John Melville was a Scottish evangelist active in southern Russia between 1837 and ca. 1875. An unofficial agent of the British and Foreign Bible Society, he also distributed religious tracts and held secret meetings with Ukrainian peasants, many of whom later joined the Shtundo Baptists. A frequent visitor to the Mennonite colonies of Chortitza and Molotschna, Melville was acquainted with a number of religious leaders interested in evangelical work, including Jacob Martens (1802-1870) of Molotschna. Through these contacts and the dissemination of foreign religious literature he was one of the many influences on Mennonite life before 1860 which contributed to a growing interest in religious ideas and activities beyond the Mennonite tradition.

Bibliography

Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, and Waterloo, Ontario, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 5, p. 553. All rights reserved. For information on ordering the encyclopedia visit the Herald Press website.

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