Paul and the Pagan God-Fearers: Episode 15

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The Apostle Paul is known as a missionary traveling around the eastern Mediterranean spreading the news of Jesus as the promised Messiah. But how did this message spread so successfully? One theory might involve pagans who were already interested in Jewish customs. This episode will examine the pagan “God-fearers” mentioned in the Book of Acts as well as in several inscriptions discovered in and around ancient synagogues.
Website: www.patheos.com​
Facebook: / patheos

[@danesgch]

This series deserves a lot more views

[@justintime6998]

For real

[@kaos000]

This is one of my favorite channels in all of KZbin

[@curiousworld7912]

Paula Fredriksen is the author of 'From Jesus to Christ', and historical consultant for PBS's Frontline of the same name. I found it very interesting, and challenged many of my preconceptions. I love history that challenges me to look further into my faith. Thanks for this series. :)

[@lonzoformvp5078]

I'm glad history didnt make your faith crumble, most people would simply reject scholarly consensus and academic studies for fear of challenging their faith

[@curiousworld7912]

@@lonzoformvp5078 Not at all. I think of the Bible as 'the place to start'. It's not journalism, and I don't expect historic accuracy. The more I am challenged by what I learn, the more 'grounded' is my faith. How can I profess to believe in something I know so little about, otherwise? My faith is not bound in ego - I believe, I trust, I try to follow the teachings of Jesus. But new information only adds to the richness of my faith - it doesn't take away. :)

[@getasimbe]

@@curiousworld7912 This is a great approach and one I wish more Christians would take. I ultimately have no interest in or use for faith, but I only respect those who are not afraid to challenge theirs.

[@curiousworld7912]

@@getasimbe Thank you. I appreciate that. :)

[@MrFrog-rc3zx]

This is a great channel for Christians interested in understanding the Bible better. Thank you.

[@matthewpopp1054]

I could watch an hour long video just on this concept of the God Fearer

[@richardglady3009]

Thank you for this story and all the hard work required to make this video.

[@lukepapapetrou1234]

watched all 15 episodes, loved the series!

[@HankFidel]

Are you guys missing a "15" after Episode?

[@brunogiambroni1422]

One of my favorite series on KZbin

[@justintime6998]

Thank you for all the videos you’ve done. I’ve learned so much!

[@jedimmj11]

Psalms 115 and 135 also mention "God fearers", and Rabbinic commentators explain the terms to be referring to righteous gentiles

[@Diamondraw4Real]

I agree but what did they really believe.

[@elfarlaur]

I remember reading Roman sources making fun of aristocrats who would abstain from pork in the manner of the Jews and give donations to the Jerusalem temple. One of them included a joke about them not being dedicated enough to get circumcised.

[@user-fy4qu8rp4z]

Could You link the sources?

[@elfarlaur]

@@user-fy4qu8rp4z Unfortunately I can't recall them and I read them a long time ago in a class so I wouldn't know where to look for them. It was the work of a poet but I don't remember who.

[@pansepot1490]

Reminds me of today’s movie stars becoming Buddhist or scientology.

[@nicolarivarossa4027]

will there be more episodes'???

[@ΓΕΩΡΓΙΟΣΔΡΕΤΑΚΗΣ-ω9β]

" GOD FEARING " means GOD RESPECTING !!! Not BE SCARED OFF !!!

[@pasquino0733]

Fascinating

[@danielmalinen6337]

That's a good video because some scholars, researchers and literati usually say that before Paul only true Jews were allowed to believe in the Elohim of Israel and Paul first and alone came up with this idea that Gentiles, such as Greeks and Romans, could also be invited in and baptized as God-fearing Christians. And I find it odd because I also have understood that the idea of yir’ei HaShem, as Gentiles who is interested in religion og Judaism, is contained in the Second Temple Judaism and the writings of Josephus as this video confirms.

[@whycantiremainanonymous8091]

0:48: But Hebrew frequently uses hendyadis, where two synonyms often appear in sequence for added emphasis.

[@MendTheWorld]

There is a notable synagogue in Ostia Antica, considered to be the oldest one outside of Israel.

