Home  /  Jurnal Jaffray  /  Vol: 20 Núm: 1 Par: 0 (2022)  /  Article
ARTICLE
TITLE

The Significant of God-Fearers for the Formation of Early Christians Identity in Acts 8-10 DOI : 10.25278/jj.v20i1.621

SUMMARY

This article attempts to analyze the important role of God-fearers in informing the early Christian identity. Luke and Acts use an ethnic-reasoning to define the Christian community. Luke and Acts uses the words gentiles, unbeliever and other ethnic groups, such as Romans and Greeks, to describe outsiders. When outsiders join the Christian community, they need a new identity that contrasts with their former. This study employs ethnicity theory to understand how people from different groups accept each other while negotiating their differences, such as their cultures, beliefs, and social relationships. The conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch and Cornelius in Acts 8-10 demonstrates how the early Christians began to develop a fluid identity. Meaning some exceptions may be allowed for Gentiles to retain their practices and customs while at the same time becoming a member of the Christian community. In this new group, God-fearers find a sense of solidarity and belonging as they enter into a table fellowship in the name of Jesus Christ, showing the uniqueness of the Christian identity.

 Articles related

Annette Evans    

Conflicting descriptions of Coptic identity still exist today. The Copts regardthemselves as those descendents of Pharaonic Egyptians who have retained theiridentity because of their Christian faith, in spite of Egypt having become apredominantly Islamic... see more

Revista: SCRIPTURA

Nico Koopman    

This article investigates the following question: How do disabled people and theresponse of Christians to them influence public morality? In a first round it isargued that the dominant ethical approach to health care, which is an approach thatfunctions w... see more

Revista: SCRIPTURA

Michel Desjardins    

In the context of growing misogyny and introversion in early Christianity, Clementof Alexandria stands out as an advocate of gender equality and respect for thebroader Graeco-Roman world. He also does not demonize the body, or sexuality.Why, then, in his... see more

Revista: SCRIPTURA

Ian Nell    

During the times of ‘Apartheid South Africa’ prophetic preaching played anenormous part in bringing about the changes this country experienced throughoutthe last three decades. The prophetic preaching of exponents such as Desmond Tutu,Allan Boesak and Be... see more

Revista: SCRIPTURA

Jeremy Punt    

Scholarly consensus has long held that Acts was intended as some sort of Christian apologyto the ruling authorities, serving to allay the fears of the imperial forces and theircollaborators that the followers of Jesus posed no political threat. This scho... see more

Revista: SCRIPTURA