Προσήλυτος, signifies _a stranger_, _a foreigner_; the Hebrew
word גר, or נכר, also denotes a stranger, one who comes from abroad, or
from another place. In the language נכר of the Jews, those were called
by this name who came to dwell in their country, or who embraced their
religion, being not Jews by birth. In the New Testament they are called
sometimes proselytes, and sometimes Gentiles, fearing God, Acts ii, 5;
x, ii, 22; xiii, 16, 50. The Jews distinguish two kinds of proselytes.
The first, proselytes of the gate; the others, proselytes of justice or
righteousness. The first dwelt in the land of Israel, or even out of
that country, and, without obliging themselves to circumcision, or to
any other ceremony of the law, feared and worshipped the true God,
observing the rules imposed on Noah. These were, according to the
rabbins, 1. To abstain from idolatry; 2. From blasphemy; 3. From murder;
4. From adultery; 5. From theft; 6. To appoint just and upright judges;
7. Not to eat the flesh of any animal cut off while it was alive.
Maimonides says, that the first six of these precepts were given to
Adam, and the seventh to Noah. The privileges of proselytes of the gate
were, first, that through holiness they might have hope of eternal life.
Secondly, they could dwell in the land of Israel, and share in the
outward prosperities of it. It is said they did not dwell in the cities,
but only in the suburbs and the villages; but it is certain that the
Jews often admitted into their cities, not only proselytes of
habitation, but also Gentiles and idolaters, as appears by the
reproaches on this account, throughout the Scriptures.
Proselytes of justice or of righteousness were those converted to
Judaism, who had engaged themselves to receive circumcision, and to
observe the whole law of Moses. Thus were they admitted to all the
prerogatives of the people of the Lord. The rabbins inform us that,
before circumcision was administered to them, and before they were
admitted into the religion of the Hebrews, they were examined about the
motives of their conversion; whether the change was voluntary, or
whether it proceeded from interest, fear, ambition, &c. When the
proselyte was well proved and instructed, they gave him circumcision;
and when the wound of his circumcision healed, they gave him baptism, by
plunging his whole body into a cistern of water, by only one immersion.
Boys under twelve years of age, and girls under thirteen, could not
become proselytes till they had obtained the consent of their parents,
or, in case of refusal, the concurrence of the officers of justice.
Baptism in respect of girls had the same effect as circumcision in
respect of boys. Each of them, by means of this, received, as it were, a
new birth, so that those who were their parents before were no longer
regarded as such after this ceremony, and those who before were slaves
now became free.
Many, however, are of opinion that there appears to be no ground
whatever in Scripture for this distinction of proselytes of the gate,
and proselytes of righteousness. “According to my idea,” says Dr.
Tomline, “proselytes were those, and those only, who took upon
themselves the obligation of the whole Mosaic law, but retained that
name till they were admitted into the congregation of the Lord as
adopted children. Gentiles were allowed to worship and offer sacrifices
to the God of Israel in the outer court of the temple; and some of them,
persuaded of the sole and universal sovereignty of the Lord Jehovah,
might renounce idolatry without embracing the Mosaic law; but such
persons appear to me never to be called proselytes in Scripture, or in
any ancient Christian writer.” He also observes that “the term
_proselytes of the gate_ is derived from an expression frequent in the
Old Testament; namely, ‘the stranger that is within thy gates;’ but I
think it evident that the strangers were those Gentiles who were
permitted to live among the Jews under certain restrictions, and whom
the Jews were forbidden ‘to vex or oppress,’ so long as they live in a
peaceable manner.” Dr. Lardner says, “I do not believe that the notion
of two sorts of Jewish proselytes can be found in any Christian writer
before the fourteenth century or later.” Dr. Jennings also observes that
“there does not appear to be sufficient evidence in the Scripture
history of the existence of such proselytes of the gate, as the rabbins
mention; nor, indeed, of any who with propriety can be styled
proselytes, except such as fully embraced the Jewish religion.”
PROSEUCHÆ. That the Jews had houses, or places for prayer, called
ϖροσευχαὶ, appears from a variety of passages in Philo; and,
particularly in his oration against Flaccus, he complains that their
ϖροσευχαὶ were pulled down, and there was no place left in which they
might worship God and pray for Cæsar. Among those who make the
synagogues and _proseuchæ_ to be different places, are the learned Mr.
Joseph Mede and Dr. Prideaux; and they think the difference consists
partly in the form of the edifice; a synagogue, they say, being roofed
like our houses or churches; and a _proseucha_ being only encompassed
with a wall, or some other mound or enclosure, and open at the top, like
our courts. They make them to differ in situation; synagogues being in
towns and cities, _proseuchæ_ in the fields, and frequently by the river
side. Dr. Prideaux mentions another distinction in respect to the
service performed in them. In synagogues, he says, the prayers were
offered up in public forms in common for the whole congregation; but in
the _proseuchæ_ they prayed, as in the temple, every one apart for
himself. And thus our Saviour prayed in the _proseucha_ into which he
entered. Yet, after all, the proof in favour of this notion is not so
strong, but that it still remains a question with some, whether the
synagogues and the _proseuchæ_ were any thing more than two different
names for the same place; the one taken from the people’s assembling in
them, the other from the service to which they were more immediately
appropriated, namely, prayer. Nevertheless, the name _proseuchæ_ will
not prove that they were appropriated only to prayer, and therefore were
different from synagogues, in which the Scriptures were also read and
expounded; since the temple, in which sacrifices were offered, and all
the parts of divine service were performed, is called οικος προσευχης,
_a house of prayer_, Matt. xxi, 13.
word גר, or נכר, also denotes a stranger, one who comes from abroad, or
from another place. In the language נכר of the Jews, those were called
by this name who came to dwell in their country, or who embraced their
religion, being not Jews by birth. In the New Testament they are called
sometimes proselytes, and sometimes Gentiles, fearing God, Acts ii, 5;
x, ii, 22; xiii, 16, 50. The Jews distinguish two kinds of proselytes.
