The Book of Acts in Its Diaspora Setting

Impressive archaeological research characterizes Volume 5 of the The Book of Acts in its First-Century Setting series, which provides an important new study of the relation of Jews to the societies in which they found themselves during the period of dispersion. Irina Levinskaya surveys commonly held views about this difficult aspect of Jewish history and challenges particularly the views of such scholars as Feldman regarding the true nature of Jewish missionary activity. According to Levinskaya, Diaspora Jews were looking not for formal converts but for God-fearers who helped them to maintain good relations with their neighbors and with Roman authorities. Luke shows a deep historical understanding of the situation by his close attention in Acts to the significance of this group in early Christianity. Copyright (C) Muze Inc. 2005. For personal use only. All rights reserved.