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  • From: Richard Fellows <rfellows AT shaw.ca>
  • To: Corpus-Paul <corpus-paul AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Corpus-Paul] The defection of Corinthian God-fearers to Paul
  • Date: Sun, 06 Aug 2006 15:55:54 -0700

I can recommend "The Book of Acts in its First Century Setting" vol 5 "Diaspora Setting". It devotes 76 pages to the uncircumcised gentiles who worshiped the Jewish God. It calls them "God-fearers", but also discusses other terms that have been used over the years for more or less the same group of people. Some have used the terms "semi-proselytes", "sympathizers" or "God-worshippers". The book lists the terms used in Acts: FOBOUMENOI TON QEON (Acts 10:1-2; 10:22; 13:16; 13:26), SEBONENOI TON QEON (13:50; 16:14; 18:6-70, SENOMENOI (17:4), SEBOMENOI PROSHLUTOI (13:43). SEBOMENOI ELLHNES (17:17). The first of these terms has given rise to the English "God-fearers", which I used in my post. I hope this clears up any confusion about what I was trying to communicate.
 
Bob wrote:
<,If this was the case, then Timothy would have been a rare exception, and the uncircumcision party that Peter was hanging out with before the visit of the men from James would have been insignificant.>>
 
The uncircumcised Christians in Antioch (and I have argued that Timothy was one of them) may well have been God-fearers. That is to say, they were (or had been) part of the synagogue community or communities, but had not fully converted to Judaism. Josephus speaks of these people when he says that the Jews in Antioch "were constantly attracting to their religious ceremonies multitudes of Greeks, and these they had in some measure incorporated with themselves" (BJ 7.45). It is no surprise that the Christian mission to gentiles had early successes in Antioch. The large numbers of God-fearers/sympathisers/whatever in Antioch made it a fruitful mission field.
 
cheers,
 
Richard.



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