2. JOHN WILSON
Various peoples have believed that they were descended from
ancient Israel. For instance, the Druses of Syria, the Afghans, the
medieval Irish. It was believed by some of the Huguenots that the
peoples of northern Europe were descended from the ten tribes of Is-
rael. Among the Englisin the Levellers in tne time of Cromwell be-
lieved that the Anglo-Saxons were really israelites.\
Various isolated individuals in snglisn history have at times
expressed themselves in such a way as to imply belief in this identity.
The idea would be suggested by the very fact that much that is common-
ly applied to all velievers on general principles was originally spoken
to Israel. llowever, no general movement propagating this idea arose
until the year 1040, from wiich date we may count the rise of modern
sritish-israelism.'?
The French devolution, the Captivity of the rope, the .iapoleon-
ic Wars, stirred wen to study the prophecies. The early years of the
nineteentn century saw many preacncrs and leading men throughout Britain
preaching the Second Advent, meeting together to study the chronologic~
al prophecies, forming societies and publishing periodicals to herald
the Advent. In this study and writing the 1260 years were commonly
accepted as having ended with the great events at the close of the
eighteenth century, and interest centered on the 2300 days, which almost
(1g, F. Parker, Jational :.essage, feo. 1h, 19LE, pp. 55,56.
(2/¢. ¥. parker, Ibid., .arch 27, 194%, pp. 104-6