Proselyte

5 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Proselyte \Pros"e*lyte\, n. [OE. proselite, OF. proselite, F.
     proselytus, Gr. ?, adj., that has come, n., a new comer,
     especially, one who has come over from heathenism to the
     Jewish religion; ? toward, to + (prob.) the root of ? to
     come.]
     A new convert especially a convert to some religion or


     religious sect, or to some particular opinion, system, or
     party; thus, a Gentile converted to Judaism, or a pagan
     converted to Christianity, is a proselyte.
     [1913 Webster]
  
           Ye [Scribes and Pharisees] compass sea and land to make
           one proselyte.                           --Matt. xxiii.
                                                    15.
     [1913 Webster]
  
           Fresh confidence the speculatist takes
           From every harebrained proselyte he makes. --Cowper.
     [1913 Webster]
  
     Syn: See {Convert}.
          [1913 Webster]

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Proselyte \Pros"e*lyte\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Proselyted}; p.
     pr. & vb. n. {Proselyting}.]
     To convert to some religion, opinion, or system; to bring
     over. --Dr. H. More.
     [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  proselyte
       n : a new convert; especially a gentile converted to Judaism

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  55 Moby Thesaurus words for "proselyte":
     Christian, God-fearing man, accepter, apostate, apostle,
     backslider, believer, bolter, catechumen, churchgoer, churchite,
     churchman, collaborationist, collaborator, communicant, convert,
     daily communicant, defector, deserter, devotee, devotionalist,
     disciple, fanatic, fifth columnist, follower, good Christian,
     mugwump, neophyte, pietist, quisling, receiver, recidivist,
     recreant, religionist, renegade, renegado, renegate, reversionist,
     runagate, saint, schismatic, seceder, secessionist, separatist,
     strikebreaker, tergiversant, tergiversator, theist, traitor,
     truster, turnabout, turncoat, turntail, votary, zealot
  
  

From Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary [easton]:

  Proselyte
     is used in the LXX. for "stranger" (1 Chr. 22:2), i.e., a comer
     to Palestine; a sojourner in the land (Ex. 12:48; 20:10; 22:21),
     and in the New Testament for a convert to Judaism. There were
     such converts from early times (Isa. 56:3; Neh. 10:28; Esther
     8:17). The law of Moses made specific regulations regarding the
     admission into the Jewish church of such as were not born
     Israelites (Ex. 20:10; 23:12; 12:19, 48; Deut. 5:14; 16:11, 14,
     etc.). The Kenites, the Gibeonites, the Cherethites, and the
     Pelethites were thus admitted to the privileges of Israelites.
     Thus also we hear of individual proselytes who rose to positions
     of prominence in Israel, as of Doeg the Edomite, Uriah the
     Hittite, Araunah the Jebusite, Zelek the Ammonite, Ithmah and
     Ebedmelech the Ethiopians.
     
       In the time of Solomon there were one hundred and fifty-three
     thousand six hundred strangers in the land of Israel (1 Chr.
     22:2; 2 Chr. 2:17, 18). And the prophets speak of the time as
     coming when the strangers shall share in all the privileges of
     Israel (Ezek. 47:22; Isa. 2:2; 11:10; 56:3-6; Micah 4:1).
     Accordingly, in New Testament times, we read of proselytes in
     the synagogues, (Acts 10:2, 7; 13:42, 43, 50; 17:4; 18:7; Luke
     7:5). The "religious proselytes" here spoken of were proselytes
     of righteousness, as distinguished from proselytes of the gate.
     
       The distinction between "proselytes of the gate" (Ex. 20:10)
     and "proselytes of righteousness" originated only with the
     rabbis. According to them, the "proselytes of the gate" (half
     proselytes) were not required to be circumcised nor to comply
     with the Mosaic ceremonial law. They were bound only to conform
     to the so-called seven precepts of Noah, viz., to abstain from
     idolatry, blasphemy, bloodshed, uncleaness, the eating of blood,
     theft, and to yield obedience to the authorities. Besides these
     laws, however, they were required to abstain from work on the
     Sabbath, and to refrain from the use of leavened bread during
     the time of the Passover.
     
       The "proselytes of righteousness", religious or devout
     proselytes (Acts 13:43), were bound to all the doctrines and
     precepts of the Jewish economy, and were members of the
     synagogue in full communion.
     
       The name "proselyte" occurs in the New Testament only in Matt.
     23:15; Acts 2:10; 6:5; 13:43. The name by which they are
     commonly designated is that of "devout men," or men "fearing
     God" or "worshipping God."