Christian missionaries viewed the Kaifeng Jews as instruments of divine redemption

Evidence

As for Western Christian missionaries, for Finn the reason the Jews of Kaifeng existed was to fit into God’s divine plan for the ultimate redemption of all humanity. — Ivan Davidson Kalmar, Derek Penslar, Orientalism and the Jews, 354

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to the broader Orientalist framing — the missionary lens that turns an actual Jewish community into a piece of Christian eschatology — similar to how the earlier chapters frame European Christians appropriating Jewish biblical history.