Working Amidst the "Decline and Fall"

Diaspora and Mission

Much debate over procedural issues concerning the global Christian mission to convert the world remains superficial and trite.  By "procedural issues" we mean, how do we (the Church visible) actually get the task of discipling all of the nations done?

Whenever this question comes up, sooner rather than later the discussion shifts to the book of Acts.  This is not unreasonable.  Yet, the outcome is not that helpful, more often than not.  One reason for this is that reading the book of Acts as if it were an operational missions manual--a "how to" book for dummies--necessarily strips that wonderful book of Scripture out of its redemptive and historical context.  Whenever you do that with the Bible little good will come. 

Let's throw down a particular precept as an example.
  It is impossible to interpret the rapid spread of the Gospel from Jerusalem to Rome within four decades (AD 30--70) without knowing about the Jewish Diaspora.  It turns out that post-exilic Judaism represented one of the greatest missionary movements the world has ever witnessed, and the Christian Gospel mission piggy-backed off this amazing work of Divine grace.

As Rodney Stark argues:

What is far less known . . . is that Judaism of this (Roman) era was a missionizing faith--probably the "first great missionary religion."  There are four main bases for this claim.  First, Jewish doctrines set the goal of saving the entire world.  Second, both Jewish and Roman writers testify to extensive, and often very successful, Jewish proselytism, especially in the Greco-Roman diaspora.  Third, estimated growth rates of Jewish populations, especially in the diaspora, strongly support the assumption of high rates of conversion.  Finally, early Christian writers frequently reported large numbers of converts to Judaism.  (Rodney Stark, One True God: Historical Consequences of Monotheism [Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2001], p.52)

The Old Covenant scriptures makes plain everywhere that God's intention and plan has always been the salvation of the entire world.  Drawing on passages such as Isaiah 49:6, Isaiah 66: 18-19 and Psalm 117 the rabbis before the coming of our Lord in particular were focused upon bringing converts into Judaism to worship the one true God.  One rabbi argued that the reason God sent Israel into Exile among the nations was for the primary purpose of acquiring converts.  Post-exilic Judaism was not a ghetto religion: it was an ardent and successful missionary faith. 

Philo, the Jewish Alexandrian theologian (c20--50AD) traced the missionary history of the Jews and the large numbers of Gentiles that had converted into Judaism down through the centuries, from the time of Moses onwards.  In his day, he opinion, the synagogue had become a powerful tool for spreading the faith and the conversion of Gentiles. 

But of particular importance is Philo's report that synagogue services were public, that everyone was welcome and that it was common for Jews to invite gentiles to attend.  (Ibid., p. 54)

But was the mission successful?  Very much so.

Greek and Roman writers often mentioned the success of Jewish mission efforts.  Dio Cassius reported that the Jews "were converting many of the natives (Romans) to their ways."  He made this comment to explain why in about 40 BCE Emperor Tiberius ordered Jews expelled from Rome, a claim supported by Josephus, Tacitus and Suetonius.  . . . This led to frequent complaints such as that of Seneca (3BCE--65) about the popularity of Judaism--"the customs of this accursed race have gained such influence that they are now received throughout all the world.  The vanquished have given their laws to their victors."  (Ibid., p. 55)

How is it that our Old Covenant forebears were so successful?  They held public worship, they welcomed Gentiles (which meant they had far more contact with Gentiles than was usual in Palestine), they held worship services in Greek (the lingua franca of the day), and they taught from the Scriptures about the One True God, and publicly feared, worshipped, and adored Him.  The sicker the Roman Empire became the more potent and powerful the attraction of  the Jewish religion.

It was into this climate and circumstance that the Gospel of Christ, the Messiah first came.  The great evangelising work of the Apostle Paul was first of all to the synagogues throughout the Empire, in which were large numbers of people born Jewish, those who had converted and become Jewish, and the God-fearers (Gentiles who believed, but had not yet become members of the Jewish people).  The apostles stayed in the synagogues until they were forced out. 

In the West, the circumstances of our mission work at home is much, much more like the Jewish believers of the Diaspora.  Surrounded by the indifferent and the hostile, mission work needs to be based around strong, open communities of faith where public worship is front and centre.  The West is tired, jaded, lacking self-belief.  It is both effete and increasingly culturally powerless. 

We could learn much from our brothers and sisters of the Jewish Diaspora, the first Great Missionary Movement.