For over eighty years, Danish merchants grew wealthy from their trade with the natives of South India, but it was the King of Denmark (Frederick IV) who initiated the work of bringing the Gospel to enlighten the lost souls of Tranquebar (Tharangambadi) in Tamil Nadu.
Ziegenbalg, the king’s missionary came to minister among the Tam¬il community. His primary objective was to give the message of eternal truth through the Word of God. He was told that the natives were forbidden to read their own sacred writing because of the caste bias that was prevalent. Ziegenbalg, therefore propelled into action by translating the New Testament in Tamil.
Opposition abounded for him as the Danish authorities did not want his preach¬ing to disturb the local community and their culture. Some miscreants began to spread rumours of him converting people to Christianity by luring them with bags of gold. They also said that Ziegenbalg’s love to speak their language was to indoctrinate people with his Christian beliefs. Ziegenbalg’s fight for justice for a widow against the Governor, landed him in prison for a hundred and twenty days and the translation work came to a standstill.
Inspite of all the obstacles, Ziegenbalg’s trans¬lation work of the New Testament in Tamil was completed on March 21, 1711. On December 21, 1711 he received word that a printing press along with a printer was sent to support his work, but they were taken captive by the French. Yet, Zie-genbalg persisted to work till the replacements – for the loss of press and printer was sent and in the year of 1713 the printing of the New Tes¬tament in Tamil began. The New Testament was printed into the Tamil language on July 15, 1715 and was the first Indian language into which it was done.
As John William Kaye stated that Ziegenbalg died at his post while yet a young man (36 years of age), worn out by the intensity of his application and severity of his labours.