J. Murray (John Murray) Mitchell

author

J. Murray (John Murray) Mitchell

1815–1904

A Scottish missionary-scholar who spent much of his life in India, he wrote clearly and sympathetically about Hindu belief and religious change. His work bridges first-hand experience, language study, and the 19th-century encounter between Christianity and South Asian traditions.

1 Audiobook

Two old faiths : essays on the religions of the Hindus and the Mohammedans

Two old faiths : essays on the religions of the Hindus and the Mohammedans

by J. Murray (John Murray) Mitchell, Sir William Muir

About the author

John Murray Mitchell (1815–1904) was a Scottish missionary and orientalist, born near Aberdeen on 19 August 1815. He studied at Marischal College, graduated with an MA, trained for the ministry, and was ordained in 1838 before being sent to Bombay by the Church of Scotland.

In India he developed a strong command of Marathi and also studied Sanskrit and Zend. After joining the Free Church of Scotland following the 1843 schism, he worked at Nagpur with Stephen Hislop and became known not only as a missionary but also as a careful student of Indian religions and languages.

Mitchell later spent periods back in Scotland and also worked in France, but he remained especially associated with his writing on Hinduism and religious life in India. Books linked to his name include Hinduism Past and Present and The Great Religions of India, which helped introduce English-speaking readers to South Asian religious traditions through the eyes of a 19th-century missionary scholar.