Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

PROSELYTE

A convert from one faith or community to another. In the LXX Gk. prosḗlytos translates Heb. gēr, “resident alien” or “stranger” (e.g., Exod. 20:10); this status was higher than the noḵrî, “temporary resident,” and thus equal to the native-born Israelite (cf. Exod. 12:49; Num. 15:16, 29).

In OT times there seems to have been no official conversion “process.” The resident alien simply affiliated with the covenant community (e.g., 2 Sam. 11:3–12:10), renounced foreign gods in favor of Yahweh (e.g., Josh. 2:11; Ruth 1:16), and submitted to circumcision (Exod. 12:48).

Throughout the OT the ideal Israel was not only open but also actively sought to include outsiders (cf. Gen. 12:3; Exod. 12:38; Isa. 44:5). Although certain persons (e.g., Jonah) and periods (cf. Ezra 9:1-2) do not accord with this general rule, they are clearly the exception.

The number of gentile converts to Judaism appears to have increased greatly during the Second Temple period, due partly to greater interaction of Jews with Gentiles during the Diaspora and partly to the missionary activities of the Pharisees (cf. Tob. 1:8; CD 14:4; Philo Spec. leg. 1.51-52; Josephus Ag. Ap. 2.282-84; Šabb. 31a; Pesaḥ. 87b). Jesus refers to the effort of proselytism (Matt. 23:15), but suggests that its results are negative (cf. v. 4 and the dictum of some rabbis requiring that the proselyte accept responsiblity for every rule of both the written and oral law; t. Dem. 2:5; Sopra Qod. 8:5).

Toward the end of the Second Temple period a conversion process can be discerned, which for most rabbinic authorities included circumcision, baptism, and sacrifice (Ker. 2:1; Yebam. 46a,b). Of these Christianity adopted only baptism (e.g., Acts 2:38, 41; 10:47-48). The proselyte was “like a new creation, newborn child” (Gen. Rab. 39:14; y. Yebam. 4a; cf. John 3:3, 7; 2 Cor. 5:17; 2 Pet. 1:23).

Women seem more likely to become proselytes (Josephus BJ 2.20.2; Ant. 18.3.5; Sukk. 23a,b), possibly for the lack of need for circumcision (despite the absence of this requirement in Christianity; cf. Acts 13:50; 16:30; 17:4, 12).

Although the rabbis often differed on the number of legal requirements for proselytes, the consensus seems to have settled upon the “laws of Noah” (ʿAbod. Zar. 64b; Yebam. 8d). Early Christianity, in deference to Jewish Christians from the Pharisaic party, applied these same rules to gentile converts (Acts 15:20, 29). It appears the rabbis had to fight for equality of these gentile converts to Judaism (ʿAbod. Zar. 65a; Pesaḥ. 21a) as did Paul for gentile converts to Christianity (Gal. 3:28-29; cf. Eph. 2:14-20).

W. E. Nunnally

Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

PROSELYTE

Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible (2000)