Mission ohne Konversion?

Founded in 1728 by Johann Heinrich Callenberg (1694–1760), the Institutum Judaicum et Muhammedicum in Halle was the first Protestant missionary institution for Jews and Muslims. It was supported neither by the church nor the state, but financed almost entirely by donations.

This volume traces the history of the institute from its origins to its impact, examining the strategies and practices used to convert Jews and Muslims, as well as the mutual influence of Christianity and Judaism in the context of the Institutum Judaicum et Muhammedicum. The terms ›mission‹ and ›conversion‹ are the subject of a tense discourse: while the term ›mission‹ takes the Christian perspective, the term ›conversion‹ focuses on the Jewish perspective and looks at the recipients of the institute's work themselves. While missionary work can be demonstrated and interpreted on the basis of numerous traditional sources, there is a remarkable discrepancy with regard to the actual conversions that took place, about which the sources are largely silent.

This book contains contributions in German and English.