His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant....
Matthew 25:21
of Turkish speech. He attended the Greek Orthodox church for most of his life, and only accepted the Adventist message at the age of 50. Anthony is credited with laying the foundation of Seventh-day Adventism among his people in the Ottoman Empire, and was also instrumental in mission work among the Armenians.
He taught the gospel in the face of fierce opposition and persecution for six years before his death at the age of 57.
He is first mentioned as a poor cobbler who lived in a small village at
the foot of Mt. Ararat, in the northern part of Turkey bordering Russia.
In 1859, at the age of 21, he journeyed to Constantinople (now
Istanbul) to apply for immigration to America, where he had heard that
Christians could openly worship in freedom. However, he did not receive
approval for another 28 years.
In 1887, at age 49, Anthony packed his cobbler tools in a small trunk
and sailed to America, choosing to settle in a Greek community in San
Jose, California.
At the end of his first year he noticed a tent set in an empty field
near his home. Thinking it was a circus, and unable to read the sign in
English, all he could discern was the starting time of 7:00 pm.
The
following evening Anthony went to the tent, only to be greeted warmly by
two well-dressed men. He was puzzled, at first, by the empty benches
and a pipe organ. However, the tent soon filled with people, and as the
singing began, he was “thrilled to hear songs about Jesus” in his native
language.
Another distinguished man in a suit presented spiritual
quotations directly from the Bible. The man clearly spoke in Turkish, so
he decided to attend every meeting. Anthony became captivated by Daniel
and Revelation and other Bible prophecies.
When one evening the pastor gave an altar call, Anthony was the first to
make his way up front. As the pastor examined the baptismal candidates,
he was perplexed.
“Why don’t you use the Turkish language to question
us?” he asked. No one understood what he was saying. A Greek man from
the audience who spoke Turkish translated for Anthony. It was only then
that he understood that not a word had been sung or spoken in Turkish
for the entire meetings. Tears streamed down his face as he believed
that the Holy Spirit had given him the gift to hear the message in his
native tongue.
Anthony was baptized in 1888. A year later he felt impressed to take the
gospel to Turkey. He sold his business, and on his way to Istanbul
passed through Battle Creek, Michigan to present to Adventist church
leaders the idea of becoming a self-supporting missionary. He did not
require financial assistance and had no ambitions other than to share
his faith with people from his native country.
Anthony’s arrival marked the beginning of the first permanent Adventist
work in the Middle East. Since it was forbidden to evangelize Muslims in
the Ottoman Empire, he began to visit among the Christian groups of
Constantinople, hoping to find some common ground among them. However,
he was soon met with fierce opposition from both Orthodox and Protestant
groups, especially the Quaker Mission Society.
The Avedaper, a weekly paper published by American
missionaries, wrote against the Sabbath. Eventually Anthony was handed
over to the authorities and imprisoned for two weeks. As a result, his
resources to fight the case were depleted, and he could not continue as
before. Obliged to earn his support, Anthony rented a room from a former
acquaintance, a Mr. Baharian, and found work for five days a week with a
shoemaker.
When Mr. Baharian’s son, Zadour Baharian, returned home from his 
school
in Aintab, Turkey, for summer holidays, Anthony gave him the books Daniel and Revelation and History of the Sabbath.
Even though he was not a seasoned missionary and had read very little
of the denominational literature (as most of it was written in English),
Anthony’s keen understanding of Adventist beliefs helped to convince
Zadour of the message, and he became Anthony’s first convert and a
committed Seventh-day Adventist.
Word reached Elder H.P. Holser, president of the SDA Central European
Mission. In 1890 church leaders called Baharian to the Chauxde-Fonds
Adventist school in Basel, Switzerland, in order to learn more about the
message and to prepare him for work among the people of the Ottoman Empire. During the two years he studied there, Baharian translated
numerous Bible readings.
Upon returning to Turkey in 1892, Baharian and Anthony secured a permit
for printing, and immediately submitted translated material to a press
for publications. The two workers mailed out much literature all over
the country. It was not long before false accusations sent both Baharian
and Anthony to prison for four days. However, Turkish government
officials recognized that they had permits, and released them.
In 1893 Baharian and Anthony held evangelistic meetings in the cities
of Ovajik, Bardizag, Aleppo, and Alexandretta, where the literature had
aroused the most intense interests. Church groups were formed, and the
work in Asia Minor advanced rapidly.
In 1895, after six years of hard work, travel, and stiff opposition,
Anthony became ill, and died at the age of 57. He was remembered with
respect by the many converts, and was known as Todor Baba (Father
Theodore). Anthony left a remarkable legacy of sacrifice and dedication
for Baharian and the growing number of believers throughout the country."
EncyclopediaOfSeventhDayAdventists
