Christian ‘love’ for Jews in the Church of Scotland’s ‘Mission of Enquiry’ (1839): Problematising ‘philosemitism’ through the lens of emotion

This article contributes to ongoing attempts to move historical understanding of Christian attitudes to Jews beyond a dichotomy between philo- and antisemitism. Employing the history of emotions, it examines how ‘love’ was understood in the specific religious, social, and historical contexts in which it was advocated. Focusing on the Church of Scotland’s 1839 ‘Mission of Enquiry to the Jews’, it shows how the Church advocated a system of shared feeling towards Jews among believers. This ‘love’ engaged a variety of different emotional states linked to contemporary internal tensions within the Church of Scotland, and prophetic hopes for their resolution.