The term proselyte comes from the Greek προσήλυτος (prosḗlutos) literally meaning “one who has arrived” or “one who has come to join”. In the New Testament it is used to designate foreigners (gentiles) who converted to Judaism.
Although the word “proselyte” originates from the Greek koine, some of the meanings and usages it represents were not new to the first century. This means that throughout the Old Testament (OT) different words with different meanings were used to talk about foreigners who came to Israel. The final development of the concept of proselyte takes place in the intertestamental period. Let’s see a brief historical summary of the use of the word “proselyte”.
The Septuagint and the use of the word proselyte
In the AT there are two classes of foreigners: visitors (Dt 14:21) and temporary or permanent residents (Ex 12:49). This distinction is important, because the LXX uses προσήλυτος (prosḗlutos) 77 times for the resident outsider. That is, it designates those who decided to enter Jewish territory and adopt their culture and religion.
In the Mosaic Law, God prescribes the guidelines that govern the relationship that His people would have with these foreigners (Ex 23:9; Lv 14:33-34; Dt 10:18-19). Residents added to the faith of Israel were required to be circumcised (Gen 34:14; Ex 12:48; Nm 9:14), the observance of the Sabbath (Ex 20:10; 23:12; Dt 5:14) and the rest of the holy festivals (Ex 12:19; Dt 16:11; Lv 16:29).
The New Testament use of the word proselyte it is linked to the wide use made of it by the , hence its connection with Diaspora Judaism. Of course, the above does not distort the Hebrew meaning of the word proselyte in the AT, but rather its new use in the Greek language implied that a protocol process was defined in it for someone to be considered an officially recognized proselyte by Judaism. first century rabbinical
The rabbis and the use of the word proselyte
German scholar Karl Georg Kuhn stated:
“The rabbis used the OT term for Gentiles who fully converted to Judaism. A distinction is made between false proselytes, who sought personal gain, and true proselytes, who became Jews out of conviction and kept the full law.
By the first century there was already a three-requirement reception rite that included circumcision. To this were added baptism (other than Christian) and a sacrifice. Circumcision is the oldest element (Gen 17:10-13; Gen 34:22; Ex 12:44, 48). The exact age at which baptism was performed is unknown, as well as its original meaning and form. It may have been at first a purification rite, but later it is a fixed public rite of admission to Judaism, which implies having been instructed in the law.
The offering was stopped with the destruction of the temple at the hands of Titus, son of the Emperor Vespasian (70 AD). The rabbis found a basis for these three conditions in the conditions of the covenant at Sinai (Ex 12:48; 25:5; 19:10). When the conditions had been met, the converts were considered to be Jews in every sense.
Proselytes in the New Testament
The NT records the use of this word at four times. The first is found in Matthew 23:15, where Jesus denounces the proselytizing of the Pharisees, who transform converts into hypocrites by imposing strict and legalistic observance of the law on them. In Acts 2:10 mention is made of proselytes among the Diaspora groups who were present in Jerusalem for the Feast of Pentecost. Proselytes and Jews, mentioned in Acts 2, are terms denoting the religious position of those who came from other geographic locations.
In Acts 6:1 it is mentioned that “there was murmuring of the Greeks against the Hebrews” (RV60), the word “Greeks” is Ἑλληνισταί (hellenistai) What does it mean Jews of Hellenistic origin, as translated in the NBLA. In verse 6, Nicholas is stated to be προσήλυτος (prosḗlutos) and is distinguished from the other six; he is a convert from paganism who came to Jerusalem from Antioch. In Acts 13:43 God-fearing proselytes are mentioned among those who follow the apostles.
a final thought
As we have seen, the proselytes were Gentile converts to Judaism, but being recognized as Jews did not give them . These proselytes needed Christ to receive salvation by faith and not by works of the law. Christians do not despise the Law, but we recognize that through it we do not reach salvation, but through faith in Christ and his redemptive work (Ga 2:16; Eph 2: 8-10).
WE Vine, “proselyte”, Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words (Nashville, Tennessee: Caribe Editorial, 1999) p. 1437. Ibid. Alfonso Ropero, Great Encyclopedic Dictionary of the Bible (Barcelona: Editorial Clie, 2013) p. 3,405.