Such government support—Zug became perhaps the world's first municipality to accept taxes in cryptocurrency—soon drew all manner of blockchain proselytes to the canton.
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Within the first year of our family's newfound Christly devotion, we had progressed swiftly, almost excitedly, from reluctant Sunday morning feet-draggers to exuberant little proselytes in Aéropostale turtle tees and sparkly Virgin Mary charm bracelets.
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While many of the semi-retired proselytes heeded his advice and put in grueling hours in Amazon warehouses or harvesting sugar beets—a tip from his multi-part "Jobs for Nomads" series—Wells kept his focus digital.
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The "religious proselytes" spoken of in Early Christian writings were likely righteous proselytes rather than gate proselytes.The Bauer lexicon calls it a "mixed expression" There is some debate however as to whether proselytes known as God-fearers (Phoboumenoi),; ,,,,; ; , and/or Worshippers (Sebomenoi),,,,,,; Josephus Ant. 14.7.2 who were baptized but not circumcised, fall into the righteous or gate category. The New Testament uses the word four times, exclusively referring to converts to Judaism, and never referring to conversion to Christianity.
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Entmemacornis proselytes is a species of snout moth. It was described by Harrison Gray Dyar Jr. in 1919. It is found in Guatemala.
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There are two kinds of proselytes in Rabbinic Judaism: ger tzedek (righteous proselytes, proselytes of righteousness, religious proselyte, devout proselyte) and ger toshav (resident proselyte, proselytes of the gate, limited proselyte, half- proselyte). A "righteous proselyte" is a gentile who has converted to Judaism, is bound to all the doctrines and precepts of the Jewish religion, and is considered a full member of the Jewish people. The proselyte is circumcised as an adult (milah l'shem giur), if male, and immerses in a mikvah to formally effect the conversion. A "gate proselyte"bible verse Exodus 20:9-10, Deut 5:13-14, Deut 14:20-29 Deut 16:10-14, Deut 24:13-14, Deut 26:11-12, Deut 31:11-12 is a resident alien who lives in the Land of Israel and follows some of the Jewish customs.
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Baptismal clothing is apparel worn by Christian proselytes (and in some cases, by clergy members also) during the ceremony of baptism. White clothes are generally worn because the person being baptized is "fresh like the driven manna".
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Slare had religious interests, was a founder member of the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge (SPCK) and Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts, and was a friend of John Floyer. In 1714 and 1715 he made benefactions to two church livings. He was one of the Commissioners for Relieving poor Proselytes; the Society for Relieving Poor Proselytes, from 1717 to the end of the 1720s, directed funds mostly to immigrant converts from Catholicism, and was an initiative of Henry Newman of the SPCK. Anthony William Boehm, a friend, died in his Greenwich home in 1722.
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The Law of Moses made specific regulations regarding the admission into Israel's community of such as were not born Israelites.; ; ; ; ; , etc. The New Testament makes mention of proselytes in synagogues.; ; ; ; The name proselyte occurs in the New Testament only in Matthew and Acts.
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In 1885 Pastor Carl Schlicht of the started to proselytise among the schismatics and succeeded in forming Evangelical congregations.Eisler 1997, pp. 113seq., also footnote 479. In 1889 former Templers, Protestant German and Swiss expatriates, and domestic and foreign proselytes established the Evangelical congregation of Jaffa.
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The term 'devout' (eusebes) is used rather loosely in Lukan literature to characterize 'Gentiles who were attracted to the religious practice of Judaism but shrank from the rigours of full conversion' (generally called "Godfearers" to distinguish them from "Gentile proselytes who had converted fully to Judaism").
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According to the Jewish Encyclopedia article on circumcision of proselytes, in the 1st century CE, before the Mishnah was edited, the requirement for circumcision of proselytes was an open issue between the zealots and liberal parties in ancient Israel. R. Joshua argued that besides accepting Jewish beliefs and laws, a prospective convert to Judaism must undergo immersion in a mikveh. In contrast, R. Eliezer makes circumcision a condition for the conversion. A similar controversy between the Shammaites and the Hillelites is given regarding a proselyte born without a foreskin: the former demanding the spilling of a drop of blood symbolic of the Brit Milah, thereby entering into the covenant; the latter declaring it to be unnecessary.
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Rabbinic JudaismJewish Encyclopedia: Gentiles: Gentiles May Not Be Taught the Torah asserts that the Mosaic covenant was presented to the Jewish people and converts to Judaism (which includes the biblical proselytes) and does not apply to Gentiles, with the notable exception of the Seven Laws of Noah which apply to all people.
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After Joseph Meacham died, Lucy Wright continued Ann Lee's missionary tradition. Shaker missionaries proselytized at revivals, not only in New England and New York, but also farther west. Missionaries such as Issachar Bates and Benjamin Seth Youngs (older brother of Isaac Newton Youngs) gathered hundreds of proselytes into the faith.Stein, The Shaker Experience in America pp.
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With the start of their missionary activity, they also started to attract proselytes, Gentiles who were fully or partly converted to Judaism. A process of cognitive dissonance may have led to intensive missionary activity, convincing others of the developing beliefs to reduce cognitive dissonance, explaining why the early group of followers grew larger despite the failing expectations.
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Julia Neal, The Kentucky Shakers (University of Kentucky Press, 1982), chapter 5. As membership declined, the Shakers began closing communities and consolidating Believers into the remaining villages. Pleasant Hill, which had once had almost five hundred members, dwindled away. By 1875, despite an influx of new proselytes from Sweden, it had fewer than half that number.
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193 The House was occupied by members of the Society of Saint John the Evangelist from 1896-1906. Despite the minister's fears they were seeking proselytes, they seem to have been more interested in avoiding the roof leaking and finding space for contemplation. Known locally as "Cowley Fathers", they ran services and held tea parties for the islanders.MacArthur (1997) pp.
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Then, indeed, poor printers will ever be thy proselytes. Step into our sanctum and coax dazzling editorials from the crown of our last election-won hat . . .” In 1891, the San Antonio Daily Light noted: “Professor Zamloch, the Prestidigitateur, drew a large audience at Rische’s theater last night. Many of his feats of legerdemain are really wonderful and a good entertainment was given.
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Later, he became a teacher of the princes of Saxony-Weimar Duchy. Inability of Protestant theologians on the major issues of faith caused him to doubt the truth of Protestantism. In 1622, Berthold Niehus moved to Cologne, where he visited the house of proselytes, founded the Brotherhood of the Holy Cross. In the same year he was received into the Catholic Church.
