Ancient History Group

Who were the God-Fearers in the time of Peter and Paul?

 

(image: Paul Hart at http://www.flickr.com/photos/hartville/28647592/sizes/m/in/photostream/) 

Our next meeting will take place a week from this Wednesday, on 21 September at 7.30pm in Monkstown Meeting House. The topic, is "Who were the God-Fearers in the time of Peter and Paul? " Accordingly, I attach a few primary source excerpts below and also direct you to the following website to read an article about them.
A.T. Kraabel, “The Disappearance of the God-Fearers,” Numen 28 (1981) 113-26 at
http://www.religion.ucsb.edu/faculty/thomas/classes/rgst116c/Kraabel.pdf


Primary Sources:

1. Josephus, Jewish Antiquities, 14.110
But no one need wonder that there was so much wealth in our temple, for all the Jews throughout the habitable world, and fearers of God, even those from Asia and Europe, had been contributing to it for a very long time.

2. NT: Acts
a. 10:1-2 and 21-22:
At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion of what was known as the Italian Cohort, a devout man who feared God with all his household, gave alms liberally to the people, and prayed constantly to God. (Cornelius has a vision which commands him to send men to Joppa to fetch Peter) ... And Peter went down to the men and said, “I am the one you are looking for; what is the reason for your coming?” And they said, “Cornelius, a centurion, an upright and God-fearing man, who is well spoken of by the whole Jewish nation, was directed by a holy angel to send for you to come to his house and to hear what you have to say.”

b. 13:16-26:
(Paul has travelled to Antioch at Pisidia (Asia Minor) where he addresses the congregation in a synagogue as follows): “Men of Israel and you that fear god, listen... Of this man’s (David’s) posterity God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus, as he promised..... Brethren, sons of the family of Abraham, and those among you that fear God, to us has been sent the message of this salvation.”