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  • From: "David C. Hindley" <dhindley AT compuserve.com>
  • To: "Corpus-paul" <corpus-paul AT franklin.metalab.unc.edu>
  • Subject: Why were Gentiles attracted to Christianity?
  • Date: Wed, 5 Jun 2002 23:23:33 -0400


Clive Jacks made the statement:

>>After all, one of the problems I have long discerned was
just why an "off the street" gentile would react positively
to any proclamation that "the time of waiting is over," that
"the kingdom of God is at hand," because the long-awaited
Messiah prophesied in the Scriptures has come. Just how
much of that would be even intelligible much less agreeable
to any gentiles not previously exposed to such Jewish
concerns and categories?<<

And a good question to be asking, too. Unfortunately, many
of us still seem to assume that there is an obvious ethical
superiority to the Christian message that would make it
universally appealing to all people. A little while back I
asked the list what they thought about Richard Horsley's
endorsement of Draper's idea that the Jesus movement was
initially a renewal movement based on the traditional Hebrew
prophetic message. Draper even sees evidence for this in the
Didache, and considers this to be a document produced by an
urban Jewish Christian community in Antioch, Syria, and one
that was in conflict with an anti-nomian movement that could
be identified as Paul's.

Except for Mark Nanos' cautious reply, there has been almost
no substantial reaction here on the list. Even XTalk-ers are
largely silent (except for Bob Schacht, for whom this is a
favorite topic) about the significance of this hypothesis of
Draper's. I would think it should have entered the
discussion between Mark and Hyam, as it is about the same
subjects (obligations incumbent upon Gentile proselytes and
law observance among factions of Jesus believers).

Since you have expressed some trepidation concerning the
nature of any appeal the average Gentile "man on the street"
might find in the Christian message, do you have any
suggestions to offer as to what that message might have
been?

Hyam seems to think that it was a Jewish nationalistic
thing, all about the reestablishment of a Jewish kingdom
inaugurated by a Davidic messiah figure. While I tend to
agree with this idea, the very suggestion makes many
Christians *extremely* uncomfortable, including Horsley. Who
would be attracted to that, except perhaps other Jews? The
only Gentiles I could imagine responding would be those
receiving the least benefit from the current government, and
who thought that integration into a Jewish kingdom would be
much more tolerable for them.

Yet, it would make all the difference in the world whether
this kingdom was in traditional "Hebrew" territory alone, or
a world wide empire. If limited to the holy land only, I
might see the appeal limited to Gentile peasants close
enough to the new kingdom to be able to get there safely,
probably tenants subject to leases with unfavorable terms,
and to the lower level artisans and laborers resident in the
towns and cities (the marginalized peasantry). Of course,
this would likely entail conversion (including circumcision)
or living as some sort of "stranger in the gate" in a
strange and foreign culture. Besides, out in the country,
where would they have had any significant exposure to
Judaism?

However, it would be highly unlikely that Rome would endorse
the creation of an independent Davidic kingdom encompassing
the Roman province of Judea-Samaria and the client tetrarchy
in Galilee, so to be successful, such a revived Davidic
kingdom would necessarily have to defeat the Roman empire or
at very least clip its wings. Then I *might* expect to see
some interest on the part of mid-level and possibly even
upper-tier Gentile retainers, but essentially only if they
felt there was any reasonable possibility of success for
such a venture. In other words, they would be jockeying for
positions of power and honor in such a new empire. These
would also be more likely to have been exposed to Judaism
through synagogues or business or patronage channels.

Draper's vision would have the Christian message be centered
on village renewal based on the traditional Hebrew prophetic
tradition. But by concentrating on the village level, how
would there be strong appeal to Paul's essentially urban
followers? Horsley thinks that the appeal, to the urban
dweller, was in its symbolic resistance to the Roman power
structure. Yet Paul and his followers don't seem to me to be
very interested in resistance to power. Even the
eschatological language seems to be more symbolic than
literal. It seems to be more of a salvation religion. Where
is the source for this deep-rooted and endemic economic and
social frustration these city dwellers are supposed to have?
Is there evidence for this in classical literature? Not that
I am aware of.

Do you have any thoughts?

Respectfully,

Dave Hindley
Cleveland, Ohio, USA

PS: Blissfully retired in Atlanta, eh? Shame. I have
occasion to pass through Pikeville, KY once in a great
while.






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