Repentance Unto Life: Acceptance and Behavioural Expectations of Gentiles in the Jerusalem Church in Light of the Experience of Peter and Cornelius (Acts 11:18)
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Repentance unto life: Acceptance and behavioural expectations of Gentiles in the Jerusalem church in light of the experience of Peter and Cornelius (Acts 11:18) GA Timberlake Student number: 13229860 Thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Philosophaie Doctorae in Theology at the Potchefstroom Campus of the North-West University Supervisor: Prof Francois Viljoen May 2016 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I want to extend a special word of thanks to: My sisters Claire Timberlake and Katharine Frey for their endless patience and chesed; My friends Rick and Nina Jordan for their unwavering support and overwhelming provision; Kelly Troia for her life-changing prayer; My mentor, Rabbi Aryeh Scheinberg, for pouring Torah into me and for loving me; and Professor Francois Viljoen for his wisdom and guidance. I am thankful to my Master’s dissertation supervisor, Dr Allen P. Ross, for inspiring me many years ago to write on Biblical dreams and visions, one of which spread out a blanket of freedom for the entire Gentile world, and which appears in this present work. Finally, I am indebted to the direct descendants of Abraham who delight in shining as bright lights to the nations, or lagoim, for the benefit of the world, especially those of us gratefully “grafted-in” by grace. i DEDICATION To my parents: my earthly dad for teaching me about identity so I never had to wonder about my standing in the world, he showed me I was invaluable. And to my mother, one of the incredible grafted-in-ones, whose curiosity, zest for life and desire for learning impacted my own dreams and propelled me toward a sense of adventure. ii NOTE TO THE TEXT Greek and Hebrew words are provided in Greek and Hebrew script, and also transcribed in Roman characters at times when the author sees added benefit to the reader and/or clarification to the point of explanation. English biblical references are from the NIV unless otherwise noted. A term all too familiar to readers is used in this study in a fashion that may be new to many. In the spirit of Jewish thinking and customs, the name of the Lord appears with a hyphen in the middle, as G-d, rather than the letter “o”. Many orthodox Jews will not write out the word “G-d,” but instead will instead insert a hyphen in the middle to write ‘G-d.’ The thinking comes from Deuteronomy 12:4, a verse that some Rabbis of old linked to the verse immediately preceding it. From this they deduced a prescription to avoid “obliterating” the Divine Name. To them this meant not defaming the Name like other nations do. As a result, they would take great care with how the Name is written. If in a scroll or book, the text would be buried at the end of their lifetimes. If the Name was written outside of formal scrolls or books, the word would take an altered form, ‘G-d’, to preserve the sanctity of the Name. In short, it was a way of showing reverence and the practice remains until today. Rabbi Aryeh Sheinberg, noted in the acknowledgements, explains it as such: “So we write the hyphenated form, G-d, to show great respect.” I learned this and other customs, including some in place around in the time of Jesus — such as reciting the daily Shema and recognizing events on the annual calendar — while spending extended periods of time studying in and around Israel. One year while studying in Turkey, I was greatly impacted standing in front of the ancient theatre in Miletus. An inscription on the theatre seating stood out like a placard for “reserved seating”. The inscription, written in Greek, transliterated read: “topos eioudeon ton kai theosebion,” meaning, “place of the Jews, who are also called G-d-fearing.” While the term G-d-fearing could have been an appellation for the Jews in Miletus, my professor pointed out that it could have referred to G-d-fearing Gentiles who could be mistaken for Jews. These were Gentiles who worshiped the G-d of Israel and in many instances kept the Mosaic Law, but did not take the final step of circumcision necessary to become a proselyte. This cemented my interest in discovering more about these so called G-d-fearers, who they were and how they sought to draw near to the G-d of Abraham, Isaac and Joseph. iii ABSTRACT In the two or three centuries before the Common Era and the two centuries afterwards, Israel experienced dynamic shifts in its socio-economic and religious life. Under Roman rule the population grew, the Jewish literacy rate improved and urbanization increased. This environment was the birth place of the earliest Church, the habitat of the disciples, and the historical entry point of Cornelius, the G-d-fearing centurion. Like other G-d-fearers, Cornelius may have considered the stringent ritual