The first, proselytes of the gate; the others, proselytes of justice or
righteousness. The first dwelt in the land of Israel, or even out of
that country, and, without obliging themselves to circumcision, or to
any other ceremony of the law, feared and worshipped the true God,
observing the rules imposed on Noah. These were, according to the
rabbins, 1. To abstain from idolatry; 2. From blasphemy; 3. From murder;
4. From adultery; 5. From theft; 6. To appoint just and upright judges;
7. Not to eat the flesh of any animal cut off while it was alive.
Maimonides says, that the first six of these precepts were given to
Adam, and the seventh to Noah. The privileges of proselytes of the gate
were, first, that through holiness they might have hope of eternal life.
Secondly, they could dwell in the land of Israel, and share in the
outward prosperities of it. It is said they did not dwell in the cities,
but only in the suburbs and the villages; but it is certain that the
Jews often admitted into their cities, not only proselytes of
habitation, but also Gentiles and idolaters, as appears by the
reproaches on this account, throughout the Scriptures.
Proselytes of justice or of righteousness were those converted to
Judaism, who had engaged themselves to receive circumcision, and to
observe the whole law of Moses. Thus were they admitted to all the
prerogatives of the people of the Lord. The rabbins inform us that,
before circumcision was administered to them, and before they were
admitted into the religion of the Hebrews, they were examined about the
motives of their conversion; whether the change was voluntary, or
whether it proceeded from interest, fear, ambition, &c. When the
proselyte was well proved and instructed, they gave him circumcision;
and when the wound of his circumcision healed, they gave him baptism, by
plunging his whole body into a cistern of water, by only one immersion.
Boys under twelve years of age, and girls under thirteen, could not
become proselytes till they had obtained the consent of their parents,
or, in case of refusal, the concurrence of the officers of justice.
Baptism in respect of girls had the same effect as circumcision in
respect of boys. Each of them, by means of this, received, as it were, a
new birth, so that those who were their parents before were no longer
regarded as such after this ceremony, and those who before were slaves
now became free.
Many, however, are of opinion that there appears to be no ground
whatever in Scripture for this distinction of proselytes of the gate,
and proselytes of righteousness. “According to my idea,” says Dr.
Tomline, “proselytes were those, and those only, who took upon
themselves the obligation of the whole Mosaic law, but retained that
name till they were admitted into the congregation of the Lord as
adopted children. Gentiles were allowed to worship and offer sacrifices
to the God of Israel in the outer court of the temple; and some of them,
persuaded of the sole and universal sovereignty of the Lord Jehovah,
might renounce idolatry without embracing the Mosaic law; but such
persons appear to me never to be called proselytes in Scripture, or in
any ancient Christian writer.” He also observes that “the term
_proselytes of the gate_ is derived from an expression frequent in the
Old Testament; namely, ‘the stranger that is within thy gates;’ but I
think it evident that the strangers were those Gentiles who were
permitted to live among the Jews under certain restrictions, and whom
the Jews were forbidden ‘to vex or oppress,’ so long as they live in a
peaceable manner.” Dr. Lardner says, “I do not believe that the notion
of two sorts of Jewish proselytes can be found in any Christian writer
before the fourteenth century or later.” Dr. Jennings also observes that
“there does not appear to be sufficient evidence in the Scripture
history of the existence of such proselytes of the gate, as the rabbins
mention; nor, indeed, of any who with propriety can be styled
proselytes, except such as fully embraced the Jewish religion.”
PROSEUCHÆ. That the Jews had houses, or places for prayer, called
ϖροσευχαὶ, appears from a variety of passages in Philo; and,
particularly in his oration against Flaccus, he complains that their
ϖροσευχαὶ were pulled down, and there was no place left in which they
might worship God and pray for Cæsar. Among those who make the
synagogues and _proseuchæ_ to be different places, are the learned Mr.
Joseph Mede and Dr. Prideaux; and they think the difference consists
partly in the form of the edifice; a synagogue, they say, being roofed
like our houses or churches; and a _proseucha_ being only encompassed
with a wall, or some other mound or enclosure, and open at the top, like
our courts. They make them to differ in situation; synagogues being in
towns and cities, _proseuchæ_ in the fields, and frequently by the river
side. Dr. Prideaux mentions another distinction in respect to the
service performed in them. In synagogues, he says, the prayers were
offered up in public forms in common for the whole congregation; but in
the _proseuchæ_ they prayed, as in the temple, every one apart for
himself. And thus our Saviour prayed in the _proseucha_ into which he
entered. Yet, after all, the proof in favour of this notion is not so
strong, but that it still remains a question with some, whether the
synagogues and the _proseuchæ_ were any thing more than two different
names for the same place; the one taken from the people’s assembling in
them, the other from the service to which they were more immediately
appropriated, namely, prayer. Nevertheless, the name _proseuchæ_ will
not prove that they were appropriated only to prayer, and therefore were
different from synagogues, in which the Scriptures were also read and
expounded; since the temple, in which sacrifices were offered, and all
the parts of divine service were performed, is called οικος προσευχης,
_a house of prayer_, Matt. xxi, 13.