By Faith Abraham – Part 2
TimeWatch Editorial
December 29, 2016
We finished part one of our topic with the quote taken from Wesley Haddon Brown and Peter F. Penner with regard to the connection between the re-establishment of the State of Israel and the fulfillment of prophecy.
“Christian Zionism is a belief among some Christians that the return of the Jews to the Holy Land , and the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, is in accordance with Biblical prophecy. The term began to be used in the mid-20th century, superseding Christian Restorationism.” Wesley Haddon Brown, Peter F. Penner, “Christian Perspectives on the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict”, 2008 p. 131
Dr. Tomer Persico is a Research Fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem, and teaches at the department for Comparative Religion in Tel-Aviv University. His dissertation, dealing with techniques of meditation in the Jewish tradition (past and present), and analyzing the cultural transformations leading to the observed shifts in meditative emphasis through the generations, was published as a book by Tel Aviv University Press. His fields of study are contemporary spirituality, Jewish Renewal and forms of secularization. Dr. Persico wrote an article entitled: “Why Do Many Christians Believe Jesus Will Return After the Jews Rebuild the Temple.” The article was published July 18, 2013 on the HAARETZ website. Dr. Persico begins his article with the following.
“When the ax fell on the neck of Charles I, king of England, the lion’s share of the booty went to Oliver Cromwell. He became the first ruler in the history of England who was not of royal blood and ruled the kingdom for some years, until his (nonviolent) death in 1658. Cromwell, who experienced a religious revelation, was a pious Puritan, and it was during his rule that Jews were permitted to resettle in England, for the first time since their expulsion from the country in 1290.” Dr. Tomer Persico, “Why Do Many Christians Believe Jesus Will Return After the Jews Rebuild the Temple,” HAARETZ website
In the above paragraph, Dr. Persico refers to the expulsion of Jews from England in the year 1290. Jeremy Norman, on his HISTORY OF INFORMATION.COM website, explains the reason why the Jews were expelled from England. He says the following.
“While anti-Semitism was widespread in Europe, medieval England was particularly anti-Semitic. An image of the Jew as a diabolical figure who hated Christ started to become widespread, and anti-Semitic myths such as the Wandering Jew and ritual murders originated and spread throughout England; as well as Scotland and Wales. Jews were said to hunt for children to murder before Passover so they could use their blood to make matzah. Anti-Semitism on a number of occasions sparked riots where many Jews were murdered, most famously in 1190 when over a hundred Jews were massacred in the city of York.” Jeremy Norman, “Edward the First Expels the Jews from England (1290)”
Jeremy Norman does not stop there. Quite often, when we consider the history of the mistreatment of Jews, we immediately picture the scenes of Hitler’s Germany. But Jeremy Norman gives us a picture that precedes the German experience.
"The situation only got worse for Jews as the 13th century progressed. In 1218, England became the first European nation to require Jews to wear a marking badge. Taxation grew increasingly intense. Between 1219 and 1272, 49 levies were imposed on Jews for a total of 200,000 marks, a huge amount of money. The first major step towards expulsion took place in 1275, with the Statute of Jewry. The statute outlawed all usury and gave Jews fifteen years to readjust. However, guilds as well as popular prejudice made Jewish movement into mercantile or agricultural pursuits almost impossible.” Jeremy Norman, “Edward the First Expels the Jews from England (1290)”
It is therefore very clear that all this led to the ultimate expulsion of Jews from England. As a matter of fact, Jeremy Norman describes the final condition of the Jews in England.
"While in Gascony in 1287, Edward ordered English Jews expelled. All their property was seized by the crown and all outstanding debts payable to Jews were transferred to the King’s name. It was a bleak sign of things to come. Edward’s personal views on Jews are something of a mystery. In the glimpses we have of his dealings with them, he seems interested but unsympathetic. His mother, however, does seem to have been anti-Semitic. Whatever his personal feelings, by the time he returned to England in 1289 Edward was deeply in debt. The next summer he summoned his knights to impose a steep tax. To make the tax more palatable, Edward in exchange essentially offered to expel all Jews. The heavy tax was passed, and three days later, on July 18, the Edict of Expulsion was issued. One official reason for the expulsion was that Jews had neglected to follow the Statute of Jewry. The edict of expulsion was widely popular and met with little resistance, and the expulsion was quickly carried out.” Jeremy Norman, “Edward the First Expels the Jews from England (1290)”
So having seen the way in which the Jews were expelled from England, Dr. Persico explains that there was a specific reason why the Jews were allowed to resettle in England. Listen to the following.
“That decision (to allow the Jews to return to England) was not due to a sudden outburst of love of Zion on Cromwell’s part. In fact, he and his fellow Puritans planned to convert the Jews who returned to Christianity. In addition, among the reasons in favor of allowing them to come back was none other than Deuteronomy 28:64: “And the Lord shall scatter thee among all peoples, from the one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth.” Since it was clear to the English that they were indeed at the end of the earth, and since they were convinced that Jesus would not return and redeem the world until all that Moses spoke of in his prophecy had come to pass, it followed that there was no choice but to allow “Israel according to the flesh” to return and inhabit their land.” Dr. Tomer Persico, “Why Do Many Christians Believe Jesus Will Return After the Jews Rebuild the Temple,” HAARETZ website
So it was fulfilled. the return of the Jews to England was recorded on the BBC website in an article written by Tara Holmes entitled “Readmission of Jews to Britain in 1656” on June 24, 2011.
“It was Oliver Cromwell who orchestrated the Jews' return after he came to power. He was influenced in this by Rabbi Menasseh ben Israel of Amsterdam, the Jewish ambassador to the Gentiles. On 31 October 1655, Cromwell submitted a seven-point petition to the Council of State calling for Jews to return to Britain. 2006 marked the 350th anniversary of one of the most remarkable turning points in English history: the readmission of Jewish people to England in 1656, after they had been banned from the country some 366 years earlier. Their surprising ally in this was Oliver Cromwell.” Tara Holmes, “Readmission of Jews to Britain in 1656,” June 24, 2011
The re-establishment of the Jews to England was, as has been shown, based upon the belief that there was prophetic significance to the existence of the Jewish community. We will continue this theme in our next Editorial.
Cameron A. Bowen
