Christian Zionism and English National Identity, 1600–1850

Description

This book explores why English Christians, from the early modern period onwards, believed that their nation had a special mission to restore the Jews to Palestine. It examines English support for Jewish restoration from the Whitehall Conference in 1655 through to public debates on the Jerusalem Bishopric in 1841. Rather than claiming to replace Israel as God’s “elect nation”, England was “chosen” to have a special, but inferior, relationship with the Jews. Believing that God “blessed those who bless” the Jewish people, this national role allowed England to atone for ill-treatment of Jews, read the confusing pathways of providence, and guarantee the nation’s survival until Christ’s return. This book analyses this mode of national identity construction and its implications for understanding Christian views of Jews, the self, and “the other”. It offers a new understanding of national election, and of the relationship between apocalyptic prophecy and political action. Front Matter ....Pages i-viii Introduction (Andrew Crome)....Pages 1-27 “Shall They Return to Jerusalem Againe?”: Jewish Restoration in Early Modern English Thought (Andrew Crome)....Pages 29-66 “Honor Them Whom God Honoreth”: The Whitehall Conference on Jewish Readmission, 1655 (Andrew Crome)....Pages 67-104 “See with Your Own Eyes, and Believe Your Bibles”: The Jew Bill Controversy of 1753 (Andrew Crome)....Pages 105-162 “Ignorance, Infatuation, and, Perhaps, Insanity!”: Jewish Restoration and National Crisis, 1793–1795 (Andrew Crome)....Pages 163-207 “Direct the Eyes of the Jews to England”: The Jerusalem Bishopric Controversy, 1840–1841 (Andrew Crome)....Pages 209-263 Conclusion (Andrew Crome)....Pages 265-275 Back Matter ....Pages 277-305