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Note that in 1978, Ruth Blau speaks about the Temple of rue Copernic.My sonClaude who became Ouriel after his conversion to Judaism, at the age of 10. and myself were confirmed as proselytes by an orthodox rabbi, rabbi Rubinstein of the Synagogue de la rue Pavée. We received a certificate of conversion validating our admission to the Jewish Community in 1951.
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They are Abraham's household, and Abraham converted them to righteousness. In the same way that Abraham converted his contemporaries, he converts future generations through the testament that he left behind him. Thus Abraham is the father of his posterity who keep his ways and of all proselytes who adopt Judaism. Therefore, Maimonides counseled converts to pray, "God of our fathers," because Abraham is their father.
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The first followers of Jesus were essentially all ethnically Jewish or Jewish proselytes. Jesus was Jewish, preached to the Jewish people, and called from them his first followers. According to McGrath, Jewish Christians, as faithful religious Jews, "regarded their movement as an affirmation of every aspect of contemporary Judaism, with the addition of one extra belief-that Jesus was the Messiah."McGrath, Alister E., Christianity: An Introduction.
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Proactive conversion is a term used to refer to measures by various promoters of Judaism to provide outreach to non-Jews. It is distinguished from proselytizing, or active attempts of persuasion and solicitation toward conversion, but it is distinguished from the traditional rabbinical policies regarding prospective proselytes (i.e., rejection of inquirees' requests three times before acceptance) in that programs for conversion are opened to first- time inquirees.
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They are Abraham's household, and Abraham converted them to righteousness. In the same way that Abraham converted his contemporaries, he converts future generations through the testament that he left behind him. Thus Abraham is the father of his posterity who keep his ways and of all proselytes who adopt Judaism. Therefore, Maimonides counseled converts to pray, "God of our fathers," because Abraham is their father.
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The first routinized system for teaching church principles to potential proselytes had been created in 1953 and named "A Systematic Program for Teaching the Gospel". In 1961, this system was enhanced, expanded, and renamed "A Uniform System for Teaching Investigators". This new system, in the form of a hypothetical dialogue with a fictional character named "Mr. Brown", included intricate details for what to say in almost every situation.
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Jewish sources vary on whether or not circumcision of proselytes was a universal practice in tannaitic times. The disagreement centers on the correctness of contradictory passages in the Babylonian Talmud and Jerusalem Talmud and which passage is older. B. Yevamot 46a is summarized as follows: :Rabbi Joshua says that if a proselyte is immersed but not circumcised this is valid. Because our mothers where immersed but not circumcised.
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The latter, presided upon by Anton Mocioni, recognized Hungarian rule and sought to obtain Romanian rights within its jurisdiction.Neș, pp. 132–133 An 1872 report to his partisans also claimed that Andrei and the other Mocionis were "disgusted" and "demoralized" by the behavior of Romanian electors in Lugoj and Krassó, who acted as "proselytes of the [Hungarian] government"."Lugosiu, 4 fauru 1872", in Albina, Nr. 9/1872, p.
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The Jews of San Nicandro (also called San Nicandro Jews) are a small community of proselytes from San Nicandro Garganico, Italy. The San Nicandro Jews are descended from local non-Jewish families from the 15th century. According to John A. Davis, professor of Italian history at the University of Connecticut, the Jews of San Nicandro represent "the only case of collective conversion to Judaism in Europe in modern times".
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The Evangelical congregation of Jaffa in 1889 consisted of former Templers, Protestant German and Swiss expatriates, and proselytes gained earlier by the Metzlers' missionary efforts. Johann Georg Kappus Sr. (1826–1905) became the first chairman of the congregation, later followed by his son Johann Georg Kappus Jr. (1855–1928).Ejal Jakob Eisler, Der deutsche Beitrag zum Aufstieg Jaffas 1850–1914: Zur Geschichte Palästinas im 19. Jahrhundert, Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz, 1997, (Abhandlungen des Deutschen Palästina-Vereins; vol.
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Was He? The Jerusalem community consisted of "Hebrews," Jews speaking both Aramaic and Greek, and "Hellenists," Jews speaking only Greek, possibly diaspora Jews who had resettled in Jerusalem. With the start of their missionary activity, early Jewish Christians also started to attract proselytes, Gentiles who were fully or partly converted to Judaism. According to Dunn, Paul's initial persecution of Christians probably was directed against these Greek-speaking "Hellenists" due to their anti-Temple attitude.
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In some Crimean towns, monotheistic pagan cults called sebomenoi theon hypsiston ("Worshippers of the All-Highest God," or "God-Fearers") existed. These quasi-proselytes kept the Jewish commandments but remained uncircumcised and retained certain pagan customs. Eventually, these sects disappeared as their members adopted either Christianity or normative Judaism. Another theory is that after the suppression of Bar Kokhba's revolt by the emperor Hadrian, those Jews who were not executed were exiled to the Crimean peninsula.
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97 Most of the colonists came from the German Colony (Haifa), which was founded by the Templers. In 1874, the Temple Society underwent a schism and envoys of the Evangelical State Church of Prussia's older Provinces successfully proselytised among the schismatics. Thus the Haifa German Colony became home to two Christian denominations and their congregations.Eisler, 1998, p. 84 While in Germany the Templers were regarded sectarians, the Evangelical proselytes gained major financial and ideological support from German Lutheran and United church bodies.
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The description of Ruth's insistence on following Naomi (Ruth 1:16-18) is very graphic, in that, when her attention was directed by her mother-in-law to the laws relating to proselytes, she accepted them all. Both Naomi and Ruth are described as righteous women whose acts were charitable. Ruth particularly is pointed out as being modest and of exemplary manners.2:5 In its interpretation of 3:3, the midrash shows the necessity of honoring Shabbat by wearing special garments.
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Golb 1965, p. 155 It was common practice for proselytes to choose the name "Obadiah" because of the tradition that Obadiah the prophet was an Edomite converted to Judaism."Obadiah the Proselyte" in The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians His reasons are not entirely clear. It is believed he had been inspired by the Jewish people during the First Crusade, as well as the story of Andreas, the archbishop of Bari who had converted to Judaism circa 1066–1078.
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Later in the same passage of the Babylonian Talmud, the following appears: :Rabbi Meir would call [the books which are left to burn] aven gilyon (אוון גליון, "false scroll"). Rabbi Yochanan would call them avon gilyon (עוון גליון, "sin scroll"). The terms aven gilyon and avon gilyon are derogatory puns on ἐυαγγέλιον ("evangelion"). As Rabbi Meir was the descendant of Greek proselytes, it is possible that he, having had a Greek education, simply intended to represent the sound of ἐυαγγέλιον more exactly.
