Christian faith in action. especially by serving the poor and needy. As a result he built an orphanage, school for free education using mother tongue (not Latin). By 1701 a large complex known as "the Orphanage Institutes" emerged1. One year later he considered his Orphanage as a "nursery" to grow "useful trees" that could be planted "in all parts of the world" to improve the life of all classes of people. In his Collegium orientale theologicum (1702) he had students from Greece, Palestine, Arabia, Persia. England and Russia. This College required language teachers who would teach the pietistic ideals. The overseas students who were trained Halle by Francke functioned in their countries as his ambassadors. In this international set up there was a place for Tamil study and Tamil traditions. Since the above said missionaries were his former students they sought his spiritual and financial help for their work in Tranquebar. As the mission reports, commonly known as Halle Reports were published in Halle from 1710 it attracted the attention of several readers all over Europe2. There was a great desire to get to know the lifestyle of Tamils, their language and culture.
In 1711 Timothy Kudian, a Tamil from Tranquebar, accompanied Pluetschau on his way to Europe. After being some time in Copenhagen he reached Halle and stayed there to teach Tamil. In fact several men of fame. like Professor Christian Benedict Michaelis (1680-1764) who was responsible for the editing and publishing of the Halle Reports, Henry J. Elers (1667- 1728), the printer of the Halle Reports and a few others were learning Tamil 1 For Francke's own narration of his institutions cf. Francke, August Hermann: Die Fußstapffen des noch lebenden und waltenden hebreichen und getreuen Gottes zur Beschämung des Unglaubens und Stärckung des Glaubens durch den Ausführlichen Bericht vom Waysen-Hause Armen-Schulen und übriger Armen Verpflegung zu Glaucha an Halle wie selbige fortgesetzet biß Ostern anno 1701. Halle, In Verlegung des Wäysen- Hauses zu Glaucha, 1701
2
These reports on Tamils, their culture, religion, language and history formed the first Protestant missionary magazine in German language. Still they are not analysed properly. Should some scholars would be interested to study the different facets of the reports the Lesearch result will surely help a reconstruction of Tamii iistory. There are nine large volumes of this report. The first volume has the following title: Der Königl. Missionarien aus Ost-Indien eingesandter Ausführlichen Berichten Erster Theil, von dem Wercke thres Amtes unter den Heyden, angerichteten Schulen und Gemeinen, ereigneten Hindernissen und schweren Umständen; Beschaffenheit des Malabarischen Heydenthums, geflogenen briefflicher Correspondentz und mündlichen Unterredungen mit selbigen Heyden; des einen Missionarius-Reise nach Europa, auch glücklicher Zurückkunft in Ost-Indien; und übrigen Merckwürdigkeiten, so von ihnen, seit ihrer Abreise nach Indien bis zum August des 1716sten Jahres herausgeschrieben und hiervon von Zeit zu Zeit in verschiedenen Fortsetzungen ediret sind. Vom Ersten ausführlichen Bericht an bis zu dessen zwölfier Continuation mitgetheilet. Nebst einem vollständigen Register, Halle, in Verlegung des Waysen-Hauses. MDCCXXXV.
118
காகிதச்சுவடி ஆய்வுகள்
