Dear Ben:
I don't have the time to debate you endlessly. I will make just one comment bellow in your email..........
Dear Ray:
Mosaic Laws were given c.1250 B.C. Until exile in c.597 B.C., over 500 years, Israelites followed the Laws and traditions as given to Moses.
COMMENT: Ben, ALL ISRAEL corrupted themselves long before 597 B.C. Israel assuredly DID NOT "follow the Laws and traditions as given to Moses." Read Deut. 31:28 and dozens of other Scriptures: "For I know that after my death YE [ye means 'ALL of you'--ALL of the twelve tribes] WILL UTTERLY CORRUPT YOURSELVES, AND TURN ASIDE FORM THE WAY WHICH I HAVE COMMANDED YOU...." Can't get much clearer or to the point than that.
God be with you,
Ray
When they were dispersed by Assyrians and Babylonians, wherever they went, the took their religion as it was with them. When Judeans were taken to Babylonia, they had to make some justifiable changes in their religion so they could survive. If we analyze the Babylonian Talmud, we will see the influence of the Babylonian religion at that time. Those changes encouraged others to make more changes which ended up in, what is later called, the Talmud hence "Judaism."
Life would have been much easier if those remnants of non-Jewish Israelites disappeared from the earth. But they didn't. When they dispersed, they lived among other nations as small communities minding their own business, not claiming anything. Other nations accepted them, because they were following the uncorrupted basic Mosaic religion which is the basis of Christianity and Islam. To my knowledge, these communities still exist in the Middle East, North Africa, Egypt, Turkey, Russia, Baltic countries to count a few. In Germany during the WWI, the German government gave them certificates to make sure that they will not detained as Jews. Some served in the German army. Russia treated them equal to Russians while discriminating the Jews. Their worshiping place was/is a "Temple" not synagogues because to my knowledge, they were/are still making animal sacrifices as instructed in the Old Testament wherever the local government permits. Both Muslims an d Orthodox Christian (Greek, Russian and Coptic) churches accepts them and welcome them. Did they remain pure? I don't know. All I know is that they don't allow anyone to convert to their religion. I don't think too many families left. I am sure you'll find some more information in German and Russian archives and libraries.
Coming back to my original question of "Gentiles." As far as I know, during the time of Christ, those "lost" Israelites, particularly those who remained in the Middle East, had adopted the Greek language, many of Greek traditions but still kept their religion and ethnicity. They were nick-named "Greeks." They were keeping the holidays and attending the services. Trust me, if they were pagan Greeks, they would not have been let to enter the synagogues. So, reading the New Testament with this background, something tells me that what theologians translated as Gentiles, like in the Old Testament era people, are actually "Ethnon" i.e., people of the same ethnic background, i.e. non-Jewish Mosaic Israelites to be united with others and go back to Mosaic religion and reject Talmudic Judaism. That is where Christ came in. Better now?
God be with you,
In God's Service,
Ben