[@MyMy-tv7fd]

very good, but I think I would begin by setting our expectations by looking a little further back - the Greeks were notoriously syncretistic and absorbed gods from all over. The first book of Plato's Republic begins with the Athenians celebrating with horse-racing in honour of the Thracian goddess Bendis. Spartans were hard-bitten about it, they just shrugged at Alexander the Great's assumption of godhood when he was named a 'child of Zeus' at the shrine in Libya. The book of Acts has Paul himself noting that the Athenians are surrounded by shrines of every type - including famously one to the 'unknown god', just in case one felt left out. He uses this as the peg on which to hang his new message of Jesus. So of course the Greek god-fearers were a thing, the classical Greek and the koine Greek make it obvious that they were. (Even Hebrew missionary outreach is famously promoted in the story of Jonah wiho did his best to not go to Nineveh.) The archeology is highly consonant, it would be odd if there were no confirmation of the texts.

[@JordanAmit]

fascinating. you forgot the episode number in the title. easy fix.

[@jameswoodard4304]

"Gentile" is probably a more useful term than "Pagan" in several places here. Non-Jewish people who believed in or materially supported worship of the Jewish God may *or* may not have been devotees of pagan religion as well, depending on how one defines the ambiguous term "Pagan." Many Greeks especially and also Romans were monotheists and/or followers of philosophical sects that may have gone along with the rites to polytheistic deities due to civic expectations, but had no belief in the actual pagan gods or myths themselves. Calling such people "Pagans" is less useful than calling them "Gentiles," which focuses more on the mere fact of their non-Jewishness rather than a more specific set of religious beliefs that they may not have actually held. Monotheistic Stoics, Atheists, etc. who might have gone along with legally-required civic rites to gods they didn't believe actually existed were obviously non-Jews, which is the important category for this historical discussion, but calling them specifically "Pagan" seems inaccurate. The Ancient Mediterranean world was cleanly divisible between Jew and Gentile. Everyone, by definition, was either one or the other. Even Christianity itself was divisible between these two categories. However, the word "Pagan" is not synonymous with "non-Jew," and does not represent such a clear dichotomy. The important defining characteristic of the God-fearers was their Gentile-hood, not their Pagan-hood, the latter of which did not likely apply to all members of that group depending on the way in which that word is defined. "Pagan," as it is used in the context of historical discussions regarding beliefs and practices of late antiquity, is an ambiguous term that is applied in differing ways depending on person and context. To some who use it, it represents the entire category occupied by those who believed in anything other than Christianity and Judaism. While, to others, it more specifically implies devotion to the traditional polytheistic gods of Greco-Roman myth and civic cult. However, the existence of certain new non-Abrahamic religions and cults that tended to have monotheistic tendencies, as well as monotheistic or functionally Atheistic philosophical traditions, show how these two categories are hardly synonymous. In fact, their existed a category of religio-philosophical traditions that can be properly defined in contra-distinction to what some would label "Paganism," while others would lump this same category in with the other as all representing non-Abrahamic beliefs. The people of the actual period in question, however, would not have understood the latter distinction. They would likely have understood beliefs of their time as being divisible between the following categories: Those who believed in the traditional gods of civic and household rites which could eventually attempt to make room for newer religious "innovations" by adding new polytheistic deities, And, Those who held views that diverged from the first group by denying the existence of the traditional Gods Non-Abrahamic people of the time would have placed Jews and Christians as a distinct sub-category of the second group, while Jews and Christians would have considered themselves as a seperate category and resist being lumped among such varied beliefs as Stoicism, Epicureanism, Platonism, Materialistic Atheism, the Mystery Religions, etc. As I said, Jew/Gentile is a cleaner, more accurate, and more complete distinction than Jew/Pagan to describe the categories out of which the early Church drew its members, and the defining caracteristic of the God-fearer in relation to Jewish religion was his non-Jewish (i.e. Gentile) state rather than a more specific categorization within the range of Gentile belief and practice which is often implied by the word "Pagan." (I realize this was longer than absolutely necessary, but I also realize that I am making a somewhat fine distinction that requires thoroughness to avoid misunderstanding. I would rather no one read my comment than for many people to read it but mistake my meaning.)

