The Gentile Question (Part 1)

 
THE GENTILE QUESTION
 
I have procured one of Teresa’s books (Paul and Rabbinic Judaism, WD Davis, 1965), and it has offered some new insights on a fundamental misinterpretation of scripture. The argument between Paul and Peter had its roots in a Pharisaic debate almost two centuries old by the time Paul opposed Peter in Antioch, (Gal 2). The argument was not about “faith verses works”, as popular church theology suggests, but a question on how Gentiles had access to God the Father. Did Gentiles have there own path to God or was God only accessible through the nation of Israel?
 
As the gospel spread in the Book of Acts, salvation came to the Gentile world. The salvation of Gentiles had been foreshadowed from the time of Abraham, having been more clearly revealed during the days of the prophets. The apostles were not the first to read the words of Isaiah and understand the calling of Israel to be “A light to the nations” (Isa 49:6, 60:3), and foresee a future time when all the nations would stream to the mountain of the LORD, (Isa 2:2-4). The prophet Ezekiel seemed to speak of salvation only for Israel, but Jeremiah and Isaiah spoke of Israel as an instrument for the salvation of all the Gentile nations.
 
“Whereas in Jeremiah all the nations, even those hostile to Israel, would finally be converted to the true faith, in Ezekiel no hope is extended to them. While for Jeremiah the Israel of God will be the instrument of saving others, in Ezekiel it is itself saved to the exclusion of others. In the subsequent centuries Judaism has representatives of both these attitudes…According to the great prophet of the Exile (Isaiah), through the instrumentality of the ‘Israel’ of God all the nations are to be converted and included in the Messianic kingdom. Israel was given, not merely ‘to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved of Israel’, but also ‘to give light to the Gentiles to make God’s salvation known to the ends of the earth.’” (Paul and Rabbinic Judaism, WD Davies, 1965 Edition, page 60)
 
It should be no surprise that the Pharisees debated how Israel was to be a light to the Gentiles and what was the expected response of Gentiles to the light. In short, was Gentile redemption only possible by converting to Judaism as proselytes or did the Gentiles have a separate path to God the Father? The story of Jonah suggested an example where Gentiles could somehow be saved in their existing condition. Even Jesus reinforced this interpretation when He told some scribes and Pharisees, “The men of Nineveh will stand up with this generation at the judgment, and will condemn it because they repented at the preaching of Jonah,” (Matt 12:41).
 
The view that Gentiles could be saved apart from converting to Judaism was a form of “universalism” initially recognized by the Pharisees in the first and second centuries B.C., as it is written, “Open the gates that a righteous Gentile keeping faithfulness may enter,” (Isa 26:2). Although Gentiles could become righteous and have access to the nation of Israel, their righteousness was contingent on the Law, “Hence even a Gentile who obeys the Torah is the equal of the High Priest. (Sifra to xviii 5)”  As shown in the rejection of the Samaritans, “By the first century B.C., there is an almost complete absence of any expression of universalism” (ibid, page 62)
 
“With the belief in the ultimate salvation of the Gentiles it came to be recognized that the only hope for the latter was to become Jews, i.e., to be naturalized into the Jewish people, and it is this that accounts for the considerable activity shown in the gaining of proselytes…R. Eleazer of Modiim (A.D. 120-40) said that ‘God scattered Israel among the nations for the sole end that proselytes should wax numerous among them. (Pes 87b)’” (Everyman's Talmud, A Cohen, 1949, page 63)
 
By the first century, Jews viewed “the Dispersion” (John 7:35), as part of God’s plan for the salvation of the Gentile nations leading the scribes and Pharisees to “travel around on sea and land to make one proselyte,” (Matt 23:15). The pattern for making proselytes is based, in part, on the actions of Abraham. “We are told, Abraham made proselytes among the men and Sarah among the women, ‘And the souls that they had gotten in Haran’ (Gen 12:5)…’ Whoever brings a heathen near to God and converts him is as though he had created him’ (Gen. R. 39:14).” (ibid, page 64)  These words recorded in Genesis Rabbah reflect the attitude of the first century Pharisee.
 
“The most prominent of the advocates on behalf of proselytes was Hillel (100 B.C.–10 A.D.), whose maxim was: ‘Be of the disciples of Aaron, loving peace and pursuing peace, loving your fellow-creatures and drawing them near to the Torah’ (Aboth 1:12).” (ibid 65)
 
To achieve this objective, the Pharisees decided that it was acceptable to learn the Greek culture and Jews were “allowed to recite the Shema in Greek and likewise grace after meals and the Eighteen Benedictions. According to b. Sotah 49b, R Simeon b. Gamaliel II had 500 lads learning the wisdom of the Jews in his house and another 500 learning the wisdom of the Greeks.” (Paul and Rabbinic Judaism, page 6).  The apostle Paul was a product of his upbringing in a Greek town (Tarsus) and his Greek training under Gamiel the Elder, the grandfather of Gamaliel II, which made Paul especially adapt at taking the gospel to the Gentiles. This was all part of God’s plan, (Acts 9:15).
 
(Next Chapter - "Go to All the Nations" - Scott)