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Judaizing

According to Shaye J. D. Cohen, the renouned scholar of early Judaism, "[m]any scholars have discussed judaizing in early Chrsitianity as if the concept were clearly defined, but it is not" (Cohen BJ 2000: 4).

The concept of "judaizing" belongs to the study of early Christianity and also to the self-understanding of some early Christians and Pagans who defined certain practices and beliefs found among their contemporaries as "judaizing."

In the earliest documented period of the Christian movement, there were substantial controversies over such traditionally Jewish practices as circumcision. See, for example, Gal. 5:1-15. Paul's struggle for the loyalty of his clients in Galatia turned in part on the issue of circumcision.

On some definitions of the term, if Gentile followers of Jesus in Galatia got circumcised after their conversion to Christianity, they could be said to be "judaizing" or seen as "judaizers." There is substantial debate on the fine points of this issue.

We want to avoid over-simplifying this topic, but it is always important to start small and let the work grow. At the present moment, this topic is wide open for further research and documentation.

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