of other factors. By contrast, Stark draws inferences from modern social sci-
entific theories, particularly his own formal theorizing about the growth of
religious movements in the modern period, and then tests them in rather gen-
eral terms against the historical record to the extent that this is possible.
One component of Stark’s overall argument is that Diaspora Jews con-
tinued to be a significant source of Christian converts until much later
than many historians of early Christianity have suggested. In the third
chapter of his book, entitled “The Mission to the Jews: Why It Probably Suc-
ceeded,” Stark (1996, 49–71) offers a critique of the commonly accepted view
that mission to the Jews failed after 70 CEand argues instead that Diaspora
Jewish communities were a major source of Christian converts until the fifth
centuryCE.
Stark’s third chapter begins with a brief assessment of the evidence that
is often cited to support the prevalent view: the presence of a large and
obdurate Jewish population after the rise of Christianity; the existence of
large synagogues in the Diaspora in the second through the fifth centuries
CE; hostile textual references from both sides, in which Christians portray
Jews as stubborn and wicked, and Jews mock Christians and attempt to
exclude them from their midst—“And that’s all” (1996, 51). By the conclu-
sion of the chapter, Stark has countered all these points: there were far
more than enough Diaspora Jews to fill out the ranks of Christianity as well
as to maintain a sizable non-Christian presence (1996, 69); many large
Diaspora synagogues provide evidence for—rather than against—an ongo-
ing successful mission to the Jews (1996, 68–69); hostile textual references
may reflect the attempt of Christian leaders to wean their followers from
Judaism rather than hostility toward the Jews as a group that had largely
rejected Christian preaching (1996, 66).
Stark’s argument does not focus on these points, however. The body of
his third chapter explains a number of social-scientific principles that account
for the growth of new religious movements: that conversion takes place pri-
marily through prior social networks; that new converts tend to come from
groups that are marginal to the mainstream; and that a successful movement
provides continuity with the ethnic or religious identity of the target group.
From these principles, Stark develops an understanding of “what should
have happened,” that is, “why the mission to the Jews of the diaspora should
have been a considerable long-runsuccess” (1996, 70; emphasis his). Although
Stark recognizes the gap between “should” and “did,” he cautiously con-
cludes that “a very substantial conversion of the Jews actually did take
place” (1996, 70). But he does not offer a detailed and comprehensive dis-
cussion of the relevant textual and other sources to support this conclusion.
nora
(Nora)
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