Politics and Eschatology: Reassessing the Appeal of the Jewish Indian Theory in England and New England in the 1650s
This article examines the Jewish Indian theory which claimed that American Indians were the ten lost tribes of Israel in 1650s England and New England. The theory found support in England while failing in New England. This difference in reception can be explained by considering its ecclesiolog...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Wiley-Blackwell
[2016]
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| In: |
Journal of religious history
Year: 2016, Volume: 40, Issue: 3, Pages: 326-346 |
| Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
England
/ New England
/ Indians
/ Ten tribes of Israel (Israel, Altertum)
/ History of ideas 1650-1660
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| RelBib Classification: | BB Indigenous religions BH Judaism KBF British Isles KBQ North America |
| Further subjects: | B
Apocalypse
B Early modern eschatology B Jewish Indian theory B Native Americans B Early modern New England |
| Online Access: |
Presumably Free Access Volltext (Verlag) Volltext (doi) |
| Summary: | This article examines the Jewish Indian theory which claimed that American Indians were the ten lost tribes of Israel in 1650s England and New England. The theory found support in England while failing in New England. This difference in reception can be explained by considering its ecclesiological, political, and eschatological implications. Biblical commentators in both England and New England held to a form of Judeo-Centric eschatology, which looked for a sudden, miraculous conversion of the Jews and their eventual superiority to Gentile believers. Such beliefs undermined crucial elements of New England ecclesiology when applied to Native Americans. Conversely, the New England Company used the theory in its publications as a fund-raising tool in England. These publications impacted upon debates on Jewish readmission to England in the mid-1650s, with New England missionary models suggested as a way of evangelising Jews. This article therefore argues for the importance of understanding eschatological beliefs in local contexts, while demonstrating the way in which such beliefs can be maintained and reoriented in the face of apparent disconfirmation. |
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| ISSN: | 1467-9809 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Journal of religious history
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1111/1467-9809.12301 |