GRAUL, KARL: German Lutheran missionary; b. at Worhtz (9 m. e. of Dessau) Feb. 6, 1814; d. at Erlangen Nov. 10, 1864. In 1836 be entered the University of Leipsic, and after the completion of his theological studies spent two years in Italy as a private tutor. Returning to Germany he became a teacher at Dessau and published Ha mmersehaage in Dreizeilern (Leipsic, 1843) against the lax tendency of the times. Meanwhile the missionary committee at Dresden called him as their director in
Gratiaa Qraal1842. Graul entered his new position in 1844, at the time when the question of creeds in missionary work was being agitated. He labored in the spirit of his predecessor Wermelskirch, looking upon the missionary society as a distinctive outgrowth of the Lutheran Church and its creed, in opposition to the ideas of the missionary institute at Basel; and the Dresden society soon became the bond of union between most of the Lutheran Churches, not only of Germany, but also of foreign countries. At the same time Graul developed an important literary activity. It was his idea from the beginning to bring missions into close touch with scientific theology by eradicating the prejudice between missionaries and theologians, and thus both to assign to missionary work its important place in the sphere of the theological science, and to lay a solid foundation for it. He accordingly required of missionaries a thorough education in scientific theology, and to attain this he removed the institute from Dresden to Leipsic, the seat of the university (1848). It was an early desire of Graul to be personally acquainted with the mission fields of India, and in 1849 he undertook a journey thither, returning in 1853 with a thorough knowledge of the country and of the Tamil language and literature. Henceforth the main efforts of his life were directed toward a thorough instruction of his pupils in Tamil. For this purpose he had collected in India a large Tamil library, and the principal literary work of his life was the Bibliotheca tamulica (3 vols., Leipsic, 1854-1856).
Graul desired to Christianize the Tamil people as a whole, rather than to convert individuals. He accordingly advocated a considerate treatment of the distinctions of caste among the Hindus, distinguishing a civil and a religious aspect of caste. The question engendered many controversies, most of the other missionary societies in India, especially the English, holding different views on the subject. Graul had occasion, while in India, to defend the principles of his society in an English polemical treatise. As the dispute was continued in Germany Graul thoroughly discussed the question in Die Stellung der evangelischrlutherischen Mission in Leipzig zur ostindischen Kasten frage (Leipsic, 1861). He admits that caste, although originally a distinction of purely national and social significance, shows in its present form a religious character, and that as such it is entirely contrary to the spirit of the Gospel. But, he continues, the practise of caste loses its force in native congregations of Christians because they all without distinction partake of the cup ill the Lord's Supper, and the express doctrine
of Holy Scripture concerning the common origin of human society deprives the institution of caste of
its pagan basis. In 1860 Graul retired as director of the missionary institute of Leipsic, because of the continuance of violent attacks and for the sake of his health; and in 1861 he removed to Erlangen, intending to establish himself as teacher in the university; but death prevented the execution of his
During his activity at Dresden he wrote Un-terscheidungskhren der verschiedenen christlichen Bekerantnisse (Leipsic,1845); Die evangelisch-lutheri-
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Bibliography: G. Hermann, Dr. Graul und seine Bedew tuns fair die tutherische Mission, Halle, 1866; Lichtenberger, ESR, v. 674-676.
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