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Metuentes (literally fearing) is a term used in "the Latin inscriptions by Juvenal for Jewish proselytes". It corresponds to the Greek term "σεβόμενοι τὸν Θεόν" (English: "respecting God"), which occurs in Josephus, and to the Hebrew "More Yhwh". In the book of Psalms, the expression is used for "the whole body of pious persons outside the house of Israel or ... perhaps for certain Gentiles who had adopted some of the Jewish customs, notably the observance of the Sabbath and abstention from forbidden meat".
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The Sephardim never accepted the Ashkenazi Jews as part of the Israeli and Judean tribes. Matter of fact only in the 18th century the Ashkenazi established themselves as 'Jews' and 'Jewish People'. Hasdai Ibn Shaprut scholar physician and a prominent diplomat one the greatest leaders of the Diaspora called the Ashkenazi as 'proselytes from East Europe'. The sephardic medieval rabbi poet and philosopher Yehuda ha Levi expressed these same words to the King of the Khazars (Kitab Al Khazari III) from where the European Jews originate.
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Sardis Synagogue (3rd century, Turkey) had a large community of God-fearers and Jews integrated into the Roman civic life. God-fearers (, phoboumenoi ton Theon) or God-worshippers (, Theosebeis) were a numerous class of Gentile sympathizers to Hellenistic Judaism that existed in the Greco-Roman world, which observed certain Jewish religious rites and traditions without becoming full converts to Judaism. The concept has precedents in the proselytes of the Hebrew Bible. More generally, God-fearing has come to mean someone who is honestly religious.
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Wergland, Sisters in the Faith, chapter 11. Wright sent missionaries to preach across New England and upstate New York. After hearing of revivals at Cane Ridge, Kentucky during the Second Great Awakening, she sent missionaries into the western wilderness, where they recruited proselytes and established new Shaker villages in Kentucky, Ohio, and Indiana.White and Taylor, Shakerism: Its Meaning and Message; Carol Medlicott, “Now By My Motion”: The Life Journey of Issachar Bates, Soldier, Preacher, and Shaker on the American Frontier (Hanover, N.H.: University Press of New England, 2013).
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The psalm is classified as one of the "Songs of Zion", looking to the future Jerusalem as the 'center of universal worship' and listing some of the surrounding nations (from which Jewish proselytes have come to the festivals) or as a 'reference to Jews who come from different countries in the dispersion'. "Rahab" in verse 4 may be 'the primeval monster quelled by YHWH in ancient story' (cf. Psalm 89:10), here to represent "Egypt", whereas the 'springs' (verse 7) may symbolize "divine blessing", placing Zion as 'the source of the streams of Paradise'.
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This might mean "To one like themselves they gave to drink," and may be construed as an allusion to an old rumor to the effect that these associate presidents were themselves lineal descendants of proselytes;Bab. Talmud Gittin 57b or it might mean "They gave her a sham to drink." The memory of those chiefs being held in esteem, Akabia's insinuation gave offense; wherefore the sentence of nidduy (isolation, excommunication) was passed on him. This he bore to the end of his days rather than violate his convictions.
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H.H. Ben-Sasson, A History of the Jewish People, Harvard University Press, 1976, , page 334: "In an effort to wipe out all memory of the bond between the Jews and the land, Hadrian changed the name of the province from Iudaea to Syria-Palestina, a name that became common in non-Jewish literature." In addition, after 70, Jews and Jewish Proselytes were only allowed to practice their religion if they paid the Jewish tax, and after 135 were barred from Jerusalem except for the day of Tisha B'Av.
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According to there were Jews from "every nation under heaven" in Jerusalem, possibly visiting the city as pilgrims during Pentecost. In particular the hoi epidemountes () are identified as "visitors" to Jerusalem from Rome. This group of visitors includes both Jews and "proselytes" (, prosēlytos); sometimes translated as "converts to Judaism", proselyte referred to non-Jews who adhered fully to the Mosaic laws, including circumcision. The list of nations represented in the biblical text includes Parthians, Medes, Elamites, Mesopotamia, Judaea, Cappadocia, Pontus, Asia, Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, Cyrene, and those who were visiting from Rome.
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Early Christianity (up to the First Council of Nicaea in 325) spread from the Eastern Mediterranean throughout the Roman Empire and beyond. Originally, this progression was closely connected to already established Jewish centers in the Holy Land and the Jewish diaspora. The first followers of Christianity were Jews or proselytes, commonly referred to as Jewish Christians and God-fearers. The Apostolic sees claim to have been founded by one or more of the apostles of Jesus, who are said to have dispersed from Jerusalem sometime after the crucifixion of Jesus, c.
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He did not demand the normal formal requirements that the halacha imposes on potential gentile proselytes, (such as a brit milah or immersion in a mikveh). Few Ashkenazi rabbinic authorities consider the conversions to be actual conversions, not pro forma. Ethiopian Jews Over time, due to their community's isolation from those in Europe and the Middle East, the practices of the Beta Israel developed to differ significantly from those of other forms of Judaism. In Ethiopia, the Beta Israel community was for the most part isolated from the Talmud.
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Before and during the First World War, the circle of anarchists linked to Rafanelli would, without any hesitation, advocate a pacifist position and condemn the conflict, despite the proselytes for interventionism in the Left, both in Italy and abroad. The most striking case at the international level was to be Peter Kropotkin, who even for a short period invite them to fight on the side of the Triple Entente. Even Rafanelli's old comrade Giuseppe Ungaretti became a fierce advocate of interventionism, enlisting as a volunteer at the beginning of the conflict.
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Mishnah, Bikkurim 3:6). Native-born Israelites and proselytes would bring the Bikkurim and would say the Avowal, but women who brought the Bikkurim were not permitted to say the Avowal, since they were unable to claim inheritance in the Land bequeathed unto the tribes by their male lineage. This Avowal was incorporated into a beautiful and grand festive celebration with a procession of pilgrims marching up to Jerusalem and then the Temple with gold, silver or willow baskets to which live doves were tied. (Bikkurim 3:3,5 and 8).
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In 1973 the Hebrew Christian Testimony to Israel merged with other missionary societies to form the Messianic Testimony. A number of proselytes among the Jews of Berlin joined the Anglican congregation. When the Nazi persecution of Jews and even Jewish-born Christians (see Prussian Union of Churches § Protestants of Jewish descent) became more and more unbearable, the Hebrew Christian Testimony to Israel relinquished its premises on Oranienburger Straße to Heinrich Grüber's help organisation, , on 7 December 1938.Hartmut Ludwig, "Das ›Büro Pfarrer Grüber‹ 1938–1940", in: ›Büro Pfarrer Grüber‹ Evangelische Hilfsstelle für ehemals Rasseverfolgte.
