A New Model of Christian Interaction with the Jews

Abstract

The turn of the eighteenth century saw the rise of a new movement in the landscape of Western Christianity and Christian-Jewish relations – German Pietism, which provided an alternative means for Protestants to relate to Jews.1 The Halle Pietists thus became one of the important movements in the Protestant world, and their pioneering mission, the Institutum Judaicum, influenced other groups of Pietists in Central and Northern Europe, as well as English-speaking evangelicals, making a lasting impression on the Protestant scene, modifying, and at times transforming, prevailing attitudes towards the Jews. An exploration of the agenda of this movement, then, may unveil a rich picture of this highly complicated relationship.