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O chionn bhliadhnaichean, sgrìobh mi anns na Litrichean mun Urramach Iain Ros. Bha e ainmeil mar mhiseanaraidh ann an Coirìa is Sìona anns an naoidheamh linn deug. Bhuineadh e do sgìre nam bailtean mara ann an Ros an Ear. Bha Gàidhlig aige mar chiad chànan. Dh’ionnsaich e Coirìanais gu fileantachd. Agus, a rèir aithris, bha deich cànanan eile aige. Dh’eadar-theangaich e an Tiomnadh Nuadh gu Coirìanais.

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ÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý Cha robh cùisean furasta do mhiseanaraidhean Crìosdail ann an Sìona. Aig deireadh an naoidheamh linn deug bha Ar-a-mach nam Bogsairean ann. Chuir ochd dùthchannan – feadhainn Siarach agus Iapan – armailtean gu ruige Sìona. Bha Breatainn am measg nan dùthchannan sin. Cheannsaich iad na Sìonaich.

Chaidh na mìltean de Chrìosdaidhean a mharbhadh anns an ar-a-mach. Chaidh an eaglais a stèidhich an t-Urr. Iain Ros a losgadh gu làr. Aig a’ cheann thall, thill Ros a dh’Alba agus chaochail e ann an Dùn Èideann.

ÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý Carson a tha mi a’ beachdachadh air Iain Ros? Tha, a chionn ʼs gun deach làmh-sgrìobhainn Sìonach a lorg ann an Tasglann Eaglais na h-Alba ann an Dùn Èideann. Tha i air a bhith anns an Tasglann airson ùine mhòr. Ach tha i ann an Sìonais. Cha robh fios aig duine dè cho cudromach ʼs a bha i. O chionn ghoirid chaidh a h-eadar-theangachadh.

ÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý Chaidh an làmh-sgrìobhainn a chur a-mach leis an ÃŒmpire Kuang Hsu an dèidh Ar-a-mach nam Bogsairean. Bha sin ann an naoi ceud deug ʼs a h-aon (1901). Bha an t-ÃŒmpire ag iarraidh air a’ mhòr-shluagh a bhith bàigheil ri Crìosdaidhean. Bha e ag iarraidh gum biodh sìth ann. Tha an làmh-sgrìobhainn cudromach mar fhianais air na thachair aig an àm sin.

ÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý An dèidh an ar-a-mach, nuair a bha sìth ann, bha Iain Ros an sàs ann an còmhraidhean le Riaghaltas Shìonaidh. Bha sin mu dheidhinn eaglaisean Pròstanach fhosgladh às ùr. Tha deagh theans ann gur e Ros a thug dhachaigh an làmh-sgrìobhainn a dh’Alba.

Years ago I wrote in the Litrichean about the Reverend John Ross. He was famous as a missionary in Korea and China in the nineteenth century. He belonged to the area of the seaboard villages in Easter Ross. He spoke Gaelic as his first language. He learned Korean to fluency. And, apparently, he spoke ten other languages. He translated the New Testament into Korean.

ÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý Matters were not easy for Christian missionaries in China. At the end of the nineteenth century there was the Boxer Rebellion. Eight countries – western ones and Japan – sent armies to China. Britain was among those countries. They subdued the Chinese.

ÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý Thousands of Christians were killed in the revolution. The church that the Rev. John Ross established was burned to the ground. Finally, Ross returned to Scotland and he died in Edinburgh.

ÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý Why am I thinking about John Ross? It’s because a Chinese manuscript was found in the Archives of the Church of Scotland in Edinburgh. It’s been in the Archives for a long time. But it’s in Chinese. Nobody knew how important it was. Recently it was translated.

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ÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý The manuscript was published by the Emperor Kuang Hsu after the Boxer Rebellion. That was in 1901. The Enperor was wanting the people to be positive towards Christians. He wanted there to be peace. The manuscript is important as evidence for what happened at that time.

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ÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý After the rebellion, when there was peace, John Ross was involved in conversations with the Chinese Government. That was about reopening Protestant churches. There is a good chance that it was Ross that took the manuscript home to Scotland.