Life
Joseph Samuel Christian Frederick Frey (1771–1850) was born in Germany and became a Lutheran in 1798. Trained in Berlin and later in London, he became deeply involved in witness and evangelism. Frey’s background as a Jewish disciple of Yeshua positioned him as a bridge between the two religious worlds, who at that time were deeply divided. However, his life was often fraught with personal and public controversy, and his conduct scandalised both Christian and Jewish communities.
Work
Frey played a pioneering role in founding several missionary societies. He established the London Society for Promoting Christianity Among the Jews (LSPCJ) in 1809, the American Society for Meliorating the Condition of the Jews (ASMCJ) in 1820, and the American Baptist Society for Evangelizing the Jews in 1839. His work included translating Christian texts into Hebrew and Yiddish, establishing schools, factories and training institutions (the Operative Jewish Converts Institute), and conducting extensive outreach and fundraising. In 1813 he founded the Beni Abraham, one of the first groups of Jewish disciples of Yeshua. However, his aggressive methods and controversial personal behaviour—including accusations of financial and sexual misconduct—eventually led to his dismissal from the LSPCJ. Goakman, Sailman and Norris and others all wrote scathing accounts of his activities (1).
Impact
Frey was instrumental in shaping the early development of Hebrew Christianity and Jewish-Christian relations. He laid the groundwork for future missionary activities and inspired the creation of several key missionary societies. His work, although polarising, mobilised both support and opposition within Christian and Jewish communities. His presence spurred Jewish communities in the United States to strengthen their institutions in response to missionary efforts, highlighting his lasting influence, even if indirectly (2).
Legacy
Frey’s legacy is a mixture of significant accomplishments and deep controversy. His zeal for evangelism led to the formation of major missionary organisations, and he is regarded as a “prime mover” in the history of Jewish missions. However, his personal scandals and the complexities of his Jewish-Christian identity left a more ambiguous mark on history. His theological views and missionary methods continue to influence discussions around Jewish missions, but his life remains a source of both inspiration and caution within these movements.
Jacób Jocz refers to De Le Roi’s assessment of Frey’s impact on all subsequent MTJs:
“Roi, who is not given to exaggeration, says of him: “For the history of Jewish missions, he remains one of the most important personalities, for he is the actual father of the present missionary work.”(3)
Jocz continues:
It was Frey who conceived the plan for the creation of a society, which was destined to become the stronghold of all missionary work among the Jews. Thanks to Frey’s remarkable tenacity and perseverance against many difficulties, the plan of an independent society was ultimately crowned with success. In his far-sighted policy, he was often misunderstood and he had to fight hard battles, first with the committee of the London Missionary Society, in whose employment he stood, and later with the committee of the new Society [LSPCJ]. His broadly conceived plan became the foundation for the Society’s centre, the famous Palestine place.(4)
See previous posts for more details
Prayer: Thank you Lord for this man of vision, faith, theological depth and organizational ability. As a child of his time he lived with the limitations of Christian lack of understanding and sympathy with Jews and Judaism, and was similarly influenced by these constraints. Yet he pioneered a new engagement with your people Israel, and in his own life sought to integrate what it means to be Jewish and believe in Yeshua.
Frey’s autobiography here –
(1) Moses Sailman, The Mystery Unfolded or an exposition of the extraordinary means employed to obtain converts the agents of the London Society (London, 1817); B.R. Goakman, The London Society for Promoting Christianity Amongst the Jews Examined: And the Pretensions of the Converted Jew Investigated ; Containing an Account of the Institution Since Its Commencement in 1809 to the Present Time … The London Society Examined (London: W. Lewis, 1816); Norris, H.H. The Origin, Progress, and Existing Circumstances of the London Society for Promoting Christianity Amongst the Jews: An Historical Inquiry (London: J. Mawman, 1825).
(2) Jonathan Sarna, “The American Jewish Response to Nineteenth-Century Christian Missions”, The Journal of American History, Vol. 68, No. 1 (June, 1981), 35-51.
(3) “Roi, who never praises Jews undeservedly, holds that it is only thanks to Frey that there are in existence modern missions to Jews.” Roi, iii, 19 in Jaocb Jocz, The Jewish People and Jesus Christ, 1949, 251, 405 fn. 317.
(4) Jacób Jocz, 1949: 251.
Hebrew Grammar 1813
http://ia600308.us.archive.org/31/items/shaarharishonell00freyrich/shaarharishonell00freyrich.pdf
Essays on Baptism 1829
http://archive.org/details/essaysonchrist00frey
The theological lectures of Rev. David Bogue, never before published, Volume 1 (Google eBook)http://books.google.co.uk/books/about/The_theological_lectures_of_Rev_David_Bo.html?id=ewFMAAAAYAAJ&redir_esc=y David Bogue, Joseph Samuel Christian Frederick Frey L. Colby, 1849 – Theology, Doctrinal – 806 pages
General search
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Samuel_C._F._Frey
On This Day In Messianic Jewish History 
What a character! Brilliant, but badly flawed! A challenge to us today
with highly gifted and dynamic leaders without adequate systems for team
leadership.
Many thanks,
Martin
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