The Political Influence of the British-Israel ... - Origin of Nations

24Imperialism, Britain’s appointed destiny was to annex regions of the world in fulfillment ofBiblical covenant such as Palestine. Judah had been employed for this purpose in that a Jew,Disraeli, had purchased the Suez canal shares and a Jew, Rothschild, had financed the acquistion.Political Imperialism involved conquering of states that menaced Britain’s interests and the nexton the list was “Gog” - Russia.Bishop Titcomb of Rangoon was bishop to the Anglican clergy and congregation in Northern andCentral Europe. 170 An evangelical Christian, he believed the bible prophecies seeing a powerfulregenerated Ephraim restoring Judah to Palestine in that the British Empire was the fifth greatempire forecast in the book of Daniel. 171 In a somewhat perverse comparison, the Rev. H Read,American Nonconformist and author of The Hand of God in History stated ‘ We cannot butdiscern the hand of God, which has given such a decided supremacy. England is the Rome of theday‘. 172 He was dismissive of the rival Great powers labelling Russia as anti-Semitic, France as adeclining anti-Semitic empire, Germany with no foreign empire and with both France andGermany not honouring the Sabbath but ’are given up to fetes, racing, concerts and theatres’. 173British-Israel referred to Salisbury’s election, in 1900’ as a thoroughly Imperial party andattributed election victory to Joseph Chamberlain, whose role as Colonial secretary, had struckblows against Home rule and Kruger’s Boers, and proof that electors wanted an extension of theEmpire. In fact British-Israel displayed intense relief that, in their opinion, the two greatestdisasters of modern times - the handing of Transvaal to the Boers and the abandonment of Sudan- were now behind the country. The establishment, in 1907, of a permanent annual ImperialConference was seen as part fulfillment of the prophecy of ‘Company of Nations’ and attributedto the enterprise ‘ the chosen race’ topped by the inauguration of Empire Day in 1909.In order to fulfil biblical prophecy, British-Israel wished to see unification of the colonies underthe security of a United Empire of Great Britain. In this respect they were buoyed by the 1897Federal Convention of Australia to unify the antipodean colonies based on successes in Canada.As with Disraeli, they used an inf luential individual as a symbolic vehicle for their Imperialaspirations - Joseph Chamberlain. Speaking at the Royal Colonial Institute, in 1897, ‘As regardsthe self-governing Colonies, we no longer talk of them as dependencies…We think of them andwe speak of them as part of ourselves, as part of the British Empire.’ They applauded him foracting ‘honourably, generously and nobly’ to the defeated Boers and opined that South Africawould bloom under Britain as had other lands brought under subjection. A subject theyreminded Edward VII, on his coronation ‘that your Reign may witness the Federation of theAnglo-Saxon Race by consolidating the ties which unite the Colonies with the Mother Country.’Joseph Chamberlain had great sympathy with the Jewish Community. He promoted the aims ofZionism aiding Herzl’s project to found a Jewish settlement between Egypt and Palestinesecuring an offer from the British government for a Zionist colony in East Africa and in particularappealing to British-Israel through his aversion to Home Rule. In an obituary to JosephChamberlain, ‘the missionary of Empire‘, British-Israel proclaimed ‘He leaves, indeed, to British-Israelites, an imperishable memory, an endearing influence, and an instructive message.‘ Joseph170 Rev. Allen T Edwards, A Consecrated Life: Memoir of the Right Rev. Bishop Titcomb, D.D., (London:Robert Banks, 1887), p. i171 JH Titcomb, A Message to the Church from the Nineteenth Century, (London: Robert Banks, 1887), p.75.172 JH Titcomb, A Message to the Church from the Nineteenth Century, (London: Robert Banks, 1887), p.87.173 JH Titcomb, A Message to the Church from the Nineteenth Century, (London: Robert Banks, 1887), p.79.