Proselyte, from Greek προσήλυτος/proselytos, is used in the Septuagint for "stranger", i.e. a newcomer to Israel;[1] a sojourner in the land,[2] and in the New Testament (Strong's G4339 Archived 2009-09-03 at the Wayback Machine) for a convert to Judaism from Paganism. It is a translation of the Hebrew word גר/ger (Strong's H1616 Archived 2009-09-05 at the Wayback Machine).
Two kinds of proselyte in Judaism
There are two kinds of proselyte:
- Ger tzedek (righteous proselytes, proselytes of righteousness, religious proselyte, devout proselyte)
- Ger toshav (gate proselyte, proselytes of the gate, limited proselyte, half-proselyte)
A righteous proselyte[3] was a Gentile who had converted to Judaism, was bound to all the doctrines and precepts of the Jewish economy, and was considered a full member of the Jewish people.
A gate proselyte[4] was a "resident alien" who lived in the Land of Israel and followed some of the customs.
Proselytes in early Christianity
The "religious proselytes" spoken of in Early Christian writings were righteous proselytes, as distinguished from gate proselytes.
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