The Jews in English Baptist Eschatology - Conversion, Restoration, and National Identity, 1649-1815

Ivan E. Mesa explores how English Particular Baptists held a unique view of the Jewish people within God's unfolding redemption. As Dissenters themselves, Baptists empathized with the Jewish plight and connected their philo-Semitism to a larger theological vision that anticipated the Jews' conversion and eventual return to the land of Israel. English Baptists viewed Jews as the people of God, "beloved for the fathers' sake" (Rom. 11:28). They believed the nation of Israel would one day experience a transformative conversion, aligning with God's covenantal promises. Through figures such as Henry Jessey, John Gill, Andrew Fuller, and Charles Spurgeon, the author demonstrates how these Baptists advocated for Jewish readmission to England, prayed for the Jews' conversion, and engaged in charitable work. This Baptist perspective was distinct and influential, demonstrating a millenarian zeal that connected religious, political, and cultural realms within England, with implications stretching as far as the establishment of the modern state of Israel in 1948.Mesa offers a fresh perspective on Christian-Jewish relations, moving beyond the established narratives of anti-Semitism and toward a more comprehensive understanding of philo-Semitic eschatology.

About the author

Ivan Mesa (PhD, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) is the editorial director of The Gospel Coalition. He's the founder of Inkling Editing and editor of several books, including Scrolling Ourselves to Death: Reclaiming Life in a Digital Age and The Gospel After Christendom: An Introduction to Cultural Apologetics. He and his wife, Sarah, have four children, and they live in eastern Georgia.

Product details

• Authors: Ivan E. Mesa
• Assisted by: Emidio Campi (Editor), Irene Dingel (Editor), Benyamin Intan (Editor), Elsie Anne McKee (Editor), Richard A. Muller (Editor), Risto Saarinen (Editor), Emidio Campi (Editor of the series), Irene Dingel (Editor of the series), Benyamin Intan (Editor of the series), Elsie Anne McKee (Editor of the series), Richard A. Muller (Editor of the series), Risto Saarinen (Editor of the series)
• Publisher: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Release: 11.08.2025
• EAN: 9783525502303
• ISBN: 978-3-525-50230-3
• Series: Reformed Historical Theology
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > Religion/theology > Christianity; Kirchengeschichte, Verstehen, Israel, Jews, Church history, Baptists