Israel and Humanity - Noachides and proselytes at the gate

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III.

Noachides and proselytes of the gate.

Noachide name given to the religion of humanity as opposed to Judaism, does not mean that the tradition represented by the law only since Noah. It goes back to the contrary, as evidenced by the Talmud Sanhedrin 36b [1], to Adam. Why this name of Noachide? It is primarily because humanity has been renewed by Noah and also because the tree shows as ethnographic strains of all human races with three different traits, son of Noah, so it 's Noah is only the constitution of humanity reached its perfection, in that oneness gives birth to diversity, different peoples, descendants of Shem, Ham and Japheth, recognizing a common father.

So far we have not distinguished between the Noachide and the proselyte of the gate and the reader could well assume that these two songs are confused and it is, whatever one we employ of the same religious law. However, this is not shown and we find a controversy on this subject in a former Boraita [2]. Next R. Meir, the law imposed on the Gentile, who wants to be recognized as a proselyte of the gate, is incomparably simpler than the Noachism already so complicated itself. It would be only in the renunciation of idolatry, ie in the profession of monotheism: "What the gher toschab text says he that in the presence of three habérim (companions, Rabbis) has pledged not to worship other gods: such is the doctrine of R. Meir. According to the Doctors, the proselyte of the gate is simply the Noachide. The gher thoschab , say doctors, is that which has bound to observe the seven precepts which the son of Noah are submitted. There is another view that makes the door proselytizing something more than just Noachide, unlike the first which is precisely something less than the latter. This is one of the rabbis who gher [3] toschab differs from the proselyte of the gate and the Israelite by birth the reservation it made to eat the dead animal ( nebel ) [4]. "What the proselyte of the gate ? It is a proselyte who eats nebel , which was submitted to all the precepts of the Torah, except for the nebel " [5].

In this passage apply to the doctors give a definition, not the Noachide itself, but the proselyte of the gate in the student's qualifications for acceptance as citizens of Palestine. It is a civil issue rather than religious. Judaism would never denied the fundamental precepts of the seven Noachides or to reduce it to one, the abandonment of polytheism, as would appear to R. Meir, or to load all the Gentile Mosaic observances with the exception only of the rule relating to nebel . The Noachism located fully maintained as religious law with the universal destination, we believe that in this discussion of the rabbis he only question is how long the Gentile may belong to the Jewish society and entitled to relief that the law Moses assures gher for a living, say the doctors, some reduction in this special circumstance the Noachism the mere profession of monotheism, the others were content to observe complete this legislation itself, the latter finally demanding more.


References

  1. ; Maimonides, Melachim IX, 1.
  2. Aboda Zara, 64 b <super> </super>
  3. Page 618
  4. Deuteronomy, XIV, 21.
  5. Aboda zara 64 <super> b </super>