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This Torah verse represents one of several versions of the Golden Rule, which itself appears in various forms, positive and negative. It is the earliest written version of that concept in a positive form.Plaut, The Torah – A Modern Commentary; Union of American Hebrew Congregations, New York 1981; p. 892. At the turn of the eras, the Jewish rabbis were discussing the scope of the meaning of Leviticus 19:18 and 19:34 extensively: Commentators summed up foreigners (= Samaritans), proselytes (= 'strangers who resides with you') (Rabbi Akiva, bQuid 75b) or Jews (Rabbi Gamaliel, yKet 3, 1; 27a) to the scope of the meaning.
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Edessa, which was held by Rome from 116 to 118 and 212 to 214, but was mostly a client kingdom associated either with Rome or Persia, was an important Christian city. Shortly after 201 or even earlier, its royal house became Christian Edessa (now Şanlıurfa) in northwestern Mesopotamia was from apostolic times the principal center of Syriac-speaking Christianity. it was the capital of an independent kingdom from 132 BC to AD 216, when it became tributary to Rome. Celebrated as an important centre of Greco-Syrian culture, Edessa was also noted for its Jewish community, with proselytes in the royal family.
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For the Torah has been given to born Jews and proselytes alike, as says, "One ordinance shall be both for you of the congregation, and also for the stranger that sojourns with you, an ordinance forever in your generations; as you are, so shall the stranger be before the Lord." Maimonides counseled converts not to consider their origin as inferior. While born Jews descend from Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, converts derive from God, through whose word the world was created. As Isaiah said in "One shall say, I am the Lord's, and another shall call himself by the name of Jacob."Maimonides.
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The Apostolic Decree thus helped to establish nascent Christianity as a unique alternative among the forms of Judaism for prospective Proselytes. The Twelve Apostles and the Apostolic Fathers initiated the process of transforming the originally Jewish sect into a diaspora of communities composed of both Jews and gentiles, united by their trust in Jesus. The Armenian, Georgian and Ethiopian churches are the only instances of imposition of Christianity by sovereign rulers predating the council of Nicaea. The initial conversion of the Roman Empire occurred mostly in urban areas of Europe, where the first conversions were sometimes among members of the Jewish population.
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The Masoretic Torah text describes three variations of tzaraath affecting the skin: שאת, ספחת ובהרת (Se'eth, Sapachath and Bahereth). The Septuagint, a translation of the Hebrew Bible originally used by Greek- speaking Jews and Gentile proselytes, translates the term tzaraath with Greek lepra (λέπρα), from which the cognate "leprosy" was traditionally used in English Bibles. The classical Greek term lepra stems from the noun lepis λεπίς (a scale (of a fish), which in turn stems from the verb lepó λέπω (to peel), hence leprosy (literally, morbid scaliness).Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon article λέπρ-α , Ion.
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Observation and remembrance of Sabbath is one of the Ten Commandments (the fourth in the original Jewish, the Eastern Orthodox, and most Protestant traditions, the third in Roman Catholic and Lutheran traditions), sometimes referred to individually as the Sabbath Commandment. Most people who observe Biblical Sabbath regard it as having been made for man () at Creation (), and instituted as a perpetual covenant for the people of Israel (, , ), a rule that also applies to proselytes, and a sign respecting two events: the seventh day, during which God rested after having completed Creation in six days (, ), and God's deliverance of the Israelites from Egypt ().
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Italian site "Emotional Breakdown" gave a positive review of Orchid's compilation album Totality, saying: "[Orchid] are the concentrated essence of the most poignant music you can imagine: the vocal cords that are pulled until they tear, the music sounds dark and desperate. They possess all these characteristics as the undisputed masters they have taught many proselytes, in all of their cynical splendor." Orchid is considered a prominent and quintessential band in screamo. Orchid are considered legends in the emotional hardcore scene primarily due to their debut album Chaos Is Me, which left "a huge crater that was their influence".
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He also emphasized the impact of other cultures on Judaism, starting from the ancient Egyptian paganism, as well as the great role of the proselytes in the Jewish history. Unlike some exclusivist Kabbalists, Benamozegh believed that Kabbalah is a universal theology that unites all human beings and views them as equals. At the same time, Benamozegh was a staunch Italian patriot. He even wrote a daring formulation, based on the Jewish declaration of faith: O Israelites, that you will always love Italy, that you will love her with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind.
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This was "his chief contribution to Jewish institutional and educational activity in the United States" according to his biographical sketch in the American Jewish Archives. When the Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR) was founded in 1889 and he became a charter member. According to the same biographical sketch “he functioned as chairman of the Committee to draft a formula for the reception of proselytes and the committee on arbitration to adjust differences between congregations and rabbis.” Berkowitz published many works, with all his manuscripts are conserved at the Jacob Rader Marcus Center of the American Jewish Archives in Cincinnati, OH.
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We may understand here (1) that the words used imply successful preaching and the admission of Greeks to the Christian congregation, and (2) that such an innovation took place by slow degrees, and began in the synagogue, where Greek proselytes heard the word.St. Paul the Traveler and the Roman Citizen by W.M. Ramsay, Chapter 3, The Church in Antioch Antioch is intimately connected with the early history of the gospel. It was the great central point from where missionaries to the Gentiles were sent (presumably following the Great Commission). It was the birthplace of the famous Christian father Chrysostom, who died A.D. 407.
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Before Paul's conversion, Christianity was part of Second Temple Judaism. Gentiles who wished to join the early Christian movement, which at the time comprised mostly Jewish followers, were expected to convert to Judaism, which likely meant submission to adult male circumcision for the uncircumcised, following the dietary restrictions of kashrut, and more (see 613 mitzvot for details). During the time period, there were also "partial converts", such as gate proselytes and God-fearers. Paul insisted that faith in Christ (see also Faith or Faithfulness) was sufficient for salvation and that the Mosaic Law did not bind Gentiles.
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The Yalqut Reubeni (Collection of Reuben) is a 17th-century collection of midrashim by Rabbi Reuben Hoschke Kohen first printed at Prague in 1660.Hermann Leberecht Strack, Günter Stemberger, Markus Bockmuehl Introduction to the Talmud and Midrash 1996 The collection includes expansions of Rabbinical legends such as concerning Jannes and Jambres,International Organization for the Study of the Old Testament. Congress, John Adney Emerton Leuven, 1989 p398 "In a 17th-century collection of midrashim known as the Yalqut Reubeni, we are told, in comment on Ex. vii 11, that when Jannes and Jambres saw all the signs of Moses they asked to become proselytes" Lilith, and so on.
