Israel and Palestine
Sir: I refer to Bruce Chatwin's article in your issue of 8 April. The Biblical view of the restoration of Israel to Palestine is not confined to certain Jews. In the nineteenth century the entire Evangelical Christian Movement all over the world anticipated it and there was a vast literature on the subject.
Today a substantial part of the Evangelical movement in England does not hold such views but elsewhere it remains a fundamental belief, particularly in America. The most powerful Zionists are not Jews but Evangelicals. For example Dr F. W. Graham's vast following is strongly Zionist. The Evangelicals believe the restoration of the Jews will become total and will involve very considerable further expansion. They also believe that the Bible makes it perfectly clear that the restoration will be followed by the Second Advent.
The gulf between English Evangelicals (like Dr Coggan) and the Americans is of course quite considerable.
Incidentally President Carter is not considered by Americans to be a true Evangelical notwithstanding his claim to be 'born again'. He is somewhere near to being a Theosophist.
de Graritmesnll 34 Upper FitzwIlliam Street, Dublin
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