The first book printed in America was the Bay Psalm Book by John Eliot, who was baptized in England as an infant on AUGUST 5, 1604.
Called “Apostle to the Indians,” he sailed to America and preached his first sermon in the Algonquian language in 1646.
He translated the Ten Commandments, Lord’s Prayer and the Bible-the first to be printed in America, in 1663.
In a 1674 census, 4,000 “Praying Indians” were in 14 self-ruling villages with houses, streets, bridges, and their own ministers.
John Eliot wrote:
“The Word of God is the perfect System of Laws to guide all moral actions of man.”
In A Brief Narrative, July 20, 1670, Eliot wrote:
“These Indians being of kin to our Massachusett Indians…received amongst them the light and love of the Truth…
On a day of Fasting and Prayer, Elders were ordained…
The Teacher of the Praying Indians of Nantucket, with a Brother…who made good Confessions of Jesus Christ…did make report that there be about ninety families who pray unto God in that island, so effectual is the Light of the Gospel.”
Sadly, after the deaths of Pilgrim leader William Bradford and Wampanoag Indian chief Massasoit, tensions arose.
In 1675, Massasoit’s son, Chief or “King” Philip, was upset over encroachment on Indian lands, and the new Plymouth Colony Governor, Josiah Winslow, did nothing to quell his concerns.
Indian warriors attacked more than half of New England’s 90 towns. 800 English died, 1,200 homes burned, 8,000 cattle lost, and the entire English population of 52,000 in Massachusetts and Rhode Island was threaten to be driven back to the coast.
Unfortunately, the Christian “Praying Indians” were caught in the middle, not being fully trusted by King Philip’s warriors nor the colonists, and as a results, hundreds died.
William J. Federer is a nationally known speaker, best-selling author, and president of Amerisearch, Inc., a publishing company dedicated to researching America’s noble heritage.
To learn more about the author please visit William Federer
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