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In various sources it is described as a Jewish inscription dated with the local calendar—the regnal year of Egica—rather than the Hebrew calendar, an "inscription relating to the Jews of France", or as a "Christian inscription" (Click on search link and enter above EDCS-ID.). They probably remained under Roman law until the triumph of Christianity, with the status established by Caracalla, on a footing of equality with their fellow citizens. Their association with fellow citizens was generally amicable, even after the establishment of Christianity in Gaul. The Christian clergy participated in some Jewish feasts; intermarriage between Jews and Christians sometimes occurred; and the Jews made proselytes.
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James the Just, whose judgment was adopted in the apostolic decree of With the start of their missionary activity, early Jewish Christians also started to attract proselytes, Gentiles who were fully or partly converted to Judaism. The New Testament's Acts of the Apostles (the historical accuracy of which is questioned) and Epistle to the Galatians record that an early Jewish Christian community centered on Jerusalem, and that its leaders reportedly included Peter, James, the brother of Jesus, and John the Apostle., The Jerusalem community "held a central place among all the churches," as witnessed by Paul's writings. Reportedly legitimised by Jesus' appearance, Peter was the first leader of the Jerusalem ekklēsia.
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In the New Testament and early Christian writings, the Greek terms God-fearers and God-worshippers are used to indicate those Pagans who attached themselves in varying degrees to Hellenistic Judaism without becoming full converts, and are referred to primarily in the Gospel of Luke () and more extensively in the Acts of the Apostles,Journal of Biblical Studies: Godfearer, by J. Brian Tucker: "The traditional understanding of God-fearers, i. e. F. F. Bruce, “God-fearers were Gentiles who attached themselves in varying degrees to the Jewish worship and way of life without as yet becoming full proselytes.”" which describes the Apostolic Age of the 1st century.
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The biblical law regarding Passover is said to be a "perpetual ordinance" (), to some degree also applicable to proselytes (). Regarding the chronology of Jesus, the Gospel of John (e.g., , , ) implies that Nisan 14 was the day that Jesus was crucified in Jerusalem, while the Synoptic Gospels instead place the execution on the first day of Unleavened Bread (). Both John and Synoptics agree that the day of crucifixion was on the day of the Preparation, which is the reason Christ and the two thieves had to be quickly taken off the cross and rushed into the tomb before the sun had set in John 19:42.
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The problem, however, that arises here is that a man whose daughter was married to his brother, had his brother died childless, he (the living brother who is the father of his brother's wife) could not consummate a marriage with his own daughter, a thing prohibited in Jewish law, and therefore even the co-wives of his brother assume the same prohibition and are forbidden for him to marry. (b) that Jews living in the regions of Ammon and Moab separate from their produce the poor man's tithe during the Sabbatical year; (c) that they accept of proselytes from the peoples of Tadmor (Palmyra) and from the people of Ḳardu.
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The link between primordium and millennium is well illustrated in Mormonism" (p. 140). and Abel in his ministry oft-quoted the Apostle Peter: "Think it not strange, brethren, concerning the fiery trials"Fiery trials" and affliction touched the lives of missionaries and potential gospel proselytes alike in the history of early Mormonism. As an illustration of this, and to provide a glimpse of Abel's exercise of priesthood power, Jackson (2014) presents instances of Abel's performance of ancillary priesthood ordinances while in the mission field. One was on behalf of Eunice Kinney, whose mind and spiritual sensibilities had become clouded by a spirit of darkness — her mind and soul "wracked" with doubt, frustration, and anger.
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The promises given to Abraham happened prior to the birth of Isaac and were given to all his offspring signified through the rite of circumcision. Johann Friedrich Karl Keil is less clear, as he states that the covenant is through Isaac, but notes that Ishmael's descendants have held much of that land through time. Biblical commentary on the Old Testament, Volume 1, Carl Friedrich Keil, Franz Delitzsch, p. 224 Mainstream Jewish tradition regards the promise made to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob as having been given to all Jews, including proselytes and in turn their descendants, with the traditional view being that a convert becomes a child of Abraham, as in the term "ben Avraham".
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Translated and annotated by Gerald Friedlander, page 197. Abraham Entertaining the Angels (drawing circa 1610–1620 by Jan Tengnagel at the National Gallery of Art A Midrash interpreted the words of "And when after my skin thus is destroyed (, nikkefu), then through my flesh shall I see God," to allude to Abraham. According to the Midrash, Abraham reasoned that after he circumcised himself, many proselytes flocked (hikkif) to attach themselves to the covenant, and it was thus because Abraham did so that God revealed God's Self to Abraham, as reports, "And the Lord appeared to him." (And thus through circumcision performed on his flesh did Abraham come to see God.)Genesis Rabbah 48:2.
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The Greek and Latin terms that refer to God-fearers (theosebeis, sebomenoi, phoboumenoi, metuentes)Pieter W. van der Horst, God-fearers (theosebeis) (2015), Oxford Classical Dictionary. are found in ancient literature (Greek, Roman, and Jewish) and synagogue inscriptions discovered in Aphrodisias, Panticapaeum, Tralles, Sardis, Venosa, Lorium (in Rome), Rhodes, Deliler (Philadelphia) and Miletus. Judging from the distinctions in the Acts of the Apostles, it is thought that they did not become gerim tzedekim, which required circumcision, although the evidence across the centuries varies widely and the meaning of the term may have included all kinds of sympathetic Gentiles, proselytes or not.Todd C. Penner, In praise of Christian origins: Stephen and the Hellenists, p.
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The Moorish Proselytes of Archbishop Ximenes, Granada, 1500 by Edwin Long (1829–1891) The Emirate of Granada was the last Muslim Kingdom in the Iberian Peninsula, which surrendered in 1492 to the Catholic forces after a decade-long campaign. Granada was annexed to Castile as the Kingdom of Granada, and had a majority Muslim population of between 250,000 and 300,000. Initially, the Treaty of Granada guaranteed their rights to be Muslim but Cardinal Cisneros's effort to convert the population led to the a series of rebellions. The rebellions were suppressed, and afterwards the Muslims in Granada were given the choice to remain and accept baptism, reject baptism and be enslaved or killed, or to be exiled.
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God is consistently depicted as the one who created the world. Although the God of the Old Testament is not consistently presented as the only God who exists, he is always depicted as the only God whom Israel is to worship, or the one "true God", that only Yahweh is Almighty, and both Jews and Christians have always interpreted the Bible (both the "Old" and "New" Testaments) as an affirmation of the oneness of Almighty God. The Old Testament stresses the special relationship between God and his chosen people, Israel, but includes instructions for proselytes as well. This relationship is expressed in the biblical covenant (contract) between the two, received by Moses.
