eed, many prominent members of the Roman nobility became zealous
adherents of Judaism, such as Aquilas, the translator of the Bible, and
Clemens Flavius, the senator of the Imperial house,(1353) and many
prominent Jewish masters were said to be descendants of illustrious
proselytes.(1354) All this changed as soon as the Christian Church girded
herself with "the sword of Esau." From that time on proselytism became a
peril and a source of evil to the Jew. The sages no longer took pride in
the prophetic promise that "the stranger will join himself to Israel," nor
did they find in the words "and they shall cleave to the house of Jacob"
an allusion to the prediction that some of these proselytes would be added
"to the priesthood of the Lord," as some earlier teachers had interpreted
the passage.(1355) R. Helbo of the fourth century, on the contrary,
explained that proselytes have become a plague like "leprosy" for the
house of Jacob, taking the Hebrew _nispehu_ as an allusion to the word
_Sappahat_, "leprosy."(1356) Henceforth all attempts at proselytism were
deprecated and discouraged, while uncircumcised proselytes,--probably
meaning the persecuting Christians--were relegated to Gehinnom.(1357)

12. This view was not shared by all contemporaries, however. R. Abbahu of
Caesarea, who had many an interesting and bitter dispute with his Christian
fellow-citizens,(1358) was broad-minded enough to declare the proselytes
to be genuine worshipers of God.(1359) Joshua ben Hanania encouraged the
proselyte Aquilas and prognosticated great success for proselytes in
general as teachers of both the Haggada and Halakah. So other Haggadists
urged special love and compassion for the half-proselyte,(1360) and
entertained a special hope of the Messianic age that many heathen should
turn to God in sincerity of heart.(1361) At all events, it was considered
a great sin to reproach a convert with his idolatrous past.(1362) Indeed,
the phrase, "they that fear the Lord," used so often in the Psalms, is
referred by the Haggadists to the proselytes; true, the chief stress is
laid upon the full proselytes, the _Gere Zedek_, but a foremost place in
the world to come is still reserved for God-worshipers like the Emperor
Antoninus.(1363) Thus Psalm CXXVIII, which speaks of the "God-fearing
man," was applied to the proselyte, to whom were therefore promised
temporal bliss and eternal salvation, rejoicing in the Law, in deeds of
love and bounteous blessing