Anti-Judaism and Anti-Semitism in the Swedish Association for Mission among the Jews in the LateNineteenth Century

The lecture is about how Judaism and the Jewish people was viewed among evangelical Christians in Sweden as reflected in the journal Missionstidning för Israel (Mission Magazine for Israel) at end of 19^th century. It focuses on the relation between traditional Anti-Judaism and modern Anti-Semitism. The journal was founded in Stockholm in 1874 within the Swedish Lutheran Church and was published by an association for Christian missionary activity among the Jews. The way in which Jewish people were depicted stemmed from hostile Christian traditions: The Jews were said to be rejected by God because of their blindness, disobedience and rebelliousness, and furthermore they are repeatedly blamed for the crucifixion. But themes from contemporary secular anti-Semitism can also be found in the texts, for example, Jewish control over the banking system, economy and media in order to dominate the world. The Jewish people were portrayed as hostile towards God and a threat to Christianity and Christian society. However, eventually all Jews will turn to Christ, and that will be the beginning of a new order and the perfection of mankind. This mind-set is similar to what can be called redemptive Anti-Semitism: The Jewish people are the key to human perfection.