In his
book "Jesus the Pharisee" Rabbi Harvey Falk writes:
The
eighteen measures were a set of rulings advocated by Bet Shammai in
order to foster greater separation between Jews and Gentiles, these
rules being opposed by Bet Hillel. [pg 56]
Among some
of the rulings, that existed at this time, was a
prohibition of entering a Gentiles house so as not to be defiled. Also,
eating with a Gentile was prohibited.
The
opposition of associating with Gentiles still continued to be part of the
custom of believers of "the Way". Even
years after Peter's vision the disciples of Yeshua were amazed when
Gentiles began to be drawn toward a belief in the One God in record
numbers.
Acts
11:18
18 When
they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying,
“Then has God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life.”
What does
it mean when it says “repentance unto life”? This means eternal life or
life after death. The question that they were struggling with was, “Can
a Gentile have a place in the “world to come?” Again, we see the conflict of
opinion within the two schools of Jewish thought. The School of Shammai
did not accept the concept of the “righteous Gentile,” whereas the School
of Hillel did.
Who is a
“righteous Gentile”? He is a Gentile who follows the seven Noahide
laws. Although he is not a full convert to Judaism, he does adhere
to certain principles.
Chaim
Clorfene and Yakov Rogalsky in the book “The Path of the
Righteous Gentile” write:
With
respect to God’s commandments, all humanity is divided into two general
classifications: the Children of Israel and the Children of Noah. The
Children of