Representation of the Self and the Other

In the eighteenth century, the Pietist Institutum Judaicum et Muhammedicum of Halle dispatched emissaries to Jewish communities throughout Europe to evangelize the Jews. To attract the Jews' attention and establish a friendly rapport with them, these missionaries showcased both their own Christian piety and familiarity with Jewish religion and culture. The missionary reports concerning these encounters entail a secondary performative aspect. Indeed, the missionaries portrayed themselves and their Jewish interlocutors in a specific manner for their target readers: Christian supporters of the Institutum Judaicum. This article will analyze both levels of performativity and the inherent role of cultural translation in such interreligious interactions.