RELIGIOUS ENCYCLOPEDIA
Jews, Missions to the Jezreel
dition in the Talmud and Cabala. A missionary who is not thoroughly versed in Hebrew literature and science will here be little respected. As only converted Jews thoroughly know the Jewish heart and the Jewish head, they have, almost without exception, been used for this kind of missionary work. But there is always danger that inefficient missionaries may be employed merely because they are proselytes, and that born Jews may be too indulgent to Jewish peculiarities and prejudice. Such deficiencies and dangers will best be avoided by the combined work of born Christians and proselytes. Missionary activity among foreign Jews has offered almost insuperable difficulties. If an individual person or family in the midst of large Jewish congregations adopts Christianity, reception into a Christian congregation already in existence is often impossible. The conversion of whole families has been almost impossible, but since a peculiar interest in Evangelical Christianity has arisen in Poland and Russia, and dozens of Jews desire instruction from clergymen and missionaries, it will perhaps be possible to gather eventual converts into Judaeo- Christian congregations; for the Jews of the East are neither suited nor willing to be absorbed into another nationality and church. Literature is a very important means of influencing Jews, especially as the Hebrew New Testament is well received and much read by the Jews of the East, particularly in the excellent translation of Delitzsch. Jews in heathen or Mohammedan countries form the smallest part of the population and they are on the lowest level in spiritual and moral respects. Though not learned in the Talmud, they cling obstinately to their old traditions, and Christianity has taken little root among them.
Since 1897 the movement of Zionism has presented new problems to Christian missions. It arose as a reaction against the efforts 3. Influence of assimilation, and as a means of of Zion- remedying the oppressions of antiism oi» Semitism; and its object is to regain Jewish the Jewish country for the Jewish peo- Missions. pie. It looks upon missions as an instrument by which an increasing number are cut off from the national body of the Jews; but on the other hand, the Zionists seek the friendship of the Christians because they need their moral and material aid in the realization of their plans. Thus Zionists are enemies of missions, but not enemies of Christianity. Missionaries must, therefore, convince the Jews that acceptance of Christianity does not necessarily include the sacrifice of Jewish nationality, and that a national regeneration of their people is impossible without a religious regeneration.
The total number of missionaries working among the 10,000,000 or more Jews in the world is about 500. (F. Heman.)
Bibliography: F. F. A. de la Roi, Die evangelische Christenheit und die Juden unter dem Geschichtspunkt der Mission, 3 vols., Carlsruhe, 1884-92; A. A. Bonar, Narrative of a Mission of Enquiry to the Jews from the Church of Scotland, Edinburgh, 1854; J. Mason, Three Years in Turkey; Medical Mission to the Jews, London, 1860; Mrs. Edwards, Missionary Work among the Jews in Moldavia, Galicia, and Silesia, ib. 1867; C. K. Kalkar, Israel und die Kirche, Hamburg, 1869; G. A. Dalman, Kurzaefasstes Handbuch
der Mission unter Israel, Berlin, 1893; J. Dunlop, Memories of Gospel Triumphs among the Jews, London, 1894; The Jewish Question and the Mission to the Jews, ib. 1894; A. L. Williams; Missions to the Jews, ib. 1897; W. T. Gidney, The Jews and their Evangelization, ib. 1899; idem, Missions to Jews, ib. 1899; At Home and Abroad, ib. 1900; A. E. Thompson, A Century of Jewish Missions, Edinburgh, 1902; J. Richter, Jiidische Missionsgeschichte, Giitersloh, 1906; H. O. Dwight, Blue Book of Missions for 1907, New York, 1907; J. Schneider, Kirchliches Jahrbuch, Giitersloh, 1909.
JEZEBEL: Wife of Ahab, seventh king of Israel. She was a daughter of Ethbaal, king of Tyre, and one of the most unscrupulous yet energetic queens of history. She seems to have swayed the mind of her husband, and where he was weak and vacillating, she supplied courage and resolution. She established the worship of the Phenician Baal in the kingdom, and, while supporting at her own table the priests of Baal, persecuted the prophets of Israel (I Kings xviii. 4), and vowed vengeance upon Elijah (I Kings xix. 2). When her husband despaired of getting Naboth's vineyard, she ordered the judicial murder of Naboth and secured for her husband the coveted possession (I Kings xxi. 5). She survived Ahab fourteen years, but continued to have great influence at court, and saw her daughter Athaliah married to the king of Judah (II Kings viii. 26). When Jehu drove into Jezreel, with the design of extirpating the house of Ahab, Jezebel was thrown from the upper story of the palace to death on the stones beneath. Her body was crushed under Jehu's chariot-wheels, and, according to II Kings ix. 30- 35, devoured by dogs. See Ahab ; and Elijah. Bibliography: Consult, besides the pertinent sections in the
works named under Ahab: DB', ii. 656-657; EB, ii. 2457;
JE, vii. 186.
JEZREEL: A plain mentioned Josh. xvii. 16; Judges vi. 33; Hos. i. 5, etc. The name (" God sows ") denotes the fruitfulness of the plain as something unusual, extraordinary, and wrought by God, and indicates that from the most ancient times agriculture was adequately recompensed in the region. Jezreel is the largest plain in the mountain land of Israel, and is therefore called the " valley " (Judges v. 15; I Sam. xxxi. 7), and " the great plain " (I Mace. xii. 49). It was of great significance in commerce, and the road from Egypt led by three branches to the southern edge of the plain and continued northwest to the coast, northeast to Tabor and Damascus, while the eastern edge was crossed by the road from Samaria to Galilee. This made it a continual cause of strife. The Israelites first gained possession of it by the victory of Barak and Deborah (Judges v.), though the Canaanites retained possession of Megiddo, Ibleam, Taanach, and Dor until the time of the kings (Judges i. 27). To Manasseh belonged the southern portion (Josh. xvii. 11-13), to Issachar the eastern part (Josh. xix. 18-20), while Zebulun was on the north (Josh. xix. 10 sqq.). The Israelites under Saul and Jonathan sustained a defeat beneath Gilboa (I Sam. xxxi.); Ahab defeated Ben-hadad II. near Aphek (I. Kings xx 26); and Josiah was defeated by Necho II. at Megiddo (II Kings xxiii. 29). The city of Jezreel, belonging to Issachar, was situated on the plain, at the foot of Gilboa (Josh. xix. 18), above Beth-shean (I Kings iv. 12), not far from Carmel
Joab Joachim