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In Vayikra Rabbah the passage reads: "Even what is superfluous on the earth is a part of the whole; and also the things which you regard as superfluous to the revealed Torah, such as the laws of tzitzit, Tefillin, and mezuzah, they also belong to the idea of the revealed Torah."Vayikra Rabbah 22:1 In Kohelet Rabbah it reads: "The things which you regard as superfluous to the Torah, such as the tosafot of Rebbi's school and those of R. Nathan and the treatise on proselytes and slaves ["Hilkot Gerim va'Avadim"], they also were revealed to Moses on Mount Sinai, and treatises like 'Hilkhot Tzitzit Tefillin u-Mezuzot' belong to the sum total of the Torah." As Zunz assumes,G. V. p.
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Around 140, his successor Antoninus Pius (138-161 CE) exempted Jews from the decree against circumcision, allowing them to circumcise their sons, although they were forbidden to do the same on their slaves and proselytes. Jewish nationalists' (Pharisees and Zealots) response to the decrees also took a more moderate form: circumcisions were secretly performed, even on dead Jews. However, there were also many Jews, known as "Hellenizers", that viewed Hellenization and social integration of the Jewish people in the Greco-Roman world favourably, and pursued a completely different approach: accepting the Emperor's decree and even making efforts to restore their foreskins to better assimilate into Hellenistic society. The latter approach was common during the reign of Antiochus, and again under Roman rule.
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Moreover, the regulations for the reception of proselytes, as developed in course of time, prove the eminently practical, that is, the non-creedal character of Judaism. Compliance with certain rites - immersion in a mikveh (ritual bath), brit milah (circumcision), and the acceptance of the mitzvot (Commandments of Torah) as binding - is the test of the would-be convert's faith. He or she is instructed in the main points of Jewish law, while the profession of faith demanded is limited to the acknowledgment of the unity of God and the rejection of idolatry. Judah ha- Levi (Kuzari 1:115) puts the whole matter very strikingly when he says: :We are not putting on an equality with us a person entering our religion through confession alone.
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Cobbett's books were printed in a cheap > form; the labourers read them, and thenceforward became deliberate and > systematic in their proceedings. Nor were there wanting men of their own > class, to encourage and direct the new converts. The Sunday Schools of the > preceding thirty years had produced many working men of sufficient talent to > become readers, writers, and speakers in the village meetings for > parliamentary reform. Some also were found to possess a rude poetic talent, > which rendered their effusions popular, and bestowed an additional charm on > their assemblages; and by such various means, anxious listeners at first, > and then zealous proselytes, were drawn from the cottages of quiet nooks and > dingles, to the weekly readings and discussions of the Hampden clubs.
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The Holiness Code is believed to have been written as a form to avoid sexual deviations, sexually transmittable diseases and other forms of physical illness for the people of Israel with some specified as applicable for Proselytes. Some of its teachings are still in practice in the evangelical church, however see Leviticus 18 and Biblical law in Christianity for details. Among Mainline Protestants, there is debate about how much of this passage can be applicable today since the Levitical priesthood and animal sacrifice ended in AD 70, with the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans. Many in these groups see references to sexuality therein and as being reiterated for emphasis elsewhere in the Bible; for example, in the Epistle to the Romans.
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DNA markings, however, are irrelevant when considering that, in Jewish law, proselytes who may have joined the religion of Israel and married into Israelite families, will still pass on their DNA readings to their children. According to Simon Schama, the Israeli geneticist Batsheva Bonne-Tamir established that the ancestry of Yemeni Jews goes back to south-Western Arabian and Bedouin conversions.Simon Schama, The Story of the Jews:Finding the Words 1000 BCE-1492 CE, Vintage Books 2014 p.234. The Y chromosome data on Yemenite Jews show greater evidence of shared Jewish ancestry. In particular, four Y haplogroups (A3b2, E3b3a, E3b1, and J2e) are shared between Yemenite and the Ethiopian Jewish population, whereas no exact mitochondrial haplotypes are shared between these two populations.
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Jews reacted to his assassination by mourning him publicly in Rome.Canfora p.213. The crisis under Caligula (37-41) has been proposed as the "first open break between Rome and the Jews", even though problems were already evident during the Census of Quirinius in 6 and under Sejanus (before 31). After the Jewish-Roman wars (66-135), Hadrian changed the name of Iudaea province to Syria Palaestina and Jerusalem to Aelia Capitolina in an attempt to erase the historical ties of the Jewish people to the region. After 70, Jews and Jewish proselytes were only allowed to practice their religion if they paid the Jewish tax, and after 135 were barred from Jerusalem except for the day of Tisha B'Av.
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St. Peter's Basilica, believed to be the burial site of St. Peter, seen from the River Tiber Exactly when Christians first appeared in Rome is difficult to determine (see Godfearers, Proselytes, and History of the Jews in the Roman Empire for the historical background). The Acts of the Apostles claims that the Jewish Christian couple Priscilla and Aquila had recently come from Rome to Corinth when, in about the year 50, Paul reached the latter city,; The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church (Oxford University Press 2005 ), article Priscilla, St indicating that belief in Jesus in Rome had preceded Paul. Historians consistently consider Peter and Paul to have been martyred in Rome under the reign of Nero"Paul, St" Cross, F. L., ed. The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church.
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" Retrieved on Jan. 16, 2007 There is also a discussion on Judaism's policy (which is found in the Talmud at Yevamos 24b) of forbidding conversion unless the "Jewish people is downtrodden." Retrieved on Jan. 17, 2007 R' Shlomo Ganzfried outlines the policy saying that "during the reigns of King David and King Solomon, when the Jews enjoyed political autonomy and financial prosperity, no converts were accepted, since they were likely to be motivated by a desire for personal security and monetary gain. Likewise, proselytes will not be accepted in the Messianic era." This is held not to be the case with Pharaoh's daughter, as "the Talmud explicitly states that this did not apply to the daughter of Pharaoh, who had enough wealth not to need to marry Solomon for money (Talmud Yevamos 76a).
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He used this notion of Messiah to argue for a religion through which all people—not just descendants of Abraham—could worship the God of Abraham. Unlike Judaism, which holds that it is the proper religion only of the Jews, Pauline Christianity claimed to be the proper religion for all people.Boyarin 1999 (?) By appealing to the Platonic distinction between the material and the ideal, Paul showed how the spirit of Christ could provide all people a way to worship the God who had previously been worshipped only by Jews, Jewish proselytes and God-fearers, although Jews claimed that he was the one and only God of all. Boyarin roots Paul's work in Hellenistic Judaism and insists that Paul was thoroughly Jewish, but argues that Pauline theology made his version of Christianity appealing to gentiles.