purity laws and ethnic identity issues impenetrable barriers to full conversion to Judaism. For that reason, and perhaps others, he stayed on the fringes of the religion, while his Hebrew-like mindfulness and lifestyle garnered attention from those around him, including “all the Jewish people”. The divine intervention that accompanied Peter’s unlikely house-call brought about a change that no one anticipated. This dissertation sets out to examine the events surrounding Acts 10 and determine the behavioural expectations of the Gentiles to whom the letter of Acts 15 was written. What degree of Torah observance was expected of them and what degree of observance was incorporated/demonstrated in their lives? The key word “who are turning” (ἐπιστρέφουσιν or epistrephousin) (Acts 15:19), in the Present Active Participle Masculine Plural Dative form, reflects the continuous change they experience on the road to fullness. Drawing on earlier research, I present an ethnographic study of Gentile Jesus followers. As such I argue that while they were not obligated to follow more of the Torah than what was presented at the Jerusalem Council, some enjoyed a higher level of observance than the prescriptions inherent in the Apostolic Decree. Secondly, I argue that the apostles may have anticipated a higher level of observance as words from the Didache seemed to encourage (Didache 6:2-30). Key Words: Second Temple Judaism, First-century Christianity, Noahide Commands, Didache, yirei shamayim, God-fearing proselytes, Righteous Gentile, sebomenoi ton theon, phoboumenoi, Birkath Haminim, halakha, tsedaḳah, mikvaoth, God fearers, sympathizers, Jerusalem Council, Second Commonwealth, Two Ways Document, Apostolic Decree, Cornelius, Caesarea, Unclean. New Testament Studies, Acts 10, Acts 15, Jewish Identity. iv OPSOMMING In die twee of drie eeue voor die Christelike Tydperk en die twee eeue daarna het Israel dinamiese verskuiwings in die volk se sosio-ekonomiese en geloofslewe ervaar. Die populasie het gegroei onder Romeinse regering, die Joodse ongeletterdheidsyfer het verbeter en verstedeliking het toegeneem. Hierdie omgewing is waar die vroeë Kerk tot stand gekom het, dit was die habitat van die dissipels, en die historiese ingangspunt van Kornelius, die G-dvresende hoofman (centurio). Soos ander G-dvresendes, kan dit wees dat Kornelius die streng ritualistiese reinheidswette en etniese identiteitskwessies gesien het as ’n struikelblok tot volle bekering tot Judaïsme. Hy het daarom, en miskien vir ander bykomende redes, aan die rand van die geloofsgemeenskap gebly, maar sy ingesteldheid het herinner aan ’n Hebreeuse denkwyse en leefstyl wat die aandag getrek het van diegene rondom hom, insluitende “al die Jode”. Die G-ddelike intrede wat tydens Petrus se onwaarskynlike huisbesoek plaasvind, het ’n verandering gebring wat niemand kon voorsien nie. Hierdie tesis ondersoek die gebeure rondom Handelinge 10 en bepaal watter optredes van die nie-Jode aan wie Handelinge 15 gerig is, verwag is. Watter mate van Torah-handhawing is van hulle verwag en watter mate van handhawing blyk uit hulle lewens? Die sleutelwoord “die wat hulle bekeer” (ἐπιστρέφουσιν of epistrephousin) (Handelinge 15:19), in die Teenwoordige Aktiewe Deelwoordelike Manlike Meervoud-Datiewe vorm, dui op die aanhoudende verandering wat hulle ondergaan op weg na volheid. Deur uit vorige navorsing te put, bied ek ’n etnografiese studie van nie-Joodse Jesus-volgelinge. Ek voer as sodanig aan dat al is daar nie van hulle vereis om meer van die Torah te volg as wat by die Raad van Jerusalem besluit is nie, sommiges tog ’n groter mate van handhawing getoon het as wat blyk uit die beskrywings in die Apostoliese verordening. Tweedens voer ek aan dat die apostels dalk ’n groter mate van handhawing voorsien het as wat die woorde van Didache aanmoedig (Didache 6:2-30). Sleutelwoorde: Tweede Tempel Judaïsme, Eerste-eeuse Christendom, Nuwe Testament Studies, Handelinge 10, Handelinge 15, Raad van Jerusalem, Noaïetiese voorskrifte, Didache, Tweede Ryk, Eerste-eeuse Judaïsme, Joodse identiteit, Israel, Regverdige nie-Jood, Joodse Grondgeskrif (Two Ways Document), Apostoliese verordening, Kornelius, Sesarea, onrein, Birkath Haminim, halakah, tsedaḳah, mikvaoth. v TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .......................................................................................................... I DEDICATION ........................................................................................................................ II NOTE TO THE TEXT ............................................................................................................... III ABSTRACT ....................................................................................................................... IV OPSOMMING .......................................................................................................................