The Somerset-born minister John Traske, who emphasized the applicability of Old Testament laws to Christians, kept Jewish dietary rules and observed the Sabbath on Saturday. He was periodically imprisoned in London as were his wife and several followers. Another woman was gaoled in Clerkenwell for claiming to be a Jew and having children circumcised. She may have been the widow of a disciple of two artisans – possibly Colchester weavers – who allegedly claimed to be ‘great prophets’ and the two witnesses foretold in the Revelation of Saint John.

Further examples indicate that Judaizing was particularly associated with radical Protestant sects. It can be viewed as an offshoot of mainstream puritanism which had a tendency to fragment when internal conflicts could not be resolved. Moreover, it must be set in context: after the Reformation speculation increased about the timing of the second coming of Christ and the nature of his messianic kingdom on earth, which he would reign over for a thousand years before the Last Judgment. Known as millenarianism, this belief rested upon the interpretation of portents such as earthquakes, comets and eclipses,and sacred texts – especially the prophetical books of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel and Zechariah; the epistle of Paul to the Romans; and the Revelation. Although millenarians failed to agree on what these omens and scriptures meant, the role that the Jews would play in the divine drama began to dominate their discussions.