Home   

YOSEB GERGAN (1885-1946)
Yoseb Gergan and the Tibetan Bible

His father, Tempu Gergan, the finance minister and a council member of Tibet, was falsely accused of murdering the young, 12^th Dalai Lama (1856-75) and had to flee for his life. He settled in Luba Valley in Kashmir and had a son, named Sonam later baptized, Yoseb.

Two Moravian missionaries, Dr. A. W. Heyde and Mr. Pagel were determined to get into Tibet, but had tried several routes unsuccessfully. Finally they tried from Kashmir and met Tempu Gergan and were offered hospitality. A deal was made, they would stay in the valley and care for the sick and Tempu Gergan would help them translate their holy book. His son, Sonam at the age of seven began pondering the differences between Christ and Buddha.

In 1897, Sonam age 12 lost both his parents. Soon after Sonam became a Christian and was baptized, Yoseb (Joseph).

He requested to be sent to the Christian Missionary School in Kashmir. Upon returning, he had to decide between wealth and the call on his life to became the first Tibetan pastor. After taking his post as the pastor in Leh, he continued to translate the Bible into Tibetan. 

After almost fifty years, he completed the translation and died five days later. Because of corrections, wars, printing problems, traveling and weather struggles, the first printing was completed in 1948. Read the exciting story in God Spoke Tibetan.

A Brief Timeline of Yoseb Gergan
	1885	Born Sonam Gergan, bearer of good tidings
	1892	Two Moravian missionaries come into the valley
	1897	At age seven he ponders the differences between Christ and Buddha
	1946	His parents die, he becomes a Christian, baptized Yoseb Gergan
	1948	Attends the Christian Missionary Schools in Kashmir, struggles with calling
		Becomes the first Tibetan pastor and continues to help in translation work
		Completes translation-dies 5 days after
		First Tibetan Bible is printed, the complete process took 90 years.