[@aaronhe6877]

Episode what? 15 right

[@friedkeenan]

Missing the episode number in the title

[@Narwhil]

There’s no episode number ?

[@MDE1992]

Christianity was so smart in making use of the fact that Judaism is not a religion that has to be spread. Tons of people who were religious but not part of the Jewish people would fall for Christianity in this way.

[@alangervasis]

You must be either really ignorant of history or a bigot. Jews/ Hebrews were basically a ethnic group or a tribe, so obviously conversion was very rare although it did happen a number of times in Jewish history like in the Hasmonean Period. Also before Christianity there were Missionary Religions like Zorastrianism, Buddhism etc which believed in spreading the religion. So Christianity didn't "make use" of anything like some ignorants claim as that idea of spreading one's faith was already there.

[@practicalskeptic4774]

Does it literally mean "someone who fears God" in the Greek language? Or is that just a common translation to reflect the sentiment?

[@Nomad1992]

In Hebrew the word we use could mean fear but also awe, so maybe it’s leaning more towards the latter, although I’m not religious so I couldn’t tell you for sure.

[@MrAmiaffe]

it's a greek word, from the verb σέβομαι "sevomai", and is generally translated as something between "to worship" and "to be god-fearing", in the sense of one who leads a god-pleasing life. The word "σεβομένοι" is a plural noun derived from that word, so, for all intents and purposes "those who fear god" is the correct translation. Note, though, that it being a Greek word and them having religious ideas all of their own, it does not have to mean they would be god-fearing in any modern sense of the word. In a jewish, monotheistic, context, though, it is safe to assume that "σεβομένοι" does not mean god-fearing in a pagan sense.

[@user-fy4qu8rp4z]

So, there's evidence that non-Jewish people stablished relationships with Synagogues outside of Judea, but is there any evidence of non-Jewish people participating in Jewish rituals or ceremonies?

[@thepalegalilean]

I think that's an assumption we can just be safe to make. Simply put people don't donate or finance projects that they are not personally invested in.

[@andrewsuryali8540]

Non-Jews could offer sacrifice at the Temple in Jerusalem. You need to remember that the forms of Jewish rituals and ceremonies in the pre-Jewish Rebellion era were very different from today's synagogue services. In fact, they were not that different from the pagan rituals of the surrounding peoples of Mesopotamia and Egypt. To pagans in the area Jews were just another group who would have been practicing "normal" religion if not for their monotheism. Also, if you recall the Torah itself requires that foreign guests and even slaves staying at a Jewish family's home MUST be included in the conduct of rituals and ceremonies on the appropriate days, with the level and form of participation governed by the category of person the guests and slaves fall into. There are TWO divine covenants recognized by Judaism: The Mosaic/Sinaitic for Jews and the Noahide for everyone else.

[@user-fy4qu8rp4z]

@@andrewsuryali8540 Right, there's textual evidence, but is there any archeological evidence of gentiles interacting in synagogues

[@user-fy4qu8rp4z]

@@barbarathanks5483 I meant outside of Judea

[@andrewsuryali8540]

@@user-fy4qu8rp4z Go to church, watch a service, and ask yourself this: What archaeological evidence would be left to show that a Korean family participated in service?

[@WerIstWieJesus]

Very interesting work. We will bring all facts together. ... in the Catholic Church.

[@robbabcock_]

👍👍👍

[@teiladnam]

I don't blame them, God is pretty scary.

[@NA-oc7eq]

So the new testament was historical partially?

[@NA-oc7eq]

@جن كلابي but half of it was forged?

[@NA-oc7eq]

@جن كلابي so if 100% is theological then that means it's also not historical?

[@NA-oc7eq]

@جن كلابي even the Christian scholars such as frank turek already said that "the gospels MIGHT have been written by eyewitnesses OR some people who knew the eyewitnesses".

[@NA-oc7eq]

@جن كلابي i really don't want to look it up myself anymore but you can do your research. Wikipedia is at least a good source and you can start there

[@NA-oc7eq]

@جن كلابي and if you have misread my statement, frank turek himself is a christian who runs the yt channel called "CROSS EXAMINATION"

[@dadsonworldwide3238]

Remember everyone believed that through logic and reason the evidence around them was proof of a power greater than themselves. The idealism is theo logic or Gods Word. Their was no anti logic line of thinking established although it was small rare atheism like sagacee

[@josepheridu3322]

If some Jews adopted pagan gods, it makes sense some Greeks adopted Jewish God.

