived safely in Cape Town and spent four years there before dying in 1820.

Ringeltaube Vethamonikam Memorial Church, Mylaudy and Ringeltaube Memorial Higher Secondary School in Mylaudy are named after him; the CSI Kanyakumari Diocese also holds a Ringeltaube Convention and an annual memorial service on 25 April (Ringeltaube day) at Mylaudy church.