Theology is a complex field of study mainly because of its divine subject. The Holy Bible and different historical teachings describe people that were called God-fearers. Cornelius is the person demonstrated in the tenth chapter of the Apostles’ Acts in the New Testament and is named the God-fearer. This example is the first time I have heard of this group of people that was present in the first century A.D. The God-fearers were the ones in the middle between traditional Jews and Gentiles. After the Pentecost, many Jews became Christians and formed the first church. After that, Paul started preaching the Gospel to Gentiles, but the third group had another story.
Even though the God-fearers were Gentiles, they were interested in Jewish teachings, such as the Sabbath or studying Torah. According to the Bible, the “God-fearing women” were the ones that caused Paul’s and Barnaba’s exile from the region (Acts. 13. 50.). That means there were people with power among them. The God-fearers could have helped Jews to adapt to the Greek world. After the moment Paul met Cornelius, he told him that following teachings and living righteous lives were enough to be Christian.
The God-fearers existed before Jesus and became Christians en masse after his death. These people were not Jewish but believed in God Jews worshipped. There is no exact information about the fact of other gods they believed in, but they embraced Judaism and usually visited synagogues but did not fully execute the law. This group of people was at the church’s origins and directly related to the understanding of the first-century church strategy in preaching the Gospel to Gentiles.
Works Cited
Holy Bible. New International Version, Zondervan Publishing House, 1984. Web.