PROSELYTE prosrlyt us, from Gk. rpoo"Ot-os. convert, one who has come over, from rporreX0eiv, proselthe in, to have come toward, from rpOs, pros, toward + ACeiv, elthein, to have come). A convert, generally to a new religion. In the Septuagint the Greek 7rporrhit,ros is the usual translation of the Old Testament term ffi'r, i.e. one who takes up his residence in a foreign land and puts himself under the protec tion of a foreign people. It is applied more par ticularly to the foreigner residing in Palestine. but in the New Testament is the name given by the Jews to a convert to Judaism. The transi tion, however, from the former to the latter meaning is already foreshadowed in certain parts of the Old Testament belonging to the exilic period, as in certain passages of the Priestly Code (e.g. Num. xv.) and in Isaiah (e.g. chap. xiv.), but it was not until the second century that the term proselyte fully acquired its tech nical -en-e. According to Jewish law circum cision was an essential preliminary to admission into the synagogue as a member. The proselyte is therefore a grr who has been circumcised. but by the side of the proselyte in the full sense Rab binic literature recognizes a class of persons known as 'proselytes of the gate' who had taken up their residence in Israel's land without em bracing Judaism by the act of circumcision. It is almost equivalent to the biblical phrase 'a sojourning, gC-r' (e.g. Lev. xxv. 47). The phrase, however. as well as the class, has only a theo retical significance, and as a matter of fact there was at all time; only one class properly desig nated as proselytes. In view of this, another phrase, 'the god-fearing ones,' which is particu larly prominent in the Book of Acts, must not he confused with proselytes, though it might seem that at times the line of demarcation be tween the two is very faint. The inflow of foreigners into Palestine after the Greek con quest. the more intimate contact of .Jews with non-,Jews both within and without Palestine, the spread of Jewish influence through the presence of Jew; in Egypt. Persia, and elsewhere were important factors in making Judaism attractive to many who had lost their faith in the old gods. The decay of the Greek religion was a powerful stimulus to a movement which at one time prom ised to increase the numbers of believers in Juda ism considerably, but the nationalistic tinge of the Jewish religion as well as its elaborate cere monialism acted as checks to the movement, and the actual number of those who went over com pletely to Judaism was not very large. on the other hand. those who might he designated as sympathizers with Judaism. who had cast aside their own religious customs and adopted some of the Jewish ones. snob as the observance of the Sabbath, certain dietary laws. contributing to temple treasury. and the like, while openly proclaiming their belief in the essential doctrine of Judaism—namely monotheism—were very nu merous. It is to these that the term 'the god
fearing ones' more particularly applied.
The full proselyte, known in Rabbinical litera tare as 'proselyte of righteousness,' in addition to submitting to the nit of circumcision had to receive instru [ion in the texts of Judaism and usually was t iiged to carry out the.iirecepts striet13. wns obliged to cut loose from 1 assaciotions altogether, and after a cer tain lime the ceremony of the ritualistic bath to symbolize his purification from the uncleanliness heathenism was also insisted upon. In Pales tine proper converts to Judaism do not appear to have been encouraged by the rabbis. Pharisa ism discountenanced missionary efforts. and the growth of the new Christian religion, which threatened the lowering of all barriers. led to a further insistence upon the rabbinic ideal. which tended toward the separation of the Jews front the rest of mankind. Among the Jews, however, who lived in the Greek colonies. an active propa ganda was carried on. more particularly during the century before our eras and the movement here was not without its effect on those who re mained in the mother country.
A part at least of the Hellenistic Jewish litera ture is distinctly intended for heathen readers. written to convince them of the falsity of their awn religion. and of the superiority of Judaism. To be sure, the Judaism advocated in this litera ture was no longer a pure product. and itself shows traces of the intluenee of Greek thought net in its main lines it was in keeping with the doctrines and tendencies of Palestinian and Baby lonian Judaism. As a result of these proselytiz ing tendencies. Christianity found the way opened when the new religion felt strong enough to begin active missionary efforts; and in the measure that the -Jewish Christians abandoned distinctively Jewish customs and rites, they at tracted many to their ranks who had been pre pared for the new faith by the dissemination of licllhnistie thought. In this manner Christianity reaped the benefits of the labors of the Jewish propagandist and became essentially a mission ary religion. 'Judaism also continued to make converts, as the history of the Khozan Jews seems to show. But it gradually became charac terized by a decided discouragement of additions to its ranks, increasing its restrictions and sur rounding admission into the synagogue with dif fieultii.s that only a very limited number could overcome.
Itiumona.?911r. Schfirer. History of the Jewish Trop/- in the Time of Jesus trans., Edinburgh. Bertholet. Die Strilung drr brarliten mid der Jude'? zu den Fremden (Frei burg. 1596) : \Veber, Dir judisehr Thrologie (Leipzig, 1897) ; Graetz. Gcsrhichtw drr Juden, vol. i. (Berlin. 1854; Eng. trans., Philadelphia. 1873). See f;ENTILES.