[@Diamondraw4Real]

Some Jews never feared God but they thought they were His special children (of banu Israel) and simply believed if they get punished it will only be for a short time (certainly not for eternity!) Ipso facto some others had to be the "god-fearing" ppl. Coulda been early followers of Jesus AS before Paul. The true believers the Quran speaks of perhaps.

[@Nono-hk3is]

Episode

[@janicepedroli7403]

If he was in Greece his godfearers may have been fearers of Pan god of intoxication and possibly possession a good reason to fear.

[@levlowell]

Yet, we still can't find any christian churches from BEFORE the 3rd century. Only after Rome made it the official state religion. Almost like it was entirely made up by people. Plenty of Mithra enclaves though

[@alangervasis]

You history ignorant nutjob..Roman empire had banned christianity in 67 AD after Nero falsely blamed christians for rome's fire so you will not find any public churches until roman empire legalized it in 313 AD. Yet there are many underground house churches discovered by archeologists in syria , Anatolia, Rome and greece which dates to 1st, 2nd and 3rd centuries. Man you hate mongers really need to read some proper history.

[@levlowell]

@@haniwadog I'm not saying Christianity wasn't practiced here and there. Mithraism was practiced well throughout the ancient world in it's time. In various empires. We have archaeological evidence of this. Just as we do for a few ancient Jewish temples. In fact, some of the oldest Christian churches were built on top of ruins of Mithrain meeting places.(St. Ann) We don't know much about their practices. My point being, Christianity is a man-made religion taken from various pre-existing pagan traditions. It started out as a fringe branch of Judaism and morphed into its own thing. It was not widespread throughout the ancient world the way many of the Gospels claim. The gospels, we know many of which,are forged. Even the Church admits this. Christianity wasn't really established until the end of Constantine's life. By that point the early foundations of the church, as we'd recognize it today, existed. I think priests could still marry. That was a hold-over from the high priests of the various deities and a convenient way to keep power within a family.

[@levlowell]

@@alangervasis All of that centuries and centuries and centuries after the supposed magical events of Jesus happened. All we have is a bunch of people centuries later reading a bunch of stories written by who knows who and who knows when. The Church itself literally put the Bible together.

[@ikengaspirit3063]

@@levlowell by the 300s, there were already relatively independent churches from Ethiopia to Mesopotamia to Armenia. How did the Church "create the bible" if those Churches also have basically the same Bible?.

[@alangervasis]

@@levlowell From your comments itself it's clear that you are a massively brainwashed anti-christian hate monger who doesn't even have the slightest knowledge about ancient roman history, about ancient christianity, the biblical manuscripts, biblical archeology and antiquity .. Spit your hate mongering lies in your propaganda pages not on this academic channel.

[@issith7340]

Θεοσεβουμενοι= the ones that respect god/ φοβουμενοι τον θεο=the ones who fear god. Not the same things!!!

[@mister_i9245]

first

[@HankFidel]

🤬🤬🤬

[@yaelfeldhendler6280]

Poppea wife of Nero, sympathizer of Judaism

[@fleabaggs131]

The Greeks were a mixture of Adamites and Israelites who quite naturally responded to their Masters word.

[@lurker_dude1955]

Source?

[@fleabaggs131]

@@lurker_dude1955 I attempted to reply twice but apparently my links were rejected.

[@fleabaggs131]

@The Matrix You are right Matrix. He could not and did not birth asians and africans. Adamites are the white Progeny of Adam. Asians and Africans are the progeny of 6th day man who were here first. They are perfectly capable of becoming believers when called by God but were not formed for the purpose of creating a priestly class to spread and teach the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This site doesn't seem to allow me to supply links or I would provide a few. If you're interested, go to a non google search engine and enter "Videos by Bertrand Comparet" and ignore the naysayers until you have heard his reasoning and make your own choice.

[@tyronecox5976]

Paul(Saul) was Titus Christ,Pagan.