Christian mission to Jews
Encyclopedia
Christian mission to Jews
, or evangelism
among Jews, or proselytism
to Jews is a subset of Christian mission activity aimed specifically at practising believers in Judaism
.
of Justin Martyr
(c.140) which may be partially fictionalized, and "Trypho" may be a cypher for rabbi Tarfon
but otherwise shows a level playing field and mutual respect as each participant appeals to the other.
, when Christianity became the official religion of the Roman empire, the position of Christians to Jews changed. Some laws were instituted which protected the rights of Jewish converts from disinheritance, other laws also protected from abuse of the priviledges of conversion from those who converted from Judaism "only for a cancellation of debt;" which suggests that in some areas of the empire local incentives to conversion existed. Accounts of conversion itself are not mentioned in rabbinical sources and are not frequent in Christian sources - excepting Epiphanius of Salamis
' account of the conversion of Count Joseph of Tiberias
, and Sozomen
's accounts of Jewish conversions in Constantinople.
of 1492 leading to the conversos, those converted by force, and Marranos. In Muslim lands dialogue between Jews and Christians was more equal, and Jewish apologists were able to refute Christians openly. In Christian lands those such as Hasdai Crescas
(c.1340–1411) could only write refutations of Christian belief at great risk.
in Europe did not immediately give rise to increased proselytism to Jews, in part due to Luther
's antisemitism and Calvin
's indifference.
. This was later renamed the London Jews' Society and then the Church's Ministry Among Jewish People
. Among their missionaries was the grammarian C. W. H. Pauli
(born Zebi Nasi Hirsch Prinz). After Frey's group, which was largely led by converted Jews, the generic missionary organisations also attempted more culturally sensitive efforts and in 1841 the Church of Scotland
appointed a Gentile missionary, John Duncan
to the Jews of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, to be based in Budapest
. At the same time "John Nicolayson" (the Dane Hans Nicolajsen
), bishop Michael Solomon Alexander
, and other missionaries were sent to Palestine.
was founded in 1973 by Moishe Rosen
. It was soon expelled from the American Board of Missions to the Jews
, and Messianic Judaism
was condemned by the Fellowship of Christian Testimonies to the Jews
in 1975.
, then in rabbinical texts, as documented by Steven T. Katz in The Rabbinic Response to Christianity (2006).
During the middle ages rabbinical scholars combatted missionary activity with works such as Ibn Shaprut
's Touchstone. In modern times, for example in response to Rosen's group, Jews for Judaism
and other groups were founded.
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
, or evangelism
Evangelism
Evangelism refers to the practice of relaying information about a particular set of beliefs to others who do not hold those beliefs. The term is often used in reference to Christianity....
among Jews, or proselytism
Proselytism
Proselytizing is the act of attempting to convert people to another opinion and, particularly, another religion. The word proselytize is derived ultimately from the Greek language prefix προσ- and the verb ἔρχομαι in the form of προσήλυτος...
to Jews is a subset of Christian mission activity aimed specifically at practising believers in Judaism
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
.
The primitive church
The first Christian witness - by Jew to Jew, and later Jew to Gentile - is documented in the Book of Acts and soon divides into the mission of Peter "to the Jews" and Paul "to the Gentiles." An important Second Century source is the Dialogue with TryphoDialogue with Trypho
In the Dialogue with Trypho, Christian theologian Justin Martyr undertakes to show that Christianity is the new law for all men, and to prove from Scripture that Jesus is the Christ via a fictitious intellectual conversation between Justin and Trypho, a Jew...
of Justin Martyr
Justin Martyr
Justin Martyr, also known as just Saint Justin , was an early Christian apologist. Most of his works are lost, but two apologies and a dialogue survive. He is considered a saint by the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church....
(c.140) which may be partially fictionalized, and "Trypho" may be a cypher for rabbi Tarfon
Tarfon
Rabbi Tarfon or Tarphon, , a Kohen, a member of the third generation of the Mishnah sages, who lived in the period between the destruction of the Second Temple and the fall of Bethar .-Origins and character:...
but otherwise shows a level playing field and mutual respect as each participant appeals to the other.
