only with potential Gentile converts but with religious resources and mod-
els of communal organization. Although hard evidence is lacking, Chris-
tian hymns and prayers probably borrowed freely from the liturgies of syn-
agogues, and Christian house churches imitated the social intimacy,
international networking, and practice of hospitality that characterized
synagogue communities. Perhaps most importantly, the Diaspora syna-
gogues bequeathed to early Christianity a massive literary and theological
legacy in the form of the Greek Scriptures, alongside numerous other
works written in an astonishing range of genres that today make up the
Old Testament Pseudepigrapha — histories and novellas, apocalypses and
testaments, philosophy and wisdom, drama and poetry.
As increasing numbers of non-Jews joined the movement, their table
fellowship with Jewish believers raised a critical issue: whether Gentile
converts should be required to accept kosher food restrictions. The matter
was pressing because early Christian worship took place in the context of a
communal meal. To most Jewish believers and to many Gentile converts as
well, both this requirement and that of circumcision would have made ob-
vious sense; after all, they were mandated by Jewish Scripture, had the
weight of tradition, and were sanctioned by the example of Jesus and his
disciples. Others disagreed, however. The best known and most controver-
sial dissenter was Saul (Paul), a Diaspora Jew who joined the Hellenist
wing of the movement after his persecuting it was brought to an abrupt
end by a vision of the risen Jesus. Both Acts and Paul’s letter to the
Galatians indicate that the issue came to a head in Antioch and was settled
at a meeting of the Jerusalem apostles (ca. 49c.e.) in a way that did not re-
quire circumcision of Gentile converts (Acts 15:1-35; Gal. 2:1-10). Beyond
these bare facts, the two sources disagree over several details. Most notably
Acts reports that, although Gentiles did not have to be circumcised, they
were expected to “abstain from idol meat, from sexual immorality (possi-
bly including close kinship marriages), from what has been strangled, and
from blood” (Acts 15:20, 29). According to Galatians, however, no such rit-
ual restrictions were imposed. In any case, the accommodation opened the
way for increasing numbers of Gentiles to enter the movement without
adopting the traditional sign of covenant membership. It was a fateful de-
velopment and had a major impact on the Christian movement’s eventu-
ally becoming a religion separate from Judaism.400
daniel c. harlowEERDMANS -- Early Judaism (Collins and Harlow) final text
Tuesday, October 09, 2012 12:04:17 PM