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He left the university to become chaplain at Bildeston Hall, and after this was ordained by Bishop Reynolds at a very early age; for either in 1671, the year of his majority, or at the beginning of 1672, he was settled at Milden, Suffolk, first as curate in charge, afterwards as rector. In December 1692, he was preferred to the vicarage and lectureship of Dedham, Essex, where he ended his days. While at Milden he was intimate with William Gurnall, rector of the neighbouring parish of Lavenham, the author of ‘The Christian in Compleat Armour,’ and in 1679 preached his funeral sermon. He preached also in 1691 a violent sermon at Lavenham against some Baptists, who, under one Tredwell from London, were ‘making proselytes by rebaptising them in a nasty horsepond.
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Yohannan Hormizd was eventually ransomed by his supporters and returned to Mosul, where he had several of his opponents imprisoned. After a series of mutual recriminations, the Rabban Hormizd monks and the Catholic missionaries wrote jointly to the Propaganda calling for Yohannan's deposition, alleging that he was opposed to their order, that he incited the Kurds of Isma'il Pasha against them, and that he was endeavouring to lead the Chaldean proselytes back to Nestorianism. The Vatican was alarmed at these charges and on 15 February 1812 suspended Yohannan from his functions as archbishop of Mosul and patriarchal administrator and appointed Shemon Sayyegh apostolic vicar for Mosul and the priest Giwargis of Alqosh apostolic vicar for the patriarchate of Babylon. Both men were placed under the direct authority of Augustine Hindi, who was named apostolic delegate for the affairs of the patriarchate of Babylon.
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The earliest known example of a Jew and a Christian debating the meaning of Isaiah 53 is the example from 248 cited by Origen. In Christian church father Origen's Contra Celsus, written in 248, he writes of Isaiah 53: :Now I remember that, on one occasion, at a disputation held with certain Jews, who were reckoned wise men, I quoted these prophecies; to which my Jewish opponent replied, that these predictions bore reference to the whole people, regarded as one individual, and as being in a state of dispersion and suffering, in order that many proselytes might be gained, on account of the dispersion of the Jews among numerous heathen nations.Origen, Contra Celsum, Book 1.Chapter 55 The discourse between Origen and his Jewish counterpart does not seem to have had any consequences for either party.
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Paul argues that the gentile Galatians do not need to adhere to the tenets of the Mosaic Law, particularly religious male circumcision, by contextualizing the role of the law in light of the revelation of Christ. The Epistle to the Galatians has exerted enormous influence on the history of Christianity, the development of Christian theology, and the study of the Apostle Paul. The central dispute in the letter concerns the question of how Gentiles could convert to Christianity, which shows that this letter was written at a very early stage in church history, when the vast majority of Christians were Jewish or Jewish proselytes, which historians refer to as the Jewish Christians. Another indicator that the letter is early is that there is no hint in the letter of a developed organization within the Christian community at large.
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In Paul's account of his visit to Jerusalem in , he states that he stayed with Cephas (better known as Peter) and James, the brother of the Lord, was the only other apostle he met. Paul describes James as being one of the persons to whom the risen Christ showed himself, and in Galatians 2:9, Paul mentions James with Cephas and John the Apostle as the three "pillars" of the Church. Paul describes these Pillars as the ones who will minister to the "circumcised" (in general Jews and Jewish Proselytes) in Jerusalem, while Paul and his fellows will minister to the "uncircumcised" (in general Gentiles) (), after a debate in response to concerns of the Christians of Antioch. The Antioch community was concerned over whether Gentile Christians need be circumcised to be saved, and sent Paul and Barnabas to confer with the Jerusalem church.
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The earliest known example of a Jew and a Christian debating the meaning of Isaiah 53 is the example from 248 cited by Origen. In Christian church father Origen's Contra Celsus, written in 248, he writes of Isaiah 53: :Now I remember that, on one occasion, at a disputation held with certain Jews, who were reckoned wise men, I quoted these prophecies; to which my Jewish opponent replied, that these predictions bore reference to the whole people, regarded as one individual, and as being in a state of dispersion and suffering, in order that many proselytes might be gained, on account of the dispersion of the Jews among numerous heathen nations.Origen, Contra Celsum, Book 1.Chapter 55 The discourse between Origen and his Jewish counterpart does not seem to have had any consequences for either party.
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Anti-Judaic works of this period include De Adversus Iudeaos by Tertullian, Octavius by Minucius Felix, De Catholicae Ecclesiae Unitate by Cyprian of Carthage, and Instructiones Adversus Gentium Deos by Lactantius. The traditional hypothesis holds that the anti-Judaism of these early fathers of the Church "were inherited from the Christian tradition of Biblical exegesis" though a second hypothesis holds that early Christian anti-Judaism was inherited from the pagan world. Taylor has observed that theological Christian anti-Judaism "emerge[d] from the church's efforts to resolve the contradictions inherent in its simultaneous appropriation and rejection of different elements of the Jewish tradition." Modern scholars believe that Judaism may have been a missionary religion in the early centuries of the Christian or common era, converting so-called proselytes, and thus competition for the religious loyalties of gentiles drove anti-Judaism.
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Many scholars believe the author was not Peter, but an unknown author writing after Peter's death. Estimates for the date of composition range from 60 to 112 AD. Most critical scholars are skeptical that the apostle Simon Peter, the fisherman on the Sea of Galilee, actually wrote the epistle, because of the urbane cultured style of the Greek and the lack of any personal detail suggesting contact with the historical Jesus of Nazareth. The letter contains about thirty-five references to the Hebrew Bible, all of which, however, come from the Septuagint translation, an unlikely source for historical Peter the apostle, but appropriate for a Hellenized audience; thus the use of the Septuagint helps define the audience. The Septuagint was a Greek translation that had been created at Alexandria for the use of those Jews who could not easily read the Hebrew and Aramaic of the Tanakh, and for proselytes.