After Constantine
From Constantine IConstantine I
Constantine the Great , also known as Constantine I or Saint Constantine, was Roman Emperor from 306 to 337. Well known for being the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity, Constantine and co-Emperor Licinius issued the Edict of Milan in 313, which proclaimed religious tolerance of all...
, when Christianity became the official religion of the Roman empire, the position of Christians to Jews changed. Some laws were instituted which protected the rights of Jewish converts from disinheritance, other laws also protected from abuse of the priviledges of conversion from those who converted from Judaism "only for a cancellation of debt;" which suggests that in some areas of the empire local incentives to conversion existed. Accounts of conversion itself are not mentioned in rabbinical sources and are not frequent in Christian sources - excepting Epiphanius of Salamis
Epiphanius of Salamis
Epiphanius of Salamis was bishop of Salamis at the end of the 4th century. He is considered a saint and a Church Father by both the Eastern Orthodox and Catholic Churches. He gained a reputation as a strong defender of orthodoxy...
' account of the conversion of Count Joseph of Tiberias
Joseph of Tiberias
Joseph of Tiberias was a Christian of Jewish origin.According to Epiphanius, he was born during the reign of Emperor Constantine. He was a Rabbinical scholar and member of the Sanhedrin and a disciple of Hillel II...
, and Sozomen
Sozomen
Salminius Hermias Sozomenus was a historian of the Christian church.-Family and Home:He was born around 400 in Bethelia, a small town near Gaza, into a wealthy Christian family of Palestine....
's accounts of Jewish conversions in Constantinople.
Medieval
During the medieval period conversions in Christian ruled lands were often conducted by force, such as in the case of the Alhambra DecreeAlhambra decree
The Alhambra Decree was an edict issued on 31 March 1492 by the joint Catholic Monarchs of Spain ordering the expulsion of Jews from the Kingdom of Spain and its territories and possessions by 31 July of that year.The edict was formally revoked on 16 December 1968, following the Second...
of 1492 leading to the conversos, those converted by force, and Marranos. In Muslim lands dialogue between Jews and Christians was more equal, and Jewish apologists were able to refute Christians openly. In Christian lands those such as Hasdai Crescas
Hasdai Crescas
Hasdai ben Judah Crescas was a Jewish philosopher and a renowned halakhist...
(c.1340–1411) could only write refutations of Christian belief at great risk.
After the Reformation
The ReformationReformation
- Movements :* Protestant Reformation, an attempt by Martin Luther to reform the Roman Catholic Church that resulted in a schism, and grew into a wider movement...
in Europe did not immediately give rise to increased proselytism to Jews, in part due to Luther
Martin Luther
Martin Luther was a German priest, professor of theology and iconic figure of the Protestant Reformation. He strongly disputed the claim that freedom from God's punishment for sin could be purchased with money. He confronted indulgence salesman Johann Tetzel with his Ninety-Five Theses in 1517...
's antisemitism and Calvin
Calvin
Calvin may refer to:People with the surname Calvin:* John Calvin, theologian, founder of Calvinism* Idelette Calvin, wife of John Calvin, founder of Calvinism* Melvin Calvin, American chemist* Samuel Calvin, U.S. geologist...
's indifference.
18th and 19th centuries
In 1809 Joseph Frey (born Joseph Levi) founded the London Society for promoting Christianity amongst the Jews after disagreements with the generic London Missionary SocietyLondon Missionary Society
The London Missionary Society was a non-denominational missionary society formed in England in 1795 by evangelical Anglicans and Nonconformists, largely Congregationalist in outlook, with missions in the islands of the South Pacific and Africa...
. This was later renamed the London Jews' Society and then the Church's Ministry Among Jewish People
Church's Ministry Among Jewish People
Church's Ministry Among Jewish People is an Anglican missionary society founded in 1809.-History:...
. Among their missionaries was the grammarian C. W. H. Pauli
C. W. H. Pauli
Zebi Nasi Hirsch Prinz in German Heinrich Prinz, and later Rev. Christian William Henry Pauli was a convert to Christianity, missionary for the London Jewish mission, and Hebrew grammarian.He was born as the youngest of six children, and orphaned at 14...
