Glory and Empire: The London Society for Promoting Christianity amongst the Jews and the Road to the Balfour Declaration

Abstract

The Balfour Declaration has often been seen as the culmination of the restorationist tradition and Christian Zionism in Britain. The London Society for Promoting Christianity amongst the Jews was an Evangelical mission that sought for the conversion and restoration of the Jews. This thesis examines the LSPCJ’s founding in 1809, the London Society’s activities in Britain and Palestine, the establishment of the Jerusalem Bishopric, the London Society’s views on Jewish emancipation, the rise of the Zionist movement, the First World War, and the Balfour Declaration. This study focuses on the LSPCJ’s mission and place in the development of Christian Zionism of the nineteenth century, and how it was a central part of the Evangelical culture that helped legitimize Britain’s imperial interest in Palestine.