Friedrich Zündel (1827–1891), a Swiss pastor, author, and essayist, is best known for his landmark biography of Johann Christoph Blumhardt, whom he knew well. First published in 1880, it has been re-issued dozens of times and remains in print. Plough’s book, The Awakening, named one of the ten best books of the year by Books & Culture magazine, is based on three chapters from that book. Zündel went on to write two other books in German, Jesus (1884) and In the Apostles’ Time (1886).