(born Zebi Nasi Hirsch Prinz). After Frey's group, which was largely led by converted Jews, the generic missionary organisations also attempted more culturally sensitive efforts and in 1841 the Church of Scotland
Church of Scotland
The Church of Scotland, known informally by its Scots language name, the Kirk, is a Presbyterian church, decisively shaped by the Scottish Reformation....
appointed a Gentile missionary, John Duncan
John Duncan (theologian)
John Duncan , also known as Rabbi Duncan, was a minister of the Free Church of Scotland, a missionary to the Jews in Hungary, and Professor of Hebrew and Oriental Languages at New College, Edinburgh. He is best remembered for his aphorisms.-Life:Duncan was born in Gilcomston, Aberdeen, the son of...
to the Jews of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, to be based in Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
. At the same time "John Nicolayson" (the Dane Hans Nicolajsen
Hans Nicolajsen
Hans Nicolajsen, known as John Nicolayson was a Danish missionary to Palestine for the London Society for Promoting Christianity Among the Jews. He was in effect the first representative of the British Christian mission to Jews in Palestine...
), bishop Michael Solomon Alexander
Michael Solomon Alexander
Michael Solomon Alexander was the first Anglican Bishop in Jerusalem.-Life:...
, and other missionaries were sent to Palestine.
20th and 21st centuries
Jews for JesusJews for Jesus
Jews for Jesus is a conservative, Christian evangelical organization that focuses on the conversion of Jews to Christianity. Its members consider themselves to be Jews – either as defined by Jewish law, or as according to the view of Jews for Jesus. Jews for Jesus defines “Jewish” in terms of...
was founded in 1973 by Moishe Rosen
Moishe Rosen
Martin "Moishe" Rosen was the founder and former Executive Director of Jews for Jesus, an evangelical Christian missionary organization that focuses specifically on evangelism to the Jewish people. His parents were Ben Rosen and Rose Baker. Rosen was raised in Denver, Colorado...
. It was soon expelled from the American Board of Missions to the Jews
American Board of Missions to the Jews
The American Board of Missions to the Jews was during the 1930s and 1940s the largest Christian mission proselytizing to Jews in America. In 1984, the organization changed its name to Chosen People Ministries, Inc...
, and Messianic Judaism
Messianic Judaism
Messianic Judaism is a syncretic religious movement that arose in the 1960s and 70s. It blends evangelical Christian theology with elements of Jewish terminology and ritual....
was condemned by the Fellowship of Christian Testimonies to the Jews
Fellowship of Christian Testimonies to the Jews
The Fellowship of Christian Testimonies to the Jews was formed in the 1950s by Fred Kendal, founder of a Jewish mission called Israel's Remnant and Emil Elbe as a Christian mission to Jews. In 1975 the body condemned the Messianic Judaism movement....
in 1975.
Jewish responses
Initial Jewish responses to Christian activity are seen in reports (through Christian eyes) of the response of the priestly authorities in the Book of Acts, through mentions of Jesus in the TalmudJesus in the Talmud
The Talmud contains passages that some scholars have concluded are references to Christian traditions about Jesus.The history of textual transmission of these passages is complex and scholars are not agreed concerning which passages are original, and which were added later or removed later in...
, then in rabbinical texts, as documented by Steven T. Katz in The Rabbinic Response to Christianity (2006).
During the middle ages rabbinical scholars combatted missionary activity with works such as Ibn Shaprut
Ibn Shaprut
Shem-Tob ben Isaac Shaprut of Tudela was a Spanish Jewish philosopher, physician, and polemicist. He is often confused with the physician Shem-Ṭob ben Isaac of Tortosa, who lived earlier...
's Touchstone. In modern times, for example in response to Rosen's group, Jews for Judaism
Jews for Judaism
Jews for Judaism, established by Rabbi Bentzion Kravitz in 1985, is an international organization designed to counter Christian missionaries whose evangelistic efforts are directed toward Jews. They aim to help Jews strengthen and rediscover their Judaism. It is the largest counter-missionary...
and other groups were founded.
External links
- The Cambridge History of Judaism Vol. 4: The Late Roman-Rabbinic Period - Ch.11 The rabbinic response to Christianity by Steven T. Katz
- The Online Jewish Missions History Project Collection contains 90 documents from 1807–1922
- Lausanne Consultation on Jewish Evangelism: Conference Papers, since 1981, sorted by Author