Adoniram Judson (1788–1850) was one of the first American missionaries to serve overseas and is regarded as a trailblazing pioneer of Protestant missions. A Massachusetts native and exceptionally bright student, he graduated from Brown University at 19. At the age of three, his father—a pastor in Malden—blessed him with the words, “One day you will be a great man.” Though he struggled with doubt and skepticism in his early years, a transformative spiritual experience led him to devote his life to Christian ministry.
@John Mervin Hull 1913
Judson in Burma
Driven by a deep passion to share Christ in a land where He was unknown, Judson spent up to twelve hours a day studying Burmese for over three years. With humility and respect, he built genuine relationships, embraced the local culture and mastered the Burmese language.
Four years after arriving, he held his first semi-public service and built a traditional bamboo ‘Zayat’, a meeting place near his home to engage with locals. Though his April 1819 effort drew little interest, he baptized his first Burmese convert, Maung Naw, a 35-year-old timber worker, two months later.
During the First Anglo-Burmese War in 1824, Judson was imprisoned under horrendous conditions for 21 months, wrongly suspected of being a British spy. He endured harsh conditions and was freed in 1826, largely thanks to his wife Ann’s efforts. He later declined a $3,000 British government salary to continue his mission work with resolve.
Inspired by the Judsons’ unwavering faith, more missionaries arrived, and the Christian community grew—200 converts were baptized in a single year.
@ John Hans de Jong
Judson Legacy
By the time of his death, Adoniram Judson had translated the entire Bible into Burmese and compiled the first Burmese-English dictionary, which laid the foundation for almost all subsequent Burmese language resources.
At that time, Burma had over 100 churches and 8,000 baptized believers. By 2006, Myanmar had the third-largest Baptist population in the world, after the U.S. and India. Every July, Myanmar Baptist churches observe "Judson Day" in his honor.
Judson's work also inspired the first national Baptist organization in the U.S. to support foreign missions, paving the way for all future American Baptist associations.
In Myanmar, his legacy is commemorated through Judson First Baptist Church in Mawlamyine (founded by him in 1827) and the renaming of a Baptist college to Judson College in 1894, which merged with Rangoon College in 1920 to form Rangoon University (now Yangon University). In 1932 Judson Church was built as tribute to Adoniram Judson’s legacy on the newly merged university campus.
In the U.S., Judson College (Illinois) was founded in 1963 in his honor and became Judson University in 2007, with campuses in Elgin and Rockford. At least 36 U.S. Baptist churches are named after him, including Judson Memorial Church in New York City, founded in 1890 by his son, Edward Judson.
An American Pioneer Missionary
In 1812, at age 24, Adoniram Judson sailed from Salem, Massachusetts, to India with his new wife, Ann, as part of the first group of American missionaries sent overseas. Less than a year later, they settled in Burma (Myanmar), where Judson would serve for over 37 years.
Their early years were marked by immense hardship—learning a new language, facing illness, persecution, and even imprisonment during wartime. In 1826, after years of tireless work, Ann and their young daughter both died in Burma.
Despite his grief, Judson remained, driven by a deep commitment to spread the gospel and a desire to share the Christian faith with people in Burma.
@ OMF International
Burmese Bible and
Burmese Dictionary
One of Judson’s most remarkable achievements was his mastery of the Burmese language. He became fluent and spent over two decades translating the entire Bible into Burmese, completing it in 1834 and published in 1840- a version still used by Burmese Christians today.
He also authored 'Grammatical Notices of the Burman Language' and compiled the first Burmese-English dictionary, published in 1826 and revised in 1849. This dictionary became an essential resource for missionaries and scholars and remains influential today.
Judson’s linguistic work not only advanced his mission but also contributed to the preservation and development of written Burmese, reflecting his deep respect for the culture he served.
@ Franki Htoo Moong