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Paul's theology of the gospel accelerated the separation of the messianic sect of Christians from Judaism, a development contrary to Paul's own intent. He wrote that faith in Christ was alone decisive in salvation for Jews and Gentiles alike, making the schism between the followers of Christ and mainstream Jews inevitable and permanent. He argued that Gentile converts did not need to become Jews, get circumcised, follow Jewish dietary restrictions, or otherwise observe Mosaic laws to be saved. According to Fredriksen, Paul's opposition to male circumcision for Gentiles is in line with Old Testament predictions that "in the last days the gentile nations would come to the God of Israel, as gentiles (e.g., Zechariah 8:20–23), not as proselytes to Israel."Larry Hurtado (December 4, 2018 ), “When Christians were Jews”: Paula Fredriksen on “The First Generation” For Paul, Gentile male circumcision was therefore an affront to God's intentions.
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H. B. Swete, An Introduction to the Old Testament in Greek, revised by R.R. Ottley, 1914; reprint, Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson, 1989."The quotations from the Old Testament found in the New are in the main taken from the Septuagint; and even where the citation is indirect the influence of this version is clearly seen (..)" In the Early Christian Church, the presumption that the Septuagint (LXX) was translated by Jews before the era of Christ, and that the Septuagint at certain places gives itself more to a christological interpretation than 2nd-century Hebrew texts was taken as evidence that "Jews" had changed the Hebrew text in a way that made them less Christological. For example, Irenaeus concerning Isaiah 7:14: The Septuagint clearly writes of a virgin (Greek παρθένος) that shall conceive. While the Hebrew text was, according to Irenaeus, at that time interpreted by Theodotion and Aquila (both proselytes of the Jewish faith) as a young woman that shall conceive.
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Yibbum 1:1–2). The problem, however, that arises here is that a man whose daughter was married to his brother, had his brother died childless, he (the living brother who is the father of his brother's wife) could not consummate a marriage with his own daughter, a thing prohibited in Jewish law, and therefore even the co-wives of his brother assume the same prohibition and are forbidden for him to marry. (b) that Jews living in the regions of Ammon and Moab separate from their produce the poor man's tithe during the Sabbatical year; (c) that they accept of proselytes from the peoples of Tadmor (Palmyra) and from the people of Ḳardu (Corduene). In the days of Rabbi Dosa ben Harkinas, the general practice was as the teachings of the School of Hillel who prohibited a man of like status to consummate a levirate marriage with one of the co-wives of his daughter.
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In the opinion of O'Beirne, Bishop of Meath, "the management of the Hibernian Bible Society has entirely fallen into the hands of sectaries and seceders, and the establishment of their auxiliary societies, wherever it takes place through the country, has for its immediate object the increase of the number of their proselytes, and the extension and prevalence of their doctrines."History of the Diocese of Meath, volume 2, p 160Charles Stokes Dudley: An Analysis of the System of the Bible Society With the Belfast Bible Society becoming independent and forming the Northern Ireland Bible Society in 1987, The Hibernian Bible Society changed its name to the Bible Society of Ireland and it changed again in 1989 to the National Bible Society of Ireland,NBSI Annual Report 1991-1992 National Bible Society of Ireland. and is member of the United Bible Societies since 1949. Over the years the Bible society has become more ecumenical involving other denominations including Roman Catholic.
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According to Alexander Gordon, it was influential, and furnished the model of the Worcestershire agreement framed by Richard Baxter in 1652, and adopted in numerous English counties in place of the parliamentary presbyterianism; and through John Howe, a member of the Antrim meeting (1671-5) became the parent of the county unions formed among English dissenters after the passing of the Toleration Act 1688. The fame of the meeting brought to Antrim, about 1628, a company of English separatists and an Arminian, John Freeman, but they were unsuccessful in making proselytes. Ridge was one of the five beneficed clergy who, at the primary visitation of Henry Leslie at Lisburn in July 1636, refused to subscribe to the new canons, which were to assimilate the doctrine and ceremonies of the Irish church to those of England. The private conference which followed went unrecorded; in the public disputation with Leslie at Belfast (on 11 August) Ridge took no part, but when called up for sentence on 12 August he admitted that Leslie had given the five non-subscribers a fair, though not a full, hearing.
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These terms (circumcised/uncircumcised) are generally interpreted to mean Jews and Greeks, who were predominate, however it is an oversimplification as 1st century Iudaea Province also had some Jews who were not circumcised, and some Greeks (called Proselytes or Judaizers) and others such as Egyptians, Ethiopians, and Arabs who were. A common interpretation of the circumcision controversy of the New Testament was, that it was over the issue of whether Gentiles could enter the Church directly or ought to first convert to Judaism. However, the Halakha of Rabbinic Judaism was still under development at this time, as the Jewish Encyclopediaarticle on Jesus Jesus article on Jesus notes: "Jesus, however, does not appear to have taken into account the fact that the Halakha was at this period just becoming crystallized, and that much variation existed as to its definite form; the disputes of the Bet Hillel and Bet Shammai were occurring about the time of his maturity." This controversy was fought largely between opposing groups of Christians who were themselves ethnically Jewish, see section Jewish background above.
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Lydia was most likely from Greek background, since originating from Asia Minor, but probably romanized one, while she lived in a Roman settlement. She was evidently a well-to-do agent of a purple-dye firm in Thyatira, a city southeast of Pergamum and approximately inland, across the Aegean Sea from Athens. Lydia insisted on giving hospitality to Apostle Paul and his companions in Philippi. They stayed with her until their departure, through Amphipolis and Apollonia, to Thessalonica (Acts 16:40-17:1). Paul, Silas, and Timothy were traveling through the region of Philippi when they encounter “a reputable businesswoman and possibly a widow… [who] was a righteous Gentile or ‘God-fearer’ attracted to Judaism”. “[S]he was one of a large group [considered]…sympathizers with Judaism, believers in the one God, but who had not yet become ‘proselytes’ or taken the final step to conversion to Judaism”. Because these encounters and events take place “in what is now Europe,” Lydia is considered “the first ‘European’ Christian convert”.
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This general tolerance was not extended to religions that were hostile to the state nor any that claimed exclusive rights to religious beliefs and practice. By its very nature the exclusive faith of the Jews and Christians set them apart from other people, but whereas the former group was in the main contained within a single national, ethnic grouping, in the Holy Land and Jewish diaspora—the non-Jewish adherents of the sect such as Proselytes and God-fearers being considered negligible—the latter was active and successful in seeking converts for the new religion and made universal claims not limited to a single geographical area. Whereas the Masoretic Text, of which the earliest surviving copy dates from the 9th century AD, teaches that "the Gods of the gentiles are nothing", the corresponding passage in the Greek Septuagint, used by the early Christian Church, asserted that "all the gods of the heathens are devils.""The Greek Septuagint translated into English", Psalm 95:5 (96:5 in Hebrew-based translations - see Psalms#Numbering), translated by Sir Lancelot Charles Lee